(BLC) - In the community of 20 ethnic groups in Lai Chau province, the Dao ethnic group has the third largest population, just behind the Thai and Mong ethnic groups. The Dao ethnic group resides most densely in the districts of Tam Duong, Phong Tho, and Sin Ho with many different Dao groups: Red Dao, Khau Dao, and Bang Dao... Through many ups and downs, the Dao ethnic group in general and the Bang Dao in Tam Duong district in particular still preserve their customs and cultural characteristics as a link between the community, contributing to enriching the cultural picture of ethnic minorities in the province.
Along with the flow of time, the Dao ethnic group in Ho Thau still preserves, maintains and recreates unique traditional festivals such as Tu Cai, Fire Dance, forest worship, village worship... with strong cultural values, guiding people to remember their roots and drive away evil. At the same time, it reflects the dreams and aspirations of the Dao community, always taking their ancestors' roots as the foundation to train their minds and cultivate virtue.
Typically, the Tu Cai Ceremony is one of the important religious ceremonies marking the maturity of men. The age of "receiving the ceremony" is usually from 9 to 17 years old. The number of "receiving the ceremony" subjects is not limited, as long as they are old enough and have the material conditions to participate. The Tu Cai Ceremony is usually conducted by the Dao Dau Bang people in October, November, and December (solar calendar) because that is the idle time, the previous crop has been harvested, and the next crop has not yet been planted. About a week before the ceremony, the homeowner with the "receiving the ceremony" person will prepare the offerings and food.
When all the materials are fully prepared, it is time for the homeowner to invite the shamans. Normally, the Tu Cai Ceremony must use six main shamans and a number of assistant shamans. On the first day of the ceremony, the chief shaman reads the announcement of the reason for holding the ceremony and mentions the history of the Dao people. Then, a series of different important ceremonies will be held, such as: chanting, opening the light, opening the altar, worshiping and welcoming the ancestors of the three generations, the public altar, the holy master, the bridge ceremony to welcome the saints from heaven, the ceremony to bring children to the fifth stage, the ceremony to give the title of teacher, the ceremony to give the title of Taoist priest...
The Dao Dau Bang people believe that only men who have undergone the Tu Cai Ceremony and thereby received a Yin name are considered adults and when they die, their spirits will be brought back to their homeland at Duong Chau Dai Dien to reunite with their ancestors. Men who, even though they are old, have not undergone the Tu Cai Ceremony and have not received a Yin name are still considered children and when they die, their souls will have to return to Dao Hoa Dong "Pac Lao Phang" - handed over to the Midwife "Tay Mu" to manage. The Dao Dau Bang people also believe that Tu Cai also helps bring favorable weather, livestock to multiply, good crops and the whole family of the person who receives the ceremony will be happy and peaceful.
If you have the opportunity to visit Ho Thau land in the first days of the new year or at the end of the year, do not forget to stay to learn, feel and immerse yourself in the Fire Dance Festival of the Dao ethnic group. This is a very rich and unique cultural and spiritual activity with the meaning of fire bringing warmth, celebrating the harvest that has just ended and praying for the gods to bless the family and relatives with prosperity as well as warding off evil spirits and diseases.
We were fortunate to have a conversation with Mr. Lu A San - a person trusted by the people of Si Thau Chai village (Ho Thau commune) and called a shaman. For many years now, he has been entrusted by the villagers with the important responsibility of being the main shaman in the Fire Jumping Festival.
According to Mr. San, to prepare for the festival, a week before, the clan leaders had their children prepare food and provisions for the ritual activities and meals. During the ritual, the offerings must include: rice, wine, boiled chicken, water, white cloth, incense, silver bracelets, paper money, lamps or candles. At the right time, the offerings are placed on a long table, which is considered the most solemn place, in front of a large yard. A large pile of firewood is brought by the young people in the village. The master of ceremonies begins to sit down on the assistant chair. The prayer to the fire god is recited with prayers for a peaceful and happy life, for favorable weather, good health for all families and to ward off evil spirits.
The elaborate ceremony, with many stages, can last for hours. Mr. Lu A San - the village shaman will take on the role of the main shaman and there will be other shamans, each with their own duties at their own altar. While praying, the assistant uses a bamboo stick that has been prepared in advance, split in half, held tightly together as if it had never been split, and throws it on the table. Casting a hexagram to ask for yin and yang, when the two pieces of bamboo or bamboo are both up or down, it means that the fire god has agreed to come and celebrate with the villagers; if one is up or one is down, you have to ask again, until you get it. The firewood is lit and becomes a pile of glowing embers. With the fire god's consent, only the young men who want to jump on the fire and have been sitting "serving the ceremony" since the beginning of the ceremony, are allowed to sit in front of the shamans to perform magic.
The steady sound of the bamboo sticks, the deafening sound of the cymbals, the sound of the drums seemed to urge. The young men seemed to be possessed, swaying very strongly and as if someone was commanding them with an invisible force. They hopped in front of the altar and then rushed into the middle of the red-hot coals. The Dao young men seemed to be in a trance, they danced with their bare feet in the coals without feeling any burning sensation or fear. Each person usually danced in the fire for 3-4 minutes, then continued to hop back to perform the ceremony at the altar before returning to normal.
