The unique way of offering wine by the Bahnar people of Dak Asel village.

(GLO) - Besides treating guests with fragrant jars of wine, the people of Dak Asel village (Son Lang commune, Kbang district, Gia Lai province) also show their friendly and simple affection through the way they offer wine to guests, creating a unique cultural feature.

At the reenactment of the victory celebration organized by the Provincial Museum in coordination with the People's Committee of Son Lang commune in Dak Asel village at the end of May, the villagers prepared abundant offerings and jars of fragrant, fermented rice wine, first to offer to the deities, and then to entertain distinguished guests from all directions.

Beneath the shade of the ceremonial pole, more than 100 jars of wine from each family are neatly arranged and tied together with red string in a long row, next to a wooden railing decorated with traditional patterns.

Mr. Tobias (a German tourist) enthusiastically enjoyed the traditional rice wine offered by the villagers of Dak A Sel (Son Lang commune, Kbang district). Photo by Ngoc Minh.

After the prayers to the spirits concluded, Mr. Dinh Hmunh, a respected figure in Dak Asel village representing the council of elders, took a straw and drank from each jar of rice wine in turn, performing a ritual. Following this, to the resounding sounds of gongs and drums, the villagers and visitors alike were intoxicated by the rice wine, holding hands and rhythmically dancing the xoang dance. Whenever visitors became engrossed in the xoang dance and neglected to enjoy the rice wine, they received special attention: a special toast of wine offered to them.

Mr. Hmunh said: For generations, rice wine has been an indispensable drink in families and is used at festivals and to entertain honored guests in Dak Asel village. Each jar of wine has a bamboo straw and a drinking tube; anyone sitting down can drink as much as they want. If delegates and honored guests are too caught up in the festivities to enjoy the rice wine, young men and women from the village will carefully pour the sweet, fragrant wine from the jars into bamboo tubes attached to a string tied to the end of a bamboo pole and bring it to the guests to drink. This process of offering the wine is repeated many times until the party ends.

Young man Dinh Van Thuc (far left, from Dak A Sel village) and his friends participate in offering rice wine to guests. Photo by Ngoc Minh.

According to Mr. Hmunh, the traditional wine-making process consists of three parts: a pole made from a 1.2-meter-long, smoothly sharpened bamboo stick with a groove at one end for attaching a rope to prevent movement; a rope about 1.5 meters long (previously, people used woven silk thread dipped in beeswax to make it waterproof and more durable, but now they use nylon rope); and bamboo tubes cut into small cups to hold the wine, securely tied to each rope through a small hole drilled in the tube's mouth.

One or two days before the ceremony, young men in the village will go into the forest to cut small bamboo trees that are neither too old nor too young to make bamboo wine. Bamboo of the right age will give off a characteristic mild aroma, which blends with the traditional rice wine yeast, making it appealing to those who enjoy it.

"According to ancient customs, if making drinking cups for festivals or weddings, the bottom of the cup is made from the burnt part from the top down; conversely, when used in funeral ceremonies or burials, the bottom of the cup is made from the burnt part from the base up, symbolizing a wish for good fortune," Mr. Hmunh said.

As someone involved in making the wine-serving boats for guests, Mr. Dinh Van Thuc enthusiastically recounted: "Under the dedicated guidance of the elders in the village, I was able to make beautiful and durable wine-serving boats myself. Through this, I have come to appreciate and be proud of my ethnic group's traditional cultural identity even more."

Sharing in the joy with the villagers of Dak Asel at the reenactment of the victory celebration, Mr. Tobias (a German tourist) shared: “I am very impressed by the friendliness, enthusiasm, and hospitality of the people here. Participating in the festival, I learned more about the unique customs and culture of the Bahnar people in the area and was very impressed with the way they offer drinks. It is both civilized, polite, and rich in tradition.”

Mr. Dinh Van Quy, Party Secretary and Head of Dak A Sel village, crafted a unique fishing rod for making rượu (rice wine). Photo by Ngoc Minh.

According to Mr. Dinh Van Quy, Party Secretary and Head of Dak Asel village: Dak Asel currently has 109 households, of which the Bahnar people account for more than 90% of the population. Offering wine to guests is one of the beautiful traditional customs that the villagers have preserved and maintained for many generations.

On every occasion, whether it's a Yàng worship ceremony, ancestral worship, a funeral, a new rice harvest celebration, or a wedding, the villagers meticulously prepare offerings and never forget to gather the raw materials for making rice wine from these fishing rods. The enthusiastic enjoyment of rice wine from these fishing rods by guests is considered a great joy for the family and the village.

Witnessing the custom of fishing for rice wine to offer guests for the first time, Ms. Nguyen Dan Phuong, Head of the Service Department (Provincial Museum), said: "Having worked in the cultural sector for over 20 years and participated in and observed many reconstruction ceremonies, this is the first time I've tasted rice wine through this fishing method."

The practice of offering wine to guests demonstrates warmth, hospitality, creativity, and community solidarity, becoming a unique cultural feature of the Bahnar people of Dak Asel village; at the same time, it contributes to the diversity of cultural colors of ethnic groups in Gia Lai in particular and the Central Highlands in general.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/cach-moi-ruou-doc-dao-cua-nguoi-bahnar-lang-dak-asel-post328311.html