... "The rice in the fields burned to death
Snails in the field died dry
The yam in the forest and in the ground also withers.
It's a drought, no water to dry feet
Please God let it rain
Please let the wind and rain be favorable,
Please give water to the rice fields
Let disease and epidemics fall into the fire, fall into the ground, flow down the stream
Please God, please God…
Protect buffalo, pigs, chickens and ducks from disease
Protect the villagers from the elderly to children from getting sick.
Always be healthy.
House full of rice,
Buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens filled the pen…”
The chanting of the sacrificial words from Mr. Lo Van Pau (83 years old) - the shaman, opened the Bun Voc Nam Festival in Na Tam commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province.
Bum Voc Nam, in the true sense of the prayer, is the Water Festival of the Lao people - a festival full of cultural colors, beliefs and characteristics in the life of the Lao ethnic community. Preserving identity is not only evident in daily life, but also in the awareness of the people. Although the economic and spiritual life of the Lao people in Lai Chau is increasingly developing, they still maintain the concept from the time of their ancestors returning to water - the origin of life. Rain makes all things flourish, the gods protect the village. And praying for rain becomes the subconscious of each person, becoming an important community festival of the year for the Lao people.
The Lao people have spent a long time settling in Lai Chau, and have a communal lifestyle and strong solidarity. Before organizing the festival, prestigious people in the commune met and assigned tasks, assigned each family to prepare offerings, and selected people with qualified moral qualities to participate in the rituals of the festival. The worship day is an auspicious day and month chosen by the shaman beforehand.
Luckily to participate in the Bum Voc Nam Festival in 2023, we were lost in the dominant indigo and silver-white colors of the traditional costumes of the Lao people with delicate and distinct brocade patterns.
The festival begins with a solemn ritual of worshiping the gods. The Lao people's worshiping hut is called "Phi Ban". Offerings include: Chung cake, pig, chicken, wine, tea, sticky rice, sugar cane, etc. The worshiping words express the thoughts of the people, praying for the gods of heaven and earth to bless them with a year of favorable crops. This is a typical wish of the mountain residents who grow wet rice.
In the Northwest, the Thai ethnic group also has the Water Splashing Festival (Then Kin Pang), but each ethnic group's culture has its own unique features. The two festivals differ in both the way the ceremony and the festival are organized. The way the community lives determines the differences in each water splashing festival.
The Lao ethnic group's Bum Voc Nam has a unique ritual of asking for rainwater to worship the Buddha statue. The group of people asking for rainwater consists of 80 men and women who meet the standards of moral qualities and dexterity and have been selected from families in advance. All of them wear neat traditional costumes.
The girls wear indigo headscarves, decorated with brocade and decorative accessories. The girls also skillfully pin a fresh flower to highlight their smiles with their traditionally blackened teeth. The full costume, including skirt, shirt, and traditional hand-made scarf, is also the pride of any adult Lao girl.
The boys wore simple indigo clothes and wrapped their heads in white scarves decorated with patterns. The group went to ask for rainwater to the sound of drums and gongs, going to each family (pre-selected) to ask them to open the gate and ask for water.
The folk song "Open the gate and ask for water" was sung by the group, featuring unique Lao music and instruments. The high female voice and the warm male voice combined with the music to create a unique musical space. The host responded and guided the group to carry the pipes to get water.
On the way to the festival area, the procession continued to walk amidst the sounds of drums, gongs, the sound of beating bamboo baskets, stripping bamboo strips, and dry palm leaves... According to the simulation of the artisans, while walking and beating, these are the sounds expressing the sound of thunder, the sound of rain falling, sometimes big and small drops, sometimes rumbling, sometimes pattering...
Witnessing this scene with our own eyes, we were immersed in the unique intangible cultural space of the Lao people. Not only are these traditional rituals spiritual, but these are also actions with fertility meanings.
On the road where the water-seeking procession passed, the villagers stood on both sides of the road, using water to splash on the procession, wishing each other good health, luck and wealth. Everyone's face was happy, just like the inherent dignity of the nation.
The rain-praying ceremony is performed by the shaman at a small hut built by the stream. The villagers bring flowers, incense, and offerings to the shaman to perform the incense offering ceremony. The prayer expresses the villagers' wishes for a year without natural disasters or epidemics, for people to be healthy, for livestock and poultry to thrive, and for rice and corn to flourish. When the shaman gives permission, the group carries flowers and water into the hut. They offer flowers twice, then water them once, and this is done until all the flowers are gone.
The Buddha statue washing ceremony is meticulously performed by the shaman with the wish to cleanse the dust of the world in the past year and pray for new things in the new year.
The most anticipated part of the festival is the fun activities. Banana trees are planted in the middle of the stream - symbolizing the growing and flourishing crops. Boys and girls from the villages rush down to the stream to splash water to pray for rain. In the middle of the clear stream, there is no longer any gap in age, rich or poor, male or female. They only have one common concept: whoever splashes more will bring more luck. In the airy atmosphere, streams of water fly up, overflow, white, arms waved, the whole space is filled with solidarity, attachment, friendliness, and joyful smiles of the Lao people. Immersing in that atmosphere, we appreciate even more the unique culture of our people.
The Bun Voc Nam Festival is also extended with traditional folk games demonstrating the power of the mountains and forests such as tug of war, stick pushing, and the girls singing in their ethnic dances. The prizes have been awarded, and the promises of the next festival still echo. Everyone leaves with their nostalgia, even though their clothes are soaked, they go out to watch the show, play the games, dry up and continue to be splashed with water... but the impression of Bum Voc Nam remains here, along with the mark of a nation that loves traditional culture, always devoted to preserving and conserving the unique cultural features of the Lao people.
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