Cham People's Po Bia Chuai Thanksgiving Festival

The Cham people's New Year rituals go hand in hand with the formation of the village, along with the migration from one place to another, from new village to old village, the worship institutions and beliefs in worshiping gods remain unchanged.

In the first month of the Cham calendar, Cham people still go to their old lands, the vestiges of previous worship of gods (belonging to My Tuong village, Nhon Hai commune; My Hiep village, My Tan village, Thanh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district, Ninh Thuan) to perform worship rituals at Po Bin Thuer temple, Po Bia Chuai or Cau Dao ceremony outside the gate (sea gate). The early year rituals of the Cham people in Binh Nghia village (Bac Son commune, Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province) have different purposes, processes and ways of organization, but all form a specific and inseparable ritual structure including: invitation rituals, dances, sacrifices, offerings, thanksgiving and finally sending off the gods.

Panoramic view of Po Bia Chuai temple.

Vietnam.vn would like to introduce to you the Thanksgiving of the Cham people through the photo series "Po Bia Chuai Thanksgiving of the Cham people" by author Doan Ngoc An. Po Bia Chuai is worshiped through the symbol of a rock, people do not carve statues like the gods worshiped in temples and towers. The Thanksgiving has great educational significance for future generations, towards the spiritual roots, towards the cultural values ​​of their ancestors expressed in it. The Thanksgiving of the Cham people is extremely rich, diverse and contains many different meanings. The Cham people still retain their unique traditional cultural features. Living in harmony and exchanging cultures with other ethnic groups, the Cham people are always aware of preserving their own unique values. The photo series was sent by the author to participate in the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam", organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Go to the temple.

Offerings to the gods.

The dignitaries performed the ceremony.

Mr. Kadhar presided over the prayer.

God Po Bia Chuai.

People pray with the dignitaries.

Offerings to heaven and earth.

Pray with heaven and earth.

After completing the Po Bin Thuer ritual, the dignitaries and the people of Binh Nghia village moved to the seaport of My Tan village (Cua Ngam), Thanh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district, and set up a ceremony house at the gate to stay overnight. The Po Bia Chuai costumes were kept in the ceremony house by the dignitaries and the Camânei family shamans until the next morning when they were moved to Hon Do to continue the Po Bia Chuai worship ceremony. The dance ritual to carry the Po Bia Chuai costumes is similar to the Po Bin Thuer dance ritual.

The ceremonial band uses Gineng, Saranai and gong instruments to play music for the ceremonial dance troupe carrying the costumes into the Po Bia Chuai temple. During the Po Bia Chuai worship ceremony, only the Kanyi is used. The Kadhar dignitary plays the Kanyi while singing hymns to offer offerings to the gods.

In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" will continue to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website.   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam. Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values: - 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND - 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND - 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND - 10 Encouragement Prizes: 5,000,000 VND - 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Announcement Ceremony and Award Ceremony and Certificate on live television of Vietnam Television.

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