The unique Coming-of-Age Ceremony of the Nung ethnic group.

The initiation ceremony is an important ritual in the spiritual life of the Nung ethnic group. Receiving this ceremony signifies recognition of maturity within the community and permission to participate in religious rituals and practices within the Nung community.

Mr. Chu Van Cam was able to read many ancient Chinese books containing content related to the work of Taoist priests.

To learn more about the Initiation Ceremony of the Nung ethnic group, we visited Dong Luong hamlet (Tan Long commune, Dong Hy district) to meet Mr. Chu Van Cam, a respected figure in the area and a shaman who has been directly involved in performing this ceremony for many years.

Mr. Cam recounted: "Since 1930, several Nung ethnic families from the Lam, Chu, and Ly clans migrated from Binh Gia ( Lang Son province) to Dong Hy, clearing forests, hunting animals, establishing villages, and living together in harmony with other ethnic groups. Despite numerous relocations and hardships, the unique cultural beauty of the Nung people's Coming-of-Age Ceremony has been preserved and passed down through generations as a precious treasure."

Through the story, we also learned that Mr. Cam's family has been shamans for generations, a profession that brings spiritual blessings to people. At the age of 20, he accompanied his father to rituals and took on the role of assistant shaman. The elders said that he had a knack for shamanism, so they passed down to him the necessary rituals.

He himself was aware of the responsibility placed upon his family, so he diligently studied books and painstakingly learned the lessons of "communicating with heaven, earth, and the spirits of the afterlife." Therefore, he was soon ordained by his elders, becoming a shaman capable of performing rituals to comfort the spirits of the Nung ethnic community. He shared: "It took many ordination ceremonies before I was recognized by the spirits and allowed to perform rituals to help people."

The coming-of-age ceremony is a momentous and significant event in a man's life, but not every man is granted it. According to the beliefs of the Nung ethnic group, only those with a certain "spiritual calling" are eligible. Furthermore, they must possess moral character, social knowledge, and be respected by everyone in the community…

Mr. Chu Van Cam taught his grandchildren and great-grandchildren classical Chinese characters.

Because of the belief that the initiation ceremony brings prestige to one's home and oneself, the person being initiated, along with their family and clan, must meticulously prepare months in advance. This begins with choosing an auspicious day and month and preparing offerings such as goats, pigs, chickens, rice, wine, white cloth, red cloth, colored paper, etc. Each item has its own specific quantity requirements; nothing should be missing or in excess.

The ceremony involves main priests, including the Taoist priest, the Pụt priest, the Mo priest, and other assistant priests. The ceremony begins with reporting to the ancestors of the household, the saints, and the celestial officials about a major family event. The Pụt priest opens a path to heaven to welcome the family's ancestors and forefathers to attend the ceremony, performing rituals to ward off misfortune and bad luck for the family through smaller ceremonies: reporting to the ancestors, reporting to the Jade Emperor, offering gifts, and offering incense.

Next, there are ceremonies such as: the ceremony for the birth of the person being ordained, the ceremony of bestowing the tools of the trade upon the disciple, the ceremony of reading the imperial decree, the ceremony of warding off misfortune, the feast for the soldiers, the farewell ceremony for the saint, the ceremony of offering thanks to ancestors and deities for their support and permission for the masters to perform the ordination ceremony, and the distribution of gifts to the person being ordained.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony holds immense value in the spiritual life of the Nung ethnic group. The ceremony is significant for its moral and character education , reminding each individual to uphold a hierarchical and orderly way of life within the community, and to be grateful to their ancestors and the deities who have protected them.

From an artistic perspective, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony is essentially a folk performance, as the "scenes" incorporate many forms of performing arts such as plays, songs, music, spirit possession, etc. All are seamlessly linked and performed in a solemn atmosphere, both captivating and mysterious, yet close to human life.

With that significance, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony of the Nung ethnic group in Thai Nguyen has been officially inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202408/doc-dao-le-cap-sac-cua-dong-bao-dan-toc-nung-153043a/