Unique 7-lamp Coming of Age Ceremony of Dao Lo Gang Vo Nhai – Thai Nguyen

The Coming of Age Ceremony is one of the unique customs of the Dao people in Vo Nhai, Thai Nguyen . According to the concept, to become the pillar of the family, clan and community, Dao men must be trained in many aspects and have their qualities tested through the Coming of Age Ceremony. No matter how old they are, only after receiving the Coming of Age Ceremony will they be recognized as adults, be able to perform worship ceremonies in the family and communicate with the underworld.

For the Dao people in Thai Nguyen, the Cap sac ceremony plays an extremely important role, contributing to regulating social relations, preserving and conserving cultural identity, and strengthening the spirit of solidarity of the ethnic community. This cultural beauty has been and is being preserved and promoted by the Dao community in Thai Nguyen. Let's join author Phan Huy Thiep to learn about this ceremony through the photo series "Unique 7-lamp Cap sac ceremony of the Dao people in Lo Gang Vo Nhai - Thai Nguyen". The photo series was submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

Preparing for the Cap sac ceremony takes a lot of time. Based on the number of lights, this ceremony has three levels: 3 lights is called qua tang; 7 lights is tau sai thiet ping tang; 12 lights is tau sai chap nhap ping tang.

Preparing for a three-lamp Cap Sac ceremony takes from 6 months to a year; for a high-level Cap Sac ceremony, preparation may take from 1-2 years, or even longer.

Only when a Dao man is ordained to Cap sac can he have a certain position in his family, clan and community. The Dao people always believe that only those who are ordained to Cap sac have the virtue to distinguish right from wrong in life, aim for good deeds and can be recognized as descendants of Ban Vuong; can understand the customs and practices of the Dao community.

From a young age, boys in Dao ethnic families are educated to be thoughtful and strict about the role and responsibility of men towards their family, clan, village, and hamlet. Therefore, the Cap sac ceremony is held once again to affirm the maturity of that son.

The most typical cultural feature of the Dao people is the Cap Sac ceremony. It can also be called the Cap Sac festival because of the very high community nature of this cultural feature. Brothers, relatives, friends near and far, everyone is invited to attend in large numbers, sharing the joy with the person receiving the Cap Sac. The Dao community is very proud that their Cap Sac ceremony has been recognized by the State as a national cultural heritage.