These days, the Cham people of Bau Truc village are excited to welcome the Kate Festival 2024 in a warm and joyful atmosphere. After making offerings to the gods of the temples, people return to the village to celebrate the death anniversary of the pottery craft, remembering the ancestors' hard work in creating and teaching their descendants today. The atmosphere of the death anniversary of Bau Truc Cham pottery is bustling from the residential area to the Po Klong Can temple.
Arriving at Bau Truc pottery village in Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province, we met Mr. Nguy Ngoc Do, Head of the Customs Committee, who was urgently "calling" people to be present on time for the palanquin procession, an important ritual of the Cham pottery ancestor's death anniversary. The costumes were kept by him at the village house in the middle of the residential area to the Po Klong Can temple, about two kilometers northwest of the residential area.
Cham people celebrate Kate Festival 2024 and Bau Truc pottery ancestor's death anniversary at Bau Truc communal house
We met the senior members of the Cham Brahman Council of Dignitaries who came to witness the Cham pottery ancestor's death anniversary ceremony in Bau Truc village. Deputy Master Han Van Ham said that the State is interested in investing funds to build the traditional craft villages of the Cham people in Ninh Phuoc district to become more spacious and modern. In particular, the hot asphalt concrete traffic system, lighting system, pottery exhibition house, schools, and people's houses have been built large and beautiful, creating the modern development of Bau Truc pottery village.
Talking to the elders of Bau Truc village, we learned that the Cham language calls pottery making “Danak ngap gok glah urang Cam”. According to local legend, Mr. Po Klong Can and his wife, Mrs. Nai Lank Muh, taught women how to make pottery. The raw material for making pottery is clay taken from Hamu Tanu Halan field (clay mound field), more than three kilometers west of the village. The soil is transported to be crushed, dug into a hole and left overnight with a moderate amount of water. Then, the soil is trodden with the feet until it is soft and impurities are removed, then mixed with Quau River sand in the appropriate proportion. Cham women mold pottery entirely by hand, without using a turntable like other places. They walk around the pottery pedestal to create unique bright red earthenware products. On November 29, 2022, the Cham pottery art was inscribed by UNESCO on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Villagers dressed in beautiful costumes, excitedly brought offerings including cakes, fruits, betel, tea and water to Po Klong Can temple to perform the ceremony to commemorate the founder of the Cham pottery profession. The custom of worshiping the founder of the pottery profession was undertaken by Mr. Ka Thanh, the female shaman, and the temple keeper, witnessed by Brahmin dignitaries. The female shaman and the temple keeper were in charge of bathing the statue and dressing it. Mr. Ka Thanh played the Kanhi and sang to praise the merits of the founder of the pottery profession and prayed for peace, luck, and prosperity for the village. Villagers displayed offerings and prayed for the sustainable development of the pottery profession and for family happiness...
Currently, artisans of Bau Truc pottery village can make hundreds of types of pottery products according to market demand, from fine art pottery such as Apsara goddess statues, Cham towers, interior decoration reliefs, feng shui water bottles to ceramic items necessary for the daily life of Southern residents such as clay pots, cake molds, pancakes, water jars, clay pots, charcoal stoves. Bau Truc pottery village attracts a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and buy products as souvenirs.
Dignitaries perform the ritual of bathing the statue and dressing the Po Klong Can pottery founder and his wife.
Mr. Phu Huu Minh Thuan, Director of Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative happily shared: Since the art of Cham pottery making was listed by UNESCO as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection”, the craft village has attracted a large number of tourists to visit and shop for products. Especially during holidays and Tet, the cooperative welcomes over 3,000 visitors per day; revenue has doubled compared to before. Thanks to that, the income of member households has increased, ensuring family life.
“This year, the villagers held a warm and joyful pottery ancestor memorial service, remembering the great contributions of their ancestors who taught the villagers how to make pottery. Bau Truc pottery village is increasingly attracting more and more tourists to visit and shop. The Customs Committee encouraged the villagers to unite and compete to make many beautiful, durable and good products to meet market demand. The precious cultural heritage of our ancestors is passed down to today's descendants to preserve, join hands to develop prosperity, and actively contribute to building a rich and beautiful homeland,” Mr. Nguy Ngoc Do, Head of Bau Truc Village Customs Committee said excitedly.
The Cham pottery ancestor's death anniversary is one of the cultural activities organized by the Cham people in accordance with the spirit of Project 6 on Preserving the good cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development under the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030.
Thai Son Ngoc (Ethnic and Development Newspaper)
Source: https://baophutho.vn/ron-rang-gio-to-gom-cham-224473.htm
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