Dry funeral ceremony of the Black Lo Lo people of Cao Bang

Although society has changed a lot, the Black Lo Lo people in Khuoi Khon, Cao Bang have adopted new cultural values ​​but still maintain their traditional culture. Among them is the dry funeral ceremony, which is a ceremony to worship the deceased long ago. At that time, due to difficult circumstances, it was not possible to hold a funeral immediately. Only when the homeowner had enough conditions did they proceed step by step like holding a new funeral.

Let's learn about the dry funeral ceremony of the Lo Lo people through the photo series "Dry funeral ceremony of the Black Lo Lo people of Cao Bang" by author Nguyen Van Tiep. The photo series was submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

In the dry ghost ceremony, people slaughter cows and pigs to worship the deceased. The special part of the dry ghost ceremony is the bronze drum dance. Bronze drums are very precious objects to the Black Lo Lo people, so on normal days, they keep them carefully or bury them underground to avoid damage or theft. Only when the family or clan organizes a ceremony that requires the use of bronze drums do they take them out. Until now, people still keep a pair of bronze drums, often used in the "dry ghost ceremony". The ceremony has main parts such as inviting relatives, inviting young boys and old boys and requires the help of shamans. The young boys here are the relatives of the daughter-in-law, and the old boys here are the relatives on the mother's side. This ceremony is also very solemn, everyone is wearing ceremonial costumes, all go out in groups to welcome and carry wine, water, offerings to welcome the old boy, the young boy to the house to drink water, eat rice and at the same time sing songs in Lo Lo language, perhaps the content is to express gratitude to relatives from afar who come to attend the funeral with the homeowner and express sadness for losing a loved one, but the detailed content is only understood by them. In the dry funeral ceremony, the bronze drum is hung up at the height of a person. Then, the shaman lights incense and pours wine on the drum face and body. After this stage, the shaman beats the drum to invite neighbors, relatives near and far to come and offer condolences to the family and perform a ceremony to bring the deceased's soul to its final resting place. The sound of the bronze drum resounds, everyone dances in unison and gracefully, only when the drum stops, they stop. The Black Lo Lo people in Khuoi Khon hamlet, Kim Cuc commune (Bao Lac, Cao Bang) still maintain the traditional features in their customs and practices through spiritual activities, especially the dry funeral ceremony. The dry funeral ceremony is a long-standing culture that is completely different from other ethnic groups. Although the ceremony time has been shortened to avoid costs, it does not lose its sacredness and respect for the deceased. Khuoi Khon is trying to build a friendly community tourism village to attract tourists who want to explore and experience the traditional life of the Lo Lo people, helping local people earn more income.

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