Water-splashing festival in Tam Duong (Lai Chau): praying for a lucky new year, good health, and prosperity in business

On March 22, the 5th Bun Voc Nam Festival (Water Festival) in 2024 of the Lao people was held in Na Van village, Na Tam commune, Tam Duong district (Lai Chau), attracting a large number of people in the district and Lai Chau province to participate.

Bun Voc Nam Festival consists of 2 parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony begins with a ritual to worship the gods because Lao people believe that when starting any important event, offering offerings to report and ask for permission from the gods is the right thing to do to pray for the gods to bless the work to go smoothly.

At the end of the ceremony to worship the gods, the shaman stepped forward to order the group to go ask for rainwater to worship the Buddha statue in the temple.

The procession to ask for rainwater from families selected by the village. These families had a bumper crop last year, prosperous business, and happy families. Families in the village brought rainwater and stood on both sides of the road, splashing it on the procession with the hope of contributing water to the Buddha statue and praying for a lucky, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Water splashing scene at the festival. Photo: Lai Chau Newspaper

When the procession of water and flowers arrives at the pagoda. The shaman holds two incense sticks and enters the pagoda to perform the incense offering rituals; then receives the offerings from the village elders to offer to the pagoda. When the offerings are finished, the shaman allows the procession to enter the pagoda to offer flowers and water. The two flower offerings will be followed by a watering ceremony until all the flowers are offered. Next is the Buddha statue washing ceremony with the wish to purify and wash away all the dust of the world in the past year and pray for the newest and cleanest things for the new year. The shaman begins to perform the rain praying ritual; then lets the entire procession walk around the pagoda 3 times and allows everyone to sing and dance in front of the pagoda. Finally, the delegates, tourists and people go to the Nam Mu stream to join the water splashing festival of the Lao people; praying for a new year of health, peace, bountiful crops, and abundant luck.

At the festival, there are many attractive activities for locals and tourists such as: Cultural exchange, stream fishing competition, raft racing, culinary competition, bamboo basket weaving competition, organizing folk games (snake catching, throwing shuttlecocks, catching legs, blindfolded gong beating, balancing bridge, swallowing and fishing) imbued with the identity of the Lao people.

The Lao ethnic group in Tam Duong district is a community of people living mainly along streams, places with plenty of water, favorable for agricultural production. The population is not large, but in the spiritual and cultural life there are many unique, rich and diverse cultural features that are typical of the Lao ethnic group in the Northwest.

The Bun Voc Nam Festival of the Lao people in Na Tam commune not only contributes to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​of the Lao people associated with tourism development, but also gradually creates unique tourism products, attracting the attention of visitors from near and far. Thereby, educating the tradition of loving the homeland, the country, national pride and self-respect for generations and a sense of responsibility in preserving, promoting and exploiting cultural values ​​associated with tourism development and socio-economic development of the locality.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/tet-te-nuoc-o-tam-duong-lai-chau-cau-mong-nam-moi-may-man-suc-khoe-lam-an-phat-dat-198061.html