Pok Tapah Ceremony (Offering of the Title of Deputy Abbot)

In the spiritual and cultural life of the Cham community in ancient times as well as today, the element of spiritual beliefs is indispensable. It plays a very important role, deeply permeates and influences social life and is a core factor in forming national identity. In particular, the Pok Tapah Ceremony (Phong pham Pho Ca Su) is a ceremony to mark a step of maturity of a Cham Brahman monk. This is a rich ceremony with many brilliant colors. Many rituals are performed over many days, gathering many people to make a ceremony.

Let's learn about this ceremony with author Nguyen Van Anh through the photo series "Pok Tapah Ceremony (Promotion of Deputy Master)". The photo series was submitted by the author to the Happy Vietnam Photo and Video Contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

For Cham dignitaries, the Pok Tapah ordination ceremony is the most important ritual, reenacting the path to becoming a Brahmanical monk.

Over the years, many ups and downs in history, along with the adverse impacts of other cultures in present life, but the Cham Brahman people still diligently preserve the colors of their ancestors.

Their rituals are unique, full of Cham ethnic identity and have many artistic features in them. Pok Tapah ceremony is the pride of the individual monk and their family and relatives.

The Pok Tapah ceremony usually takes place over 3 days. The first day includes preparation work such as: building the ceremony house, measuring the tent, offering the tent (the main sacrifices include 1 pig and 1 goat). On the second day (the opening ceremony), people will decorate the ceremony house, bring Ong Don Muk Don's clothes into the ceremony house and prepare 2 large candles. Under the direction of Ba Dom, the ceremony takes place in the afternoon with the purification and receiving holy water rituals. On the third day (fan day), the makeup house (Sang Uok) and the temple (Sang Xam) are newly built. The opening ceremony of the makeup house and the temple ends, the purification ritual is performed again like on the second day... After that, the Brahmin priest, officially ordained as a Tapah, goes to Gru Arieng's house to pay respect to the Master (Talabat Gru).

The Pok Tapah rituals recount the journey of a Brahmin ascetic.

Over the years and with cultural integration, the Pok Tapah ceremony still retains its unique features, imbued with the identity of the Cham Brahmins in Ninh Thuan .