The Van Kieu people living in the majestic Truong Son mountain range have many beautiful and unique customs. Through many historical changes, these customs are still preserved and promoted by the people here. Among them, La-pe (praying for luck) is a typical custom that bears the cultural identity of the Van Kieu people. La-pe not only prays for favorable weather, bountiful crops, and a peaceful, prosperous, and happy life for the people, but also prays for the souls of the deceased to be liberated in the other world.
A peaceful corner in Cu Bai village - Photo: ML
Village elder Ho Van Don in Cu Bai village, Huong Lap commune, Huong Hoa district, who has many experiences in presiding over the La-pe worship ceremony, said that according to custom, every 5 years, the Van Kieu villages organize a lucky prayer ceremony. The presiding celebrant is the village elder because he has many experiences in serving the ceremony, and knows the steps of the worship...
La-pe can be held in any month of the year. The village elder is the one who decides to plan and choose the day and month for the ceremony. The villagers prepare the ceremony very carefully from the location, offerings, prayers to the offerings to the gods. The village's temple forest is often chosen as the location for the ceremony.
Each village organizes its own ceremony. For the ceremony to take place smoothly, the village elders assign tasks to families, and families assign tasks to each member participating in the ceremony. The main offerings include a buffalo, a pig, two chickens, and white wine. In particular, the villagers must prepare two shrines together, where the ceremony takes place.
The two shrines are designed like miniature stilt houses, made of bamboo. One of them is larger to worship the mountain god, river god and surrounding gods; the smaller shrine is used to worship the deceased spirits.
After preparing the offerings, early in the morning, villagers gather at the temple forest to clean and prepare the place for the ceremony. The ceremony usually begins in the late afternoon and lasts until early the next morning.
All the rituals were carried out throughout the night in a very methodical manner. The participants of the La-pe ceremony included the village elder, the village chief and representatives of all the households in the village. After everything was prepared, in the presence of the family representatives, the village elder presented the offerings in front of the two shrines and recited the prayer to the gods.
The main content is to pray for the gods and deceased spirits to bless and bring luck to the villagers such as: no one gets sick or ill; production has favorable weather, trees grow well, crops are bountiful, not destroyed by wild animals; animals grow well; every family is warm, prosperous and happy...
Elderly people in Cu Bai village gather around two shrines where the La-pe ceremony takes place - Photo: ML
After completing the rituals of offering the sacrificial animals, the villagers gathered to slaughter buffaloes, pigs, and chickens to prepare delicious dishes... put them on trays and bring them to the ceremony site and gather together to eat, drink, chat, and sing happily all night long.
On this occasion, the local people participate in traditional cultural and artistic activities. They use musical instruments such as the Tinh Tung, Khen, Ta - Plua, and the melodies of the Ta Ai and Xa Not in the quiet night amidst the majestic mountains and forests as if they want to tell the gods stories about loss, pain, joy and sadness in life and pray for the gods to bless everyone with peace, prosperity and happiness.
“In 2012, the villagers elected me as the village elder of Cu Bai hamlet. Up to now, I have presided over the La-pe ceremony twice. This is a very important ritual in the customs of the Van Kieu ethnic group in Huong Lap, passed down from ancient times to the present. The La-pe ceremony shows the villagers' sincerity towards the gods as well as the deceased.
Although society is developing, many ethnic minority areas are influenced by the cultural exchange between regions, cultural identity is somewhat lost, but the Van Kieu people here still preserve many traditional customs and practices and La-Pe is a typical example. The elders in the village always remind their children and grandchildren to always be grateful and appreciate what the previous generations built so that they can have what they have today.
At the same time, we teach our children and grandchildren to join hands to preserve and promote the unique cultural values of the nation," village elder Ho Van Don added.
Minh Long
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