Initiation Ceremony of Ba Ni

The Ba Ni initiation ceremony (also known as the Kareh ceremony for girls and the Katat ceremony for boys) of the Cham people of the Ba Ni sect is considered one of the most important ceremonies, leaving the deepest impression in the lives of the children. Because this is the time of transition from adulthood to prepare for marriage, and they are recognized by the whole village and religious community as adults, recognized as people who understand and preserve the customs and practices of the palei and clan. After this ceremony, the children can freely love and choose their life partners.

Please learn about this ceremony through the photo series "Ba Ni initiation ceremony" by author Nguyen Van Anh. The author recorded the coming of age ceremony of Cham girls. Ba Ni is usually held for Cham girls from 9 to 15 years old. This ceremony is held for 3 consecutive days in the 3rd, 8th or 10th months according to the Ba Ni calendar. The ceremony is usually held by many families. The number of girls who have the coming of age ceremony at one time is always an odd number such as 3, 5 or 7 people. The photo series was sent by the author to participate in the Photo and Video Contest of Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

In the life cycle of the Cham Ba Ni ethnic group in Ninh Thuan , there are many rituals held such as: Flower blooming ceremony, Full month ceremony, First birthday ceremony, Coming of age ceremony, Coming of age ceremony for girls, Wedding ceremony, Praying for peace ceremony, Thanksgiving ceremony, Coming of age ceremony... Among them, Coming of age ceremony for boys and Coming of age ceremony for girls are among the important rituals, because at that time they are recognized as adults by the whole village community and their religion.

Before the ceremony, families whose children will be performing the ceremony during this period must fully prepare the offerings for the Coming of Age Ceremony, make traditional Cham cakes (sticky rice cakes, sticky rice cakes) and set up and decorate two houses for the Coming of Age Ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, families wake up early in the morning to cook the offerings, prepare costumes, utensils, and offerings fully and thoughtfully for the ceremony. The young women in the Coming of Age Ceremony are carefully and elaborately made up. Mrs. Bong (an old Cham woman) and two other older women help the young Cham women put on panh (costumes) and take them to bathe outdoors...

After bathing, the girls were brought into the house to put on makeup, wear traditional costumes, wear jewelry and tie their hair up high on top of their heads, preparing for the Coming of Age Ceremony. At this time, family members had fully prepared the offerings and decorated the ceremony house. When the girls had completed their costumes and were ready for the ceremony, three dignitaries in the main ceremony house sat in their positions to prepare to perform the rituals. The presiding monk would assign the dignitaries tasks. At this time, Mrs. Bong was also present in the main ceremony house to perform the ceremony. The young women sat in the main prayer hall and were blessed by the dignitaries, who recited prayers to invite Allah to witness. After being blessed, the young women bowed to the dignitaries, parents, ancestors, and relatives so that everyone would acknowledge that from this moment on, they were adults, that is, they were recognized by religion as adults. The priest called each young woman into the main prayer hall to have her hair cut. The young woman's hair was cut twice, in the middle of her forehead and on the sides. The first time was to show gratitude to her parents, the second time was to show respect to Allah. During this ritual, there is a witness of a newborn baby boy (called nưk pô thịh), because the Cham believe that this newborn baby is the most sacred witness to Allah, to witness that these young women have had their hair cut to become a Buddhist nun. At this time, the young girls will receive lucky money from their relatives in kind such as money, gold, buffalo, cow, goat, sheep... or good wishes. The lucky money gifts will be put in a basin, blessed by a monk, then given to the young girls to keep. This is considered the initial wealth, like the dowry of the young girls that parents or relatives cannot use, but will be used as wealth for their children later, when they reach the age of marriage. After the ceremony, the family invites relatives and friends to join in the fun, celebrating the family's children's adulthood.

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