Dun De villagers send their wishes for a good harvest to Yang.

In important agricultural rituals of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands such as: offering rice for the harvest season, opening the granary door, welcoming the rice spirit to the granary, celebrating the new rice... the offering of rice for the harvest season marks the beginning of a production cycle.

There, people pray for the gods to bless the upcoming harvest with a bountiful harvest and a prosperous and peaceful life.

With that meaning, on the morning of October 25, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the People's Committee of Ia Grai commune to re-organize the rice offering ceremony of the Jrai people in Dun De village to contribute to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of the Jrai people in the area.

Village elder Ro Cham Mur said: The rice offering ceremony is held by villagers before the start of the new crop. "After the Yang offering ceremony, the village elder sows the rice first, then the villagers sow," said Mr. Mur.

To prepare for this ceremony, the village elders had gathered the villagers the day before and assigned specific tasks to the members. The village men went into the forest to cut bamboo to make objects for the ceremony and caught pigs and chickens as sacrificial offerings. The girls were responsible for pounding rice, cooking rice, picking vegetables, collecting water, etc.

“Through the re-enactment of the rice offering ceremony, we will be able to look back at a part of the rich and diverse reality of the typical cultural values of the Jrai people.
This activity helps strengthen solidarity within the community, promote the role of village elders, prestigious people, artisans knowledgeable about community culture, and raise awareness among the younger generation in preserving traditional cultural identity and national heritages.
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Thu Huong

At the ceremony, Mr. Ro Cham Hyă, representing the village elders as the master of ceremonies, beat the drum and called on the villagers to gather in traditional costumes to perform the ceremony.

Offerings include 2 jars of wine, 1 grilled chicken, grilled pork and rice in bamboo tubes.

Next to the towering pole, Mr. Hyă used leaves to dip into the jar, sprinkled wine around, and recited the prayer: “Oh God of the Mountain, God of the Water, God of the Rice. Today, our village is holding a ceremony to worship the crop. We would like to inform you to come here to eat and drink together. We have prepared everything, invite you to come here to eat pork, chicken, and drink wine from the jar.

Please bless the villagers with lots of corn and rice; everyone is warm, healthy, and happy... Please come here to eat, witness, and bless the villagers to be strong as buffaloes, fast as squirrels; everyone is healthy and doesn't get sick, and every family is peaceful."

The celebrant performs the rice offering ceremony. **Photo: Lam Nguyen**

After finishing the prayer, the celebrant took a handful of rice and scattered it around, symbolizing the sowing of rice in the new crop. Then, Mr. Hyă drank the first sip of wine from the jar and passed the jar of wine to the elders and then to the younger people in the village to drink together.

The festival part immediately followed the solemn rituals. The gongs resounded in a deep and high tone, the sinus rhythm followed in a graceful circle. Men and women, old and young, harmonized in the bustling sounds of the mountains and forests, in the warm wine of the jar.

As a member of the village’s xoang team, Puih Gai proudly shared: “I was taught by my grandparents and older siblings, so every year I participate in reenacting the rituals to preserve the cultural beauty of my people. I will learn more and pass it on to the children in the village so that I don’t forget the tradition.”

Dun De villagers participate in the re-enactment of the rice offering ceremony. **Photo: Lam Nguyen**

Attending the re-enactment of the seasonal rice offering ceremony of the Jrai people in Dun De village, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Thu Huong said: Over the years, leaders at all levels have always paid attention to and closely directed the work of preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic groups. The re-enactment of the seasonal rice offering ceremony is an activity to implement part of the content of the Project "Preserving and promoting the heritage values of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space in Gia Lai province in the period of 2023-2025".

From now until the end of 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will preside over and coordinate the restoration of two more traditional rituals of ethnic groups in the province. Not only contributing to cultural preservation, this is also an opportunity to promote for tourists from all over to understand more about the land and people of Gia Lai.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dan-lang-dun-de-gui-den-yang-uoc-vong-duoc-mua-post570399.html