Unique Housewarming Ceremony of the Ede People in the Central Highlands

(CLO) The housewarming ceremony to thank the gods and ancestors for their protection and help in building a new house, and also to help the homeowner have a prosperous and healthy business in the future, is an important ritual in the life cycle festival of the Ede people in the Central Highlands.

This is an important ceremony, so the homeowner carefully prepares for the ceremony. The offerings include: 1 pig, 1 chicken, 5 jars of wine tied to the Gong pillars that have been carved and erected in advance, arranged in a vertical row in the main room of the new house; 7 copper rings are worn on the ears of the jars of wine. People use red paint, red dye or pig blood to smear on the pillars to symbolize wealth, peace and happiness.

The shaman enters the ceremony (Photo: Nhu Quynh).

In a formal outfit, the shaman reports to the gods about the newly completed house, then worships the ancestors, praying for the gods and ancestors to continue protecting the house, for everyone to be healthy and safe, to always be united and close together, to have a prosperous life, and to have bountiful harvests.

At the ceremony, after the offerings are fully prepared, the gongs are played to signal to relatives near and far that the family has a happy event, inviting everyone to attend the ceremony. The homeowner lights up the stoves in the house, with the wish to pray for warmth and abundance. The shaman reads the prayer to invite the gods to witness the homeowner's sincerity with the meaning: "Oh Yang! We inform our grandparents and ancestors that our descendants have returned to a new place, have built a village and a house, invite our grandparents and ancestors to attend the ceremony, and bless our descendants and the villagers with good health, good luck, and a united and prosperous village. Oh Yang!".

The following rituals are also performed in turn; of which, the house-washing ritual is considered the most important by the Ede people.

At this ceremony, the homeowner sits in front of the wine jar facing the shaman, everyone in the house also lights the stove to light the fire. The shaman reads the prayer with the meaning: "Oh Yang! Come here to witness the new house ceremony of this Ede couple, the stairs are built, the K'pan chair is smoothed, the stove is lit, the gods please watch over the descendants, the Ede relatives, seeing the broken hut, seeing the house about to collapse, the afternoon sun, the leaking rain, we have reported to the gods.

Now, the house is finished, the house is not beautiful yet but the pillars have been carved, the paintings have been cut, the offerings have been pigs, chickens, and wine are enough. Oh Yang!”. After the prayer, the shaman took the wine and gave it to the homeowner to drink and put a copper bracelet on the homeowner’s father’s hand, with the meaning of wishing the men in the family to be healthy to shoulder the responsibility, to keep the family peaceful and happy.

The homeowner sits in front of a jar of wine facing the shaman (Photo: Nhu Quynh).

After the ceremony, the shaman takes rice, meat, and wine for family members to eat with the gods, and invites relatives from both sides to eat and drink to enjoy the Yang offering.

During the entire ceremony, the gongs continuously resounded, which was a message of confiding and praying to the Yangs for luck, prosperity, and peace in life. The sound of the gongs became even more vibrant as the ceremony was about to end, because that was also the time when the host performed the wine offering ceremony, and a sumptuous meal was also served to invite relatives and distinguished guests to join the family. In the new house, everyone gathered together to eat rice, enjoy wine, and immerse themselves in the unique melody of the gongs.

According to the shaman, in the past, the worshiping ceremony went through 5 steps, first was worshiping Yang (the spirit) to report to the spirit about the new house, then worshiping the ancestors, then worshiping to wash the house, worshiping to wish for the health of the father, mother, children and grandchildren and congratulating the homeowner on having a new house. Nowadays, the worshiping ceremony has been simplified a lot by the Ede people, depending on the circumstances and conditions of each family, but still following the traditional ritual and very solemn.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/doc-dao-le-cung-mung-nha-moi-cua-nguoi-edetai-tay-nguyen-post330073.html