As someone who has participated in fire dancing many times, Mr. Phan A Pao in Si Thau Chai village (Ho Thau commune) proudly said: “I was lucky to participate in the Fire Dancing Festival twice. While dancing, I felt very happy and proud, without any pain. Participating in the festival, I actively practiced under the guidance of the elders in the village as well as learned about the rituals that take place during the fire dancing process to understand and grasp the customs of the Dao people so that I can later teach them to my children and grandchildren in the family.”
The Fire Jumping Festival is not only a testament to the strength and courage of the Dao men, but also a unique cultural activity. The Dao believe that fire jumping is to teach future generations prayers, dispel fear, and only strong people can jump into the sacred fire.
Every time the New Year comes or during festivals, the Dao Dau Bang girls wear colorful traditional costumes that attract many eyes because of the elaborate and beautiful patterns. Until now, Dao Dau Bang women in Ho Thau commune, Tam Duong district still maintain the habit of sewing clothes for themselves and their family members. Their costumes are not simply clothes to wear, but they also contain the cultural sediments of the Dao people, reflecting the formation process, customs, and even ethnic history of the Dao community.
The Dao people's costumes are mainly made of black dyed linen. Men's costumes do not have embroidered patterns, the shirt has an open row of buttons in the middle of the body and uses silver buttons (now completely replaced by aluminum buttons). The rows of buttons are attached to both sides of the shirt flap to decorate the shirt. When wearing, they often do not button the shirt but use a piece of black linen about 1.5 - 2m long, 30cm wide, folded in half lengthwise and rolled around the waist to keep the shirt from falling loose.
On women's costumes, there are decorative patterns on the collar and on both sides of the slit flap. These patterns are usually embroidered patterns of 3-petal flowers. The embroidered flower patterns are very small, about 1.5cm - 2cm. The patterns have two main embroidery thread colors, red and blue. The combination of these two basic colors along with diverse decorative patterns creates a unique and different costume compared to other ethnic groups. The costumes of the Dao Dau Bang people are made very meticulously and elaborately, requiring dexterity in each needle and thread because many patterns must be hand-embroidered. In front of the flap of the shirt, Dao Dau Bang women often decorate their costumes with many red wool threads about 60cm long, fold the wool threads in half, use a piece of silver to clip them and attach them to the front of the chest of the shirt. They do this to both cover the flap of the shirt and to highlight the beauty of the outfit.
Therefore, Dao ethnic girls from 10 years old and up are taught by their mothers how to dye fabric and embroider to make their own costumes. Normally, it takes 4-5 months to finish making a costume, requiring the girls' dexterity and meticulousness. Nowadays, Dao girls still spend time making costumes for themselves and their families, "from mother to daughter" so that the costumes of the Dao ethnic group will last over time.
Through the stories of the village elders, we learned that, compared to other ethnic groups, the hat of the Dao Dau Bang ethnic group is a form of art because the patterns on the hat are very elaborate, requiring skillful hands. The hat of the Dao Dau Bang people conveys the feelings and wishes of the person holding the needle and thread. Those are simple wishes for a peaceful life, prosperity of all things, a reunited village, and healthy people. Therefore, the traditional hat-making profession has existed for a long time and is passed down to this day.
Each hat is made with different stories and shapes. For Dao Dau Bang boys, there are 2 types of hats, calculated from the day they are born until they are 30 years old and from 30 years old until they close their eyes and return to their motherland. For girls, hats are also calculated from birth to 18 years old and from 18 years old until they leave this world. Generally, the type of hat worn when they are young is decorated quite elaborately, with many flowers, leaves, tassels, and beads, expressing a romantic, youthful soul. When they are adults, the hat represents mature, steady thinking and the impact of life.
The hat worn when young must have 3 silver coins engraved on the front, about 5cm from the edge of the hat, engraved with the words: "Phuc - Loc - Giau". The Dao people believe that these words will help the hat wearer to be blessed with wealth and luck. Boys are brave and decisive, girls are loyal, agile, and good at housekeeping. Combined with colorful tassels that coordinate well with the wool balls on the top of the hat.
At the age of 16, Dao Dau Bang girls are considered adults and can get married. At that time, young girls will wear hats made from their own hair. The hats are made of many silver plates that are polished to look like a hairpin and then arranged one by one in a rectangular shape. The patterns are shown on a round silver plate with a radius of about 6cm - 7cm. The patterns on the women's hats include spiders, sunflowers and 3-petaled flowers, which Dao Dau Bang people consider to be stars. The tools used to create these very sophisticated patterns include scissors, hammers, small chisels, etc.
When they turn 30, the Dao men change to another type of hat made of horsehair. The patterns on this type of hat are created by the color of the horsehair. Embroidering this type of hat is extremely difficult, so it requires the hat maker to be skillful, patient, and carefully consider each stitch.
It can be affirmed that the culture of the Dao people in Dau Bang is the crystallization of the creative labor process, expressing a rich spiritual life, contributing to honoring the good traditional cultural values in the unified and diverse culture of 54 ethnic groups.
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