Preserving and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage of the Dao Thanh Y people

Located at the foot of Yen Tu mountain, Khe Su 1 and 2 villages, Thuong Yen Cong commune, Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province, have been home to the Dao Thanh Y community for generations. In particular, the people here still preserve their own traditional cultural features; in which, Chay thui dei (burning and drying) is a ceremony of coming to rank, naming, a unique social custom that has been preserved and maintained by the Dao people for many generations.

The Thanh Y Dao people in Thuong Yen Cong commune, Uong Bi city sew and embroider traditional costumes.

Usually held at the end of the year or early spring, the Coming of Age Ceremony is the most important ceremony in the life of the Dao Thanh Y people. According to custom, no matter how old a Dao Thanh Y man is, if he has not undergone the Coming of Age Ceremony, he is considered to have no name, no registration, no recognition by the community and gods, and is not respected in life. Therefore, Dao Thanh Y men who have undergone the Coming of Age Ceremony are considered adults, allowed to participate in important village affairs, qualified to burn incense on the altar on holidays and Tet, worship their ancestors, pray for good luck and good harvest for their neighbors, and when they die, they can reunite with their ancestors. The Coming of Age Ceremony of the Dao Thanh Y people is usually held in the house, in front of the ancestral altar. The offerings in the Coming of Age Ceremony are carefully prepared by the family. The ceremony is specially arranged according to the traditional customs of the Dao people. A savory offering tray for ancestors includes a whole boiled rooster, next to it are large pieces of boiled pork and pig liver, tied into strings, arranged on a tray covered with fresh fig leaves, a bowl of rice, a cup of fresh ginger, white wine, candles and votive paper. The vegetarian offering tray includes a bowl of crushed ginger and a bowl of chopsticks to invite the main shamans to assist in the ceremony. When the ceremony is carefully prepared and completed by the family, the shamans hang up dragon-shaped flags, rice flowers, paper-cut soldier effigies and a set of 7 Tam Thanh paintings. During the rituals, the high priest reads the prayers, the order to receive the title, the bell dance, the sama dance, the dragon dance to pray for everything to go smoothly such as favorable weather, the chicken dance to pray for favorable fertility, the turtle dance to pray for the person receiving the title to be healthy and live long... Each dance is used in a different part of the ritual, with different dance props, and the dance is performed according to the nature of that part of the ritual. During the ceremony, those who are ordained will call the shaman master. Each main shaman, also known as the high priest, will have 2 assistant shamans and students. The shaman uses Nom Dao language to practice rituals, the content of the prayers teaches about traditions, customs, moral advice, how to behave towards others to move towards goodness, stay away from bad things, evil things... The person who is ordained in the ceremony will be given a saint's name, the ordained copy is divided into positive and negative copies, one is burned, one is kept until death to be buried with the ancestors. The ordained ceremony can be done for one person or many people, but usually no more than 7 people.

The Dao Thanh Y's coming-of-age ceremony is held only once in a lifetime, expressing the people's aspiration for a prosperous, warm and happy life; at the same time, it demonstrates the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking", strengthening solidarity in the community. In particular, the coming-of-age ceremony contains profound humanistic values ​​through the teachings recorded in the coming-of-age ceremony for the recipient to absolutely not do evil or bad things. That is the way of life of respecting teachers, being grateful to parents, valuing love and loyalty, and being loyal to friends.

Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Pham Thi Phuong Thuy, said: "Currently, the customs and practices of ethnic minorities in the area are still maintained and preserved, typically the cap sac ceremony, also known as the naming ceremony for men among the Dao Thanh Y people. The local government always cares about and creates conditions for ethnic minorities to preserve and promote good cultural values ​​through the performance of rituals, and at the same time requires the performance of rituals to ensure regulations on implementing cultural lifestyles". With the tradition of ethniceducation , the cap sac ceremony has created a unique cultural feature, demonstrating the gentleness, caution, and discretion of the Dao people. Perhaps it is also thanks to the belief in that particular belief that many generations of Dao Thanh Y people here are always healthy, live stably, build villages, establish hamlets, and become prosperous and peaceful communities at the foot of Yen Tu mountain. And for generations, the Dao Thanh Y's ordination ceremony has been preserved, becoming a precious intangible cultural heritage in the rich folklore treasure of Quang Ninh. Source: https://nhandan.vn/bao-ton-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-cua-nguoi-dao-thanh-y-post845829.html