The Cor people have many customs and practices that have been preserved through many generations, including the custom of clearing the land and performing rain-praying rituals, expressing the desire to conquer nature; wishing for favorable weather, good crops, and a peaceful, prosperous, and happy life for the people.
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| The Cor people beat earthen drums (left photo) and the rain-praying ritual takes place next to a pole erected outdoors. Photo: NVS |
The Cor people in Bac Tra My district, Quang Nam province, still preserve the earthen drum - one of the sacred musical instruments that the people consider a treasure of the community. The earthen drum is made of areca spathe placed on 5 holes dug in the ground. Each hole is about a span wide, long, and deep (about more than 20cm), shaped like a jar on a flat surface of the ground. Each hole is about a span apart and arranged in two rows, the front row has 2 holes, the back row has 3 holes. The drum surface is pinned to the ground with 4 bamboo sticks and then pressed flat and sealed with the ground with 4 bamboo splints. The sound of the earthen drum depends on the tightness of the drum surface, the smoothness, density, and flexibility of the soil, and the diameter, width, and depth of the hole.
According to tradition, before performing the rain-praying ritual, the prestigious village elders find a large, flat piece of land to place the drum; then find and select large, old areca spathes to dry to make the drum's surface. Usually, the village elders who are knowledgeable about the customs of the Cor people are allowed to beat the drum during dry times to pray to the heavens for favorable weather.
When the drumstick is struck on the drum surface, the sound from the drum surface is transmitted through the string to the ground. The high and low sounds are heard, sometimes resounding loudly, sometimes soft and leisurely. If one hand is used to strike the drum surface, the drum will have a long and far-reaching sound. If one hand is placed on the drum surface, the sound will be drier and sharper but not resonant. In addition, the drummer can create sounds like a noisy and urgent sound, sometimes like a joyful cheer.
Every year, in the 5th and 6th lunar months, after clearing the old fields or reclaiming new fields and finishing the planting of the year's crops, the Cor people organize to clear the land and conduct a rain-praying ceremony. Village elders said that the Cor people believe that clearing the land is very sacred in the rain-praying ceremony. The villagers pray to 5 gods: the God of Heaven, the God of Clouds, the God of Rain, the God of Earth and the God of Man, hoping that they will soon bring rain so that all things can grow, flourish, have a bountiful harvest, and every family can be prosperous.
Before performing the rain-praying ritual, the village elder and the shaman meet with the villagers to agree on choosing a good day, month, and amount of offerings, as well as how to organize the ritual. Depending on the level of drought and the conditions of each house and each village, the offerings that year may be more or less. But it is essential to have a Neu tree, which symbolizes the hearts of the Cor people and is the center for performing the rain-praying ritual.
The rain-praying ceremony, also known as the ceremony to worship the water source of the goddess Mo Huyt, is held in the center of the village at noon with the presence of all the villagers. The prestigious village elders wearing traditional Cor costumes, representing the village community, perform the ceremony, in which a village elder prays the main prayer. The shaman leads the villagers to perform the ceremony to worship the Earth God and the Water God. The offerings are very simple, including a tray of betel and areca nuts, wine, rice, a boiled chicken, and a young rooster. In addition, the offerings cannot lack dried products such as porcupines or squirrels.
When the sound of gongs and drums sounded in unison, the village elder stepped out to offer prayers in his ethnic language, expressing his sincere gratitude to the gods. Roughly translated: “Today is a good day, the Cor people have a tray of offerings to offer to the God of Heaven, the God of Clouds, the God of Rain, the God of Earth, the God of Humans, the God of Rivers, the God of Mountains, the God of the Land, and our ancestors. We respectfully ask you to come and enjoy. Oh, the God of Humans, please call the God of Earth, the God of Earth, the God of Heaven, the God of Heaven, so that the God of Rain can save the thirsty people on this earth. Now the trees are dying and the rivers are drying up, and animals are disappearing. The God of Clouds, the God of Rain, please quickly pour down water so that the rice plants on the fields can sprout. Please bless and pour down rain for the water sources in the streams and springs to flow so that the Cor people have water to drink, to cook, for cassava, rice, and corn to grow well, and for the crops to be bountiful.”
After each prayer beside the Neu tree, the village elder beats the drum representing the Earth God once; for the drums representing the three gods of Sky, Clouds, and Rain, they beat seven times; but for the drum representing the Human God, they must beat nine times. When there is thunder and lightning, the Cor people beat the drum and perform the rain-praying ritual until the sky turns stormy, signaling that rain is coming.
Through this meaningful folk ritual, the Cor people impart moral teachings and send their dreams of a peaceful life. Along with that, the festival takes place in a jubilant and bustling atmosphere with the gong performance of the boys and the Cor girls in traditional costumes, rhythmically performing the Ka Dau folk dance and smooth Cor folk songs. This is also a day of solidarity for the entire Cor community, bringing people closer together, meeting each other, exchanging production experiences, asking about health, to join hands to build the homeland and develop the community.
Originating from ancient folk beliefs, the rain-praying ritual of the Cor people is a cultural activity that is being preserved and promoted with the meaning of helping the Cor people have more faith, expressing the desire for fertility, for trees to sprout and grow, and for people to be healthy. Many cultural values imbued with the identity of the Cor people are also restored and nurtured, contributing to connecting and awakening the simple, vibrant Cor people and the desire to build an increasingly rich and prosperous community.
NGUYEN VAN SON
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