Forest God Worship Ceremony of the Gia Rai People

Every March, the Gia Rai community in O Grang and De Chi village, Ia Pech commune, Ia Grai district, Gia Lai province prepare offerings and go into the forest to perform the ritual of worshiping the forest god. This is a custom that the people have inherited from their ancestors for many generations.

The forest worship ceremony is to thank the forest god for protecting, sheltering, and providing many products for the villagers; praying for favorable weather, bountiful crops, lush vegetation all year round, and for the villagers to be well-fed and peaceful.

The main offerings to the forest god include a roast pig, a chicken, a jar of wine, a chicken liver, and a piece of raw pork. The villagers also bring some traditional products. The person presiding over the ceremony is the village elder.

After preparing all the offerings, village elder Siu Doih read aloud and loudly the prayer inviting the forest god, water god, and mountain god to witness. The prayer is passed down orally from generation to generation by village elders and usually includes the content of praying for the villagers to have a year of good luck, peace, and no illness or disease... At the ceremony, the village elder also on behalf of the villagers made an oath to the gods to preserve and protect the sacred forest, praying for the forest to always be green to protect and bring many products to the village, helping the people to make a living. After the prayer, elder Siu Doih invited the gods to enjoy the offerings and he was also the first person to screw the wine jar to drink, followed by the prestigious people and villagers.

The forest god worship ceremony is considered a big ceremony for the Jrai people in Ia Pech commune. During the ceremony, everyone from the elderly, the young, men, and women participate, expressing their respect to the forest god. Village elder Siu Doih said: Every year, in Ia Pech commune, there are 2 villages bordering the forest that take turns holding the ceremony.

Ia Pech commune currently has more than 559 hectares of forest. This area is managed and protected by the communities of O Grang and De Chi villages. For many years, people have been aware of the benefits of forests such as providing abundant forest products, creating a clean environment and air. Thanks to this, forest management, protection and development have become more favorable.

From a local custom, in recent years, the commune and district authorities and the forest rangers have provided material support, so the forest worship ceremony has become a cultural and religious activity, attracting people from all over to participate. After the worship ceremony, under the canopy of the lush green old forest, people hold hands and join in the graceful Xoang dance, to the bustling gong sounds echoing through the mountains and forests.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/le-cung-than-rung-cua-nguoi-gia-rai-249648.html