The cultural beauty of the Cham Bani people

The head monk performed a purification ceremony for the graves.

The Cham people's Ramuwan festival typically begins with the most important ritual: the ancestral tomb sweeping ceremony, a ritual to honor their ancestors. During these days, especially the tomb sweeping ceremony, thousands of people dressed in traditional attire, carrying elaborate offerings, walk in long lines deep into the caves to sweep the tombs and worship their ancestors. Everyