" THE SOUND OF THE FOOD ON THE TABLE P A R A "
Taking turns reenacting the festivals of ethnic minorities in the HA Luoi area, for the first time at the Cultural - Sports - Tourism Festival of ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of Thua Thien-Hue province taking place in mid-May 2024, the Tak ka coong festival of the Co Tu people was held with unique rituals. Participating in the festival as the master of ceremonies, village elder Ho Van Sap (83 years old, residing in Lam Dot commune, HA Luoi) said that the Tak ka coong festival was restored according to traditional customs from ancient times. "In the past, every 3-4 years, the festival was held once with the ka coong, with the Muong. The festival is an opportunity to thank the gods for giving the descendants and villages of the Co Tu people a peaceful and prosperous life... and at the same time pray for the gods to continue to protect the village", said elder Sap.
Young men and women of the Co Tu ethnic group are passionate about the "heavenly dance" of fluttering and fluttering.
Following the rituals, I witnessed the Co Tu community divide the festival into four main parts. On the day of the ceremony, the village elders and the clan and family heads will perform the first ceremony, which is to bury the beautifully decorated pole ( Choh co ). This is a particularly important ritual because the Co Tu people consider the pole as an invitation, a sign of recognition for Yang (heaven) and the gods to come to the festival. Elder Sap said that the pole must be sturdy when tying the buffalo, which is also the second ritual ( Tong ti rust ), because it represents the longevity of the village and the solidarity of the community.
In the past, when the Co Tu people still performed the buffalo stabbing ceremony ( Chưột tixê ), the pole had to be firmly buried and able to withstand the pulling of the buffalo. Now, there is no more bloodshed from the buffalo stabbing ceremony, so the pole is designed to be lighter. However, when the Co Tu people reenact the buffalo stabbing ceremony, they always have unique cultural activities, especially the scene of young men and women in traditional costumes, enthusiastically dancing to the tang tung za zã rhythm. After this part, the final ritual is the Tak ka coong ceremony with the offering of the offerings to the gods by handsome and virtuous Co Tu boys and girls. I stood close by and clearly heard the prayer of village elder Ho Van Sap: "Oh Yang! The Tak ka coong festival offerings are displayed on a high and clean Para table. We respectfully invite the mountain gods, forest gods, river gods, and stream gods to enjoy...".
Offerings to the mountain god are placed on the Para table.
The Para table is uniquely designed with 3 floors. The highest floor is in the middle, the 2 floors on both sides are equal. The Para table is covered with a long brocade. The table legs are tied with fresh sugarcane stalks with intact leaves and decorative tassels carved from bamboo. The dishes offered to the gods are made from sacrificial animals, such as buffalo, cow, goat, pig, chicken... along with cakes such as a koat, a zưh, and ăng coh... made from fragrant sticky rice grains. In addition, there are artifacts such as brocade, gongs, jars, pots, mats...
UNIQUE CULTURE OF FOREST PROTECTION
Ms. Le Thi Them, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Ha Luoi, said that recently, through research and collection of typical festivals of ethnic groups in the area, the Department has selected 6 typical festivals representing 3 ethnic groups (Co Tu, Pa Koh, Ta Oi). Accordingly, the festival with a larger scale will be held first. "Two years ago, we re-enacted 2 festivals of the Pa Koh and Ta Oi ethnic groups. This year, we continue to re-enact the Tak Ka Coong festival of the Co Tu people. From the rituals of the festival, it can be seen that since ancient times, the people have formed a very unique culture of worshiping Mother Nature and the mountains and forests. Therefore, the festival to thank the mountain god and the forest god will arouse the awareness of forest protection not only among the Co Tu people but also in the community," Ms. Them said.
Village elders perform a ceremony to worship the gods at the Tak ka coong festival.
While Tak ka coong is performed by the Co Tu people in A Luoi during the idle days of the summer months every year, for the Co Tu people in the highlands (Co Tu d'riu) such as in Tay Giang (Quang Nam), the festival to open the year to thank the forest is usually held in January every year, for 3 days and 2 nights. 2024 is the 7th year that Tay Giang district has organized the festival and it has gradually become a "brand" of the locality, attracting tourists every New Year.
"This is an occasion for descendants to gather in the village and express their gratitude to the mother of the past thousand years for her protection, health, good harvest, and work... When the forest exists, the people develop; when the forest is gone, the people decline. That is the purpose and true meaning of the Co Tu people's traditional ceremony to open the year of giving thanks to the forest," said researcher Bh'riu Liec (former Secretary of the Tay Giang District Party Committee).
Mr. Liec further analyzed that the festival to open the year of giving thanks to the forest creates a routine, regular cultural and artistic activities, expressing sincere gratitude to heaven, earth - mountains, grandparents - ancestors. Near the end of the festival, the indispensable thing is that the village elder talks, encouraging everyone to be responsible in managing and protecting the forest, protecting the culture, and fine customs of the nation... In Tay Giang district, on this occasion, the government combined meetings, encouraging and rewarding outstanding collectives and individuals in forest protection work to encourage the spirit of "protecting the forest like protecting the village". Perhaps thanks to that, Tay Giang district is preserving many ancient forests, such as lim forest, rhododendron forest..., especially the po mu forest with a population of 725 trees that has been recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree. (continued)
Developing festivals into tourism products
Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Luoi, Nguyen Van Hai, said that in order to organize the Tak Ka Coong festival, the district invited village elders and prestigious people to learn about the rituals and offerings, ensuring that the festival is fully and solemnly reproduced, but also suitable for today's cultural life. In the coming time, the district will study and bring traditional festivals of ethnic minorities, including the Tak Ka Coong festival, to be exploited at locations to preserve culture and develop tourism.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-le-hoi-doc-dao-nguoi-co-tu-mo-hoi-ta-on-nui-rung-185241129230427095.htm
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