Recently, at Ja Rah hamlet, Nam Nung commune, the People's Committee of Krong No district (Dak Nong) held the 2024 M'nong ethnic water wharf worship ceremony.
This is an activity within the framework of Project 6 on "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development under the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, 2021-2025 period (Program 1719).
According to the concept of the M'nong people, Nam Nung commune (M'nong Preh), water resources are considered a treasure of the community; providing life for humans, crops and livestock.
The water worship ceremony is usually held after the harvest, when the granaries are full of rice, baskets of corn, and warehouses full of coffee, with the purpose of thanking the "Water God" for bringing good luck to the villagers in the old year and praying for favorable weather, good crops, healthy villagers, and a prosperous life in the new year.
To perform the ceremony, a few days before, the village elder chooses an auspicious day to mobilize everyone to clean the entire village and around the water wharf area to perform the ceremony.
Strong, resourceful young men go into the forest to cut bamboo and return with the village elders and artisans to erect the pole. Because of its special mission, the pole is elaborately decorated like a work of art to connect heaven and earth, gods with humans and all things.
The water wharf worship ceremony of the M'nong people in Nam Nung commune was held at the lake of Bon Ja Rah. From early morning, village elders, artisans, and many people, along with representatives of the local government, also attended.
Right at the wharf, a ceremonial pole and a pole are placed, decorated with buffalo horns, birds, rice flowers, etc. Offerings include: 1 pig, 1 young rooster, rice, beeswax candles and 1 jar of rice wine.
The water worship ceremony consists of two parts. During the ceremony, after cutting the throat of the sacrificed animal, the village elder will smear the blood on the pole and surrounding objects. Then, the village elder prays to thank the land god, water god, river god, stream god, and mountain god for bringing good luck in the old year, providing clean water for good crops, and a prosperous life.
On behalf of the villagers, the village elder prayed to the gods to continue to give favorable weather, good crops in the new year, and for everyone to be healthy and free from illness...
When the ceremony ends, the festival continues with the sound of gongs, bustling laughter, traditional songs and dances of young men and women, and greetings from everyone attending the ceremony.
From the elderly to children, men and women in the M'nong village of Nam Nung commune gather together to eat fragrant bamboo rice with the smell of new green rice, enjoy smoky grilled pork and sip traditional wine.
After the water worship ceremony, villagers return to their normal activities. They can do laundry, fetch water for use, water plants... at the water wharf.
The water wharf worship ceremony is a form of community cultural activity with many good meanings in the spiritual life of the M'nong people.
Not only a belief, this custom also helps people raise awareness and the importance of water resources in daily life to preserve and protect.
Mr. Y Xuyen, village elder, prestigious person, excellent artisan in Ja Rah hamlet, Nam Nung commune said: "Today, although some organizational steps have been simplified and adjusted to suit the conditions of the hamlet, the Water Wharf Worshiping Ceremony of the M'nong Preh people in Nam Nung commune still retains its unique features. In addition to thanking the gods, the ceremony is also an opportunity to convey the message of educating everyone to be responsible for protecting the environment, preserving forests, land, water resources and considering water resources as treasures of the whole community".
According to the People's Committee of Krong No district, the organization of the Water Wharf Worshiping Ceremony is a traditional cultural activity, meeting the religious and spiritual needs of the M'nong ethnic people in Krong No district in general and Nam Nung commune in particular. This is also an opportunity for people to meet, exchange, and participate in community cultural activities after a year of hard work.
Through the festival, we aim to preserve, exploit and effectively promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the lives of ethnic communities, while promoting local cultural heritage to a wide range of people and tourists.
Due to the custom of shifting cultivation and nomadic life, the ancient M'nong people often had to find new lands to live. One of the prerequisites for settling down was that the new land must have a water source, and when they found a clean water source, the M'nong people would set up a water station and hold a ceremony.
Usually, every year after the harvest, the village elder, the owner of the water station and the villagers invite a shaman to worship at the water station with the purpose of thanking the gods (Yang) for giving people a clean water source for their lives, bringing favorable weather, and blessing families and the village community with good health.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/net-dep-le-cung-ben-nuoc-dan-toc-m-nong-o-dak-nong-236698.html
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