Red Dao ethnic group's coming of age ceremony -

Perhaps there are no words to describe the beauty of the 12-lamp initiation ceremony of the Red Dao people in Lao Cai. If you want to use one word to describe this most important ceremony, look at it through the lens of “heart”, the heart comes from the “spirituality” in the rituals and also comes from the “sincerity” in the desire to prove the maturity of the Red Dao men in their responsibility to the community and the nation.

The opening ceremony is the ceremony to welcome the teacher to perform the Cap Sac ceremony.

The teachers performed a purification ceremony for their students before performing the ordination ceremonies.

Turtle dance and bell dance are dances performed throughout the days and nights of the coming-of-age ceremony.

In the flow of Vietnamese culture, the Dao people are a community with extremely unique cultural features. They always maintain their own very own national cultural identity, a pure culture that is not hybridized or mixed with any other elements.

The Dao people's coming-of-age ceremony has many levels, the first level is the 3-lamp coming-of-age ceremony and the last is the 12-lamp coming-of-age ceremony. Each level has a cultural meaning and reflects a certain level. The 12-lamp coming-of-age ceremony is the most important and grandest event and also the highest level in the religious culture of the Red Dao people.

For the Dao people, the shaman is a figure of special importance in the spiritual and cultural life and receives great respect in the community. He is considered the incarnation of the gods and participates in important rituals of the Dao people such as: weddings, vegetarian ceremonies, coming-of-age ceremonies, etc.

The 12-lamp coming-of-age ceremony of the Red Dao people is a milestone marking the maturity of every man here. In addition to being considered an adult, a person who has been granted the coming-of-age ceremony is also allowed to participate in important village activities. According to the Dao people, men, even the elderly, who have not undergone the coming-of-age ceremony are not considered adults because they have not been granted the coming-of-age ceremony by a teacher, have not been granted the religious title, and do not have a name...

The Dao people believe that the coming of age ceremony is an important ceremony that must be performed in their lives, especially for men. They believe that only those who are ordained have enough heart and virtue to distinguish right from wrong, and will be recognized as descendants of Ban Vuong. Every year, the Dao people will choose a good day to hold the coming of age ceremony, as well as the appropriate number of participants. With the 12-lamp coming of age ceremony, there will be 12 main teachers and assistant teachers, the shamans play the role of the person who presides over the ceremony, the participants of the coming of age ceremony are called students. It is not easy to participate in the 12-lamp coming of age ceremony, those who are chosen to participate must be proficient in the rituals, procedures, order of performance and prayers recorded in ancient Nom Dao books. To be able to achieve this, participants must go through a long journey, constantly studying and improving themselves.

The teachers perform a ceremony to lead the students to "the underworld" and return to meet their ancestors. This is the most important ritual in the coming-of-age ceremony.

For the Dao people, after being ordained, they not only mature physically and become an important part of the community, receiving respect, but also become spiritually strong.

This ritual helps them to live towards their roots, to live according to morality, and to live for the community. The person who is ordained will become a high-ranking shaman, capable of presiding over important rituals for the village.

The priest stamped the seal on the disciples for completing all the 12-lamp initiation rituals. The priests' costumes were similar to those of the disciples and were imbued with the cultural beliefs of the Dao people.

Marriage certificate issuance ceremony, marking the maturity of couples participating in the coming of age ceremony

The 12-lamp initiation ceremony is not only a unique cultural beauty of the Dao people but also shows their pride in performing traditional cultural rituals. The reason why the initiation ceremony is highly regarded by the Dao people in particular and the Vietnamese ethnic community in general is because this ceremony demonstrates good humanistic values and the morality of the nation.
The recipients absolutely avoid doing evil and bad things. After the initiation ceremony, they become responsible people, with the desire to improve themselves and contribute to the community. In particular, Red Dao men passing through the door prove that they are mature and qualified to take on the responsibility of their clan and community.

The closing ceremony and the Ban Vuong worship ceremony take place on the last day of the initiation ceremony. During this ceremony, both the initiate and the participants hear the legend and origin of their people.

The Red Dao's coming-of-age ceremony is not only a representative cultural heritage of humanity but also contributes to preserving, maintaining and promoting the cultural beauty of the Vietnamese ethnic community.

Article: Hieu Hien

Photo: Kieu Anh Dung

Design: Khanh Linh

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