Xo Dang people celebrate new rice

Villagers move to the rice fields to prepare to worship the gods. Photo: THIEN TUNG

Normally, the Xo Dang people celebrate the new rice harvest from August to the end of September. A few days before the ceremony, the village elder will hold a meeting to assign people to repair water troughs, rice warehouses, and prepare the pole...

According to tradition, the Xo Dang people must perform a new rice offering ceremony before harvesting rice. Offerings to the god include a pole, pigs, chickens, rice wine, bamboo rice, dried meat, rat meat, shrimp, fish and wild vegetables. The Xo Dang people believe that a good harvest is thanks to the rice god's blessing and grace, so they thank this god very thoughtfully.

Village elders pray to thank the gods for a good harvest. Photo: THIEN TUNG

Before the ceremony takes place, the village elder (or head of household) gathers family members to prepare items for the ceremony such as winnowing trays, rice baskets, rice pounding mortars, etc. They wear traditional clothes, wear beads and white threads on their hands, carry machetes and knives and head towards their fields.

During the ceremony, the village elders pray to thank the gods for the good harvest, the full granaries, the cassava, corn, and favorable weather. After that, the women of the village spread out to thresh the first handfuls of rice and put them into three baskets. The first basket contained rice for the family and pigs and chickens to eat; the second basket was used to cook new rice and invite the villagers to celebrate; the third basket was used to put the rice in the granary.

Storing rice in the warehouse. Photo: THIEN TUNG

When the rice arrives home, it is offered with pig's blood to welcome the rice god to the village and the new warehouse. After the offering, the village elders slaughter the pig, the women pound the rice to cook rice, and then eat the new rice together. Guests are invited to eat the new rice and drink rice wine; the host plays gongs, sings and interacts with the guests.

This year's new rice festival of the Xo Dang people in Tra Linh is somewhat bustling because it is supported by the government to be organized on a large scale, attracting a large number of people from the communes and tourists to participate and experience.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/dong-bao-xo-dang-to-chuc-le-an-mung-lua-moi-3140088.html