Growing flax for making costumes is a special cultural feature of the Hmong. According to Hmong customs, a groom-to-be has to bring two sets of linen clothes as presents for his future in-laws in order to thank them for raising up the bride. When a Hmong man dies, he will be dressed in linen clothes as the Hmong believe flax fibers can lead the spirits of the dead persons back to their ancestors and help them reincarnate as humans.