Unique Health Offering Ceremony for Elephants

For ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, elephants are not only a great asset representing the strength and wealth of the family and clan, but also the embodiment of the elephant god, a symbol of luck and protection of the village.

Therefore, since ancient times, the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands have formed many elephant worshiping rituals to express their love and respect for elephants. Nowadays, although life has changed a lot and the number of domesticated elephants has decreased sharply, the ethnic communities in Dak Lak still preserve many rituals and customs related to elephants, including the annual elephant health worshiping ceremony.

To perform the rituals for elephants, the shaman must be a prestigious person in the village and knowledgeable about the customs. The ritual for the health of elephants is usually held at the beginning of the year to pray for the elephants to always be healthy, help the owner and remind everyone to love, care for and protect the elephants.

Elephants are protected by gods, so they must be taken care of carefully and attentively. If an elephant dies in an accident, the elephant god will punish the entire village. Elephant keepers and tamers must follow the taboos according to traditional law. If they do not follow these rules, both the elephant and the owner will encounter misfortune.

The elephant health worship ceremony shows the M'Nong people's love and respect for elephants, thanks the gods, thanks the elephants for helping the homeowner and the village, and hopes that the elephants will always be healthy to serve and be attached to people. In villages with many elephants, villagers often gather to hold a communal worship ceremony for all the elephants.

The offering ceremony includes items: Can wine, sticky rice cakes, two pieces of brocade, rice, candles, beeswax, thread, bronze bracelets, a bowl of rice, an egg, a plate of meat with liver and intestines, a betel leaf painted with lime... all are placed on a tray. In addition, depending on economic conditions, the offering ceremony is organized in different sizes. The most complete offering ceremony is when the homeowner sacrifices a buffalo to celebrate, normally a pig, if not, a chicken.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the shaman invites Yang, the mountain god, the river god, the elephant god... to witness and bless the elephant with health, praying for the elephant to always be healthy and help the homeowner in important tasks. The elephant handlers are also offered health, for any elephant that is offered, the handler is also given wine, meat and performs the ceremony with the meaning of committing to love the elephant like a friend, taking care of the elephant to always be healthy.

After the prayer, the elephant is brought near the shaman by the mahout and a pig's head, rice, blood smeared on it, and wine poured on its head to wish the elephant good health. After the ceremony, the elephant tamer is invited by the host to drink wine and eat a feast.

Nowadays, the lives of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands have changed a lot. Elephants no longer serve and help their owners with tasks like before, and the number of elephants is gradually decreasing. However, the rituals and customs related to elephants are still preserved by the M'Nong ethnic group in Buon Don and Lak districts, Dak Lak province, although they are simpler than before. Only the ceremony to pray for the health of elephants is preserved and organized on a large scale during the Buon Don Elephant Festival held every March.

The elephant health ceremony is a message to everyone, especially the M'Nong ethnic community, to take care of and protect elephants as if they were family members. This is a series of activities within the framework of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Buon Ma Thuot Victory, the liberation of Dak Lak province (March 10, 1975 - March 10, 2025) and the 9th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in 2025.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Chuyen-dong-van-hoa/doc-dao-le-cung-suc-khoe-cho-voi-i761664/