Ethnic minorities

Sacred water source worship ceremony of Ha Nhi people in Lao Cai

Bich Hop • {Publication date}

(TN&MT) - Praying for the water source to flow forever so that life can flourish, praying for favorable weather, bountiful harvests, praying for peace in the village, health of people, livestock to thrive, and flourishing crops... These are the wishes of the Ha Nhi, Y Ty, Bat Xat, Lao Cai people every time they worship the water source at the beginning of the new year.

* All things have spirit

The Ha Nhi ethnic group has a sense of attachment to mountains, forests, rivers and streams. In life, they consider forests as a source of life, a shelter, and streams as a spiritual support for the whole community. Therefore, since ancient times, the Ha Nhi ethnic group has had the custom of protecting forests, worshiping forests, and protecting water sources. The Ha Nhi people's belief in worshipping forest gods and water gods is like a spiritual thread passed down through many generations.

In spiritual life, the Ha Nhi people believe that all things have animism (all things have a soul). According to the folk beliefs of the Ha Nhi people, gods such as forest gods, water gods, and mountain gods are all gods close to human life. Among them, the forest gods and water gods have special meanings.

The water god worshiping ceremony of the Ha Nhi people in Bat Xat (Lao Cai) not only preserves the cultural identity of the nation but alsoeducates people and the community to protect water minerals and the environment...

For generations, the Ha Nhi people have lived close to nature and today still maintain strict customary laws to protect forests and water resources left by their ancestors. The Ha Nhi believe that each forest and water source has a ruling god, who is the god of fortune of each village, so the fate of the villagers is closely related to the survival of that forest and water source.

* The ritual is performed on the first Dragon day of the new year.

On the first Dragon day of the new year, the Ha Nhi people in Y Ty commune, Bat Xat district (Lao Cai) enthusiastically held a ceremony to thank the water source. This is one of the biggest and most important ceremonies of the year for the Ha Nhi people.

Before the water god worship ceremony takes place, participants often clean the water source.

According to custom, before the day of the water god worship ceremony, the Ha Nhi people must organize a village banning ceremony, everyone together stretches banning ropes on the main roads leading to the village. They believe that doing so will prevent bad spirits from harming the villagers.

Early in the morning of the first Dragon day of the year, each Ha Nhi family will send an adult to gather at the main water source of the village to perform the sacred water worship ceremony. When practicing the ritual, the offerings include: A pair of chickens, a yellow sticky rice cake with a boiled chicken egg in the middle, a tube of undistilled sticky rice wine contained in an old bamboo tube, a straw made of a small bamboo branch, a water pipe taken from the sacred water source, a pair of wooden cutting boards, nine porcelain bowls and two pairs of chopsticks.

Praying for the stream to flow forever, praying for peace in the village, good health for the people, favorable weather, and bountiful harvests... are the wishes that people send to the gods in the water god worship ceremony.

The shaman will consist of two people, one representing the husband, one representing the wife. After offering the offerings to the water god, the main shaman will divide the offerings equally among everyone so that they can enjoy the blessings of the gods.

* Preserving the unique features of the Ha Nhi people's water god worshiping ritual

According to Mr. Phu Che Tho, a cultural officer of Y Ty commune, Bat Xat district (Lao Cai), for the Ha Nhi people, the water worship ceremony is a sacred ceremony. In addition to praying for the water to flow forever so that life can flourish, they also pray for health, peace and a bountiful harvest.

Shaman Ly Go Do, Ta Gi Thang village, Y Ty commune (Bat Xat) said: Every year, the Ha Nhi people hold water and forest worshiping ceremonies at the beginning of the new year to pray for a new year of good health, luck in business and production, and a bountiful harvest. The ritual of worshiping the water god and the forest god is a reminder for generations of Ha Nhi people in the same village to be aware of protecting water resources and this sacred forest, which is not to be violated. At the same time, this ritual is also an opportunity for the villagers to express their wishes to the noble gods for a peaceful life for the whole year.

After the ceremony, people eat and drink together to enjoy the blessings of the water god.

Mr. Duong Tuan Nghia, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Lao Cai province, said that the cultural sector of Lao Cai province has a project to preserve the culture of the ethnic people, including the Ha Nhi people's custom of worshipping the water god. The Ha Nhi people's water god worship ceremony in Bat Xat has profound educational value, not only preserving the cultural identity of the ethnic group, but also creating a strong connection of the community, expressing the worship of the water gods with people's wishes for a prosperous, peaceful and happy life. In addition, the custom of worshipping the water god has educated people and the community to protect water minerals, protect the environment...

In the villages of the Ha Nhi people, the management of resources, the protection of land and water resources are highly valued by the people. The Ha Nhi people have a humane way of behaving in exploiting and using water resources, preserving natural landscapes and the environment. Just looking at the vast green forests with layers upon layers, the large trees that three or four people cannot hug in the forest, we can see how the people here behave towards the forest. The customary law of protecting forests, protecting water resources and preserving natural landscapes has been deeply ingrained in the mind of every Ha Nhi person, becoming a custom and a beautiful cultural feature of the ethnic minorities in the highlands here.

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