The 12-lamp initiation ceremony of the Red Dao people in Lao Cai

The Coming of Age Ceremony is a traditional and most important ritual in the cultural treasure of the Dao ethnic group. The Coming of Age Ceremony of the Red Dao people in Sa Pa district, Lao Cai province is attractive not only to the ethnic people here, but also a custom that attracts the attention of many other ethnic groups living in the highlands of the North and tourists from all over. We invite you to join author Vu Tien Dung in recreating this Coming of Age Ceremony through the photo series "The Coming of Age Ceremony with 12 Lanterns of the Red Dao ethnic group in Lao Cai". The photo series was submitted by the author to the Happy Vietnam Photo and Video Contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The 12-lamp initiation ceremony of the Red Dao people.

According to the Dao people, if a man has not undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, he is not considered an adult. This folk ritual has been passed down from ancient times to the present in the Red Dao community in Sa Pa, expressing the desire for a prosperous and happy life. The ceremony is held annually in November, December or January. The Red Dao people can organize the coming-of-age ceremony for a maximum of 13 people at a time, if less, it must be an odd number (odd numbers 3, 5, 7...).

In the opening ceremony, the shaman beats the drum to invite the ancestors to attend, and informs the ancestors of the reason for the ceremony. During the ceremony, many rituals take place inside and outside the house. Inside the house, the ceremony of empowerment will take place through records in ancient books of the Dao people and ritual props such as candles, mats, seals, sticks, dice, rice bags, etc.

Those who are granted the 12-lamp title must undergo a training process, master the rituals, and the prayers recorded in the Nom Dao book.

The ordination ceremony has two main parts: the ordination ceremony (passing the lamp) which includes the following parts: presenting, granting the lamp, lowering the lamp, giving the dharma name, and crossing the bridge. The ordination ceremony (promotion ceremony) includes: lighting the lamp, giving the hat, presenting to the Jade Emperor, red thread ceremony, and visiting the heavenly court. There are many levels of ordination, depending on the level, the number of soldiers given to the husband and wife is different. The first level is the ordination ceremony with 3 lamps, the husband is given 36 soldiers by the master, the wife is given 24 soldiers by the master; the last level is the ordination ceremony with 12 lamps, the husband is given 120 soldiers by the master, the wife is given 60 soldiers by the master. The ceremony usually lasts from 1 to 5 days, including the presenting ceremony, the homeowner slaughtering pigs and chickens to worship the ancestors. Each level is different, according to the rituals expressing certain historical and cultural meanings.

A ritual that contains the sacredness of the ceremony is to “lead” the students to the underworld... After the ceremony is finished and the request for the underworld is successful, the teachers will lead the students to lie down straight and place a mask and a pair of chopsticks on their faces. The teachers will walk around the students 3 times, praying while walking and removing the masks. Then the priest will go to each student's bed, take a small sip of tea and spray it on their stomach, pat their chest and help each person sit up in a chair.

According to Dao beliefs, the coming-of-age ceremony is a mandatory custom for men. Only those who have received the coming-of-age ceremony are considered mature men and are allowed to participate in important village affairs. If they have not received the coming-of-age ceremony, even if they live to be old, they are still considered immature. Those who have received the coming-of-age ceremony, even if they are young, are still allowed to participate in important family or community ceremonies. Dao people believe that only those who have received the ceremony have enough heart and virtue to distinguish right from wrong in life, can become useful teachers for the community and people, and are especially recognized as descendants of Ban Vuong - the ancestor of the Dao people. The Red Dao's coming-of-age ceremony is one of the most important traditional ceremonies in the cultural treasure of the Red Dao. The coming-of-age ceremony of the Red Dao in Sapa, Lao Cai is not only attractive to the ethnic people here but is also a custom that needs to be preserved and developed.

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