Dong Sua Festival of the Black Thai

Dong Sua Festival of the Black Thai people, praying for a year of favorable weather and bountiful crops

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 09:28 AM (GMT+7)

Dong Sua Festival (also known as sacred forest worship) of the Thai ethnic group in Kha village, Sap Vat commune, Yen Chau district (Son La), a traditional religious ceremony with the meaning of praying for health, a year of favorable weather and bountiful crops.

Clip: Dong Sua Festival of the Black Thai people, praying for a year of favorable weather and bountiful crops.

When the forests begin to sprout, the animals in the forest come out of hibernation to check for food, the highlanders clean up their fields, preparing for a new crop... it is also the time when the Black Thai people in Kha village, Sap Vat commune, Yen Chau district choose a good day and month to organize the Dong Sua Festival.

According to village elder Quang Van Phanh, Ban Kha, Sap Vat commune (Yen Chau Son La). For the cultural tradition of the Thai Den ethnic group here, the Dong Sua festival has become a custom, practice and a proud traditional cultural beauty preserved through many generations.

The Thai ethnic group always considers the God (Pu Then) as an important god who influences and governs human life and the community. Dong Sua is a sacred forest, where people bring offerings to thank Pu Then, the local gods, Pu Muong, Pu Ban (these are the first people to build the Muong village) and ancestors who brought a peaceful and prosperous life, favorable weather, and bountiful crops to the villagers.

According to village elder Quàng Văn Phanh, the Đông Sưa festival consists of a ritual and a festival. Offerings include pigs, ducks, chickens, wine, sticky rice, betel, areca nuts, and the sacred robe of the forest owner.

In addition, each household in the village also brings a pair of silver bracelets, a roll of white cloth, and tight cloth to perform the ceremony. When performing the ceremony, all villagers will gather around the shrine; the master of ceremonies (the shaman) will perform the procedures to invite the gods, such as: River God, Mountain God, Land God, God of the fields, the village, the soul of the person who contributed to building the village to attend and receive the offerings offered by the villagers, to pray for the health of the villagers and good crops.

Mrs. Lu Thi Lua - Kha village, Sap Vat commune (Yen Chau, Son La) shared: Dong Sua ritual has an important position in the spiritual life, is a unique cultural feature of our Thai ethnic group. Coming to Dong Sua ceremony, we bring rolls of white and tight fabric to worship, after the worship, we often use them to make clothes for family members to bring good luck.

The festival space is highlighted by activities such as basket weaving, quat pieu making, con throwing, fish catching... Kha village is one of the few Thai villages that still preserves many unique cultural features of Yen Chau district. Along with cuisine, unique costumes or heart-stirring dances, the weaving profession is still preserved by the people here to this day, creating unique characteristics of this land.

Mr. Dao Quang To - Member of the Vietnam Folk Arts Association said: Dong Sua Festival is a cultural feature that needs to be preserved and promoted, to contribute to enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the Thai ethnic community in Yen Chau district in particular and Son La province in general.

To preserve and promote traditional festivals of ethnic groups, Yen Chau district has directed the specialized department to coordinate with the Provincial Museum, the Provincial Cultural - Cinema Center, and the People's Committees of communes to collect, research, and protect folk cultural values. Review the customs, beliefs, and festivals of ethnic groups that are still passed down in the area to organize restoration, such as: the Rain Praying Festival, Dong Sua Festival, Han Khuong Festival of the Thai ethnic group; the Muong A Ma Festival of the Sinh Mun ethnic group; the New Rice Celebration Festival of the Kho Mu ethnic group.

Dong Sua Festival is a harmonious combination of the unique traditional festival atmosphere with cultural activities, cuisine, and traditional folk games. This is a place to gather, introduce, and promote to tourists and people the indigenous culture of the Thai ethnic group in Yen Chau district.

Van Ngoc

Source: https://danviet.vn/le-dong-sua-cua-nguoi-thai-den-20240610170419419.htm