Mr. Tran Van Sinh, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Ninh Son district, said: Currently, the Raglai people have two traditional festivals, which are: the New Rice Worshiping Ceremony and the New Rice Celebration Ceremony. In which, the New Rice Celebration Ceremony is recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage; the festival takes place every 5, 7 or 10 years, depending on the economic conditions of each family and clan. The New Rice Worshiping Ceremony takes place annually, usually around the end of November and the beginning of December in each clan, after the rice has been harvested and brought home, with the meaning of thanking the gods, mountains and forests, grandparents and ancestors, praying for favorable weather, good harvests and a prosperous family. According to Mr. Sinh, the New Rice Offering Ceremony is a project to preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development that has just been organized by Ninh Son district to restore the New Rice Offering Ceremony at the Ca Mau clan, Ta Noi village, Ma Noi commune (Ninh Son). Thereby, not only preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of the Raglai people, but also popularizing to local people to exploit cultural values to develop tourism, improving people's lives.
The Ca Mau clan in Ta Noi village, Ma Noi commune (Ninh Son) held a new rice worship ceremony.
This year, the New Rice Offering Ceremony took place at the family of Mrs. Ca Mau Thi Son, the family chosen by the clan leader to hold the annual offering ceremony. At Mrs. Son's house, from the alley to the kitchen, it was always bustling because the descendants of the Ca Mau clan from all over gathered to prepare offerings. From early morning, she and her descendants would roast rice and pound green rice. The opening work for this New Rice Offering Ceremony was done carefully and meticulously by the women, from roasting, pounding, and winnowing very evenly. Having just finished winnowing the first batch of rice, Mrs. Son shared: The New Rice Offering Ceremony took place in a day and a half. To prepare for the offering ceremony, women prepared offerings, men cut bamboo to decorate the offering area, and renovated the house to welcome grandparents and ancestors to celebrate the new rice. In addition to new rice green rice, the New Rice Offering Ceremony of the Raglai people must have rice wine, chicken, rice, paddy, corn, bo bo, and betel and areca nuts. As for the chicken offering, it must be a live white chicken, offered first on the first day, then slaughtered and offered again. The reason why it is mandatory to offer a white chicken is to represent that everything is good and bright. These are the offerings that descendants present to their grandparents and ancestors to report the results of a year of labor and to ask their ancestors to bless them with good crops, a more prosperous new year, and good health for the family.
A very special and indispensable point in the Raglai New Rice Offering Ceremony is the fire made from a homemade candle (wild beehive wax). In addition to the offerings, there must be fire on the offering tray. If the sound of the flute and the Ma la is considered an invitation for the villagers to come and celebrate with the family, the fire is considered a "sacred object" inviting grandparents and ancestors to celebrate the new rice. When the offerings are prepared, everyone gathers at the right time according to the regulations, women will bring the offerings to the middle of the house to arrange for the offering, the Ma la sound will be played to start the ritual and the shaman will begin the offering ceremony. On the first day, after completing the offering rituals, at noon, the wine is opened, neighbors and families gather around the dinner table to share about life, the sounds of conversation harmonize with the bustling Ma la sound, everyone joins in the fun that lasts until night (depending on the health of each family member, they can rest early). Mr. Ca Mau Vien, the head of the Ca Mau clan in Ta Noi village, said: Similar to the first day, on the second day, the ceremony continues until noon, inviting the gods of heaven, the gods of mountains and the souls of grandparents and ancestors to gather with their descendants to witness the celebration of the new rice crop; then pray to send the souls of grandparents and ancestors back to their resting place (bringing offerings to send them off halfway and then returning). After this ritual, two shamans will pray at the same time, praying for good health and prosperity for the clan members.
Mr. Ca Mau Ha, Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Ma Noi Commune, said: The New Rice Offering Ceremony is a long-standing traditional custom of the Raglai people. In addition to expressing gratitude to gods, grandparents, and ancestors, the New Rice Offering Ceremony also serves to strengthen the spirit of solidarity in the community. This is an opportunity for relatives in different clans to gather, visit, show their care and help each other, and work together to develop. Currently, there are 27 clans in Ma Noi Commune. Previously, all clans had common festivals, but now only 5 clans still preserve the New Rice Offering Ceremony and it is held annually. Currently, the locality is stepping up propaganda work to preserve the cultural identity of the Raglai people.
Having the opportunity to experience and immerse ourselves in the unique culture of the Raglai people, we witnessed many rituals being recreated, from spiritual life, dances, and the Ma La language resounding like a source of traditional culture that is continuing. Hopefully, the good traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities will continue to be nurtured and spread further.
Kim Thuy
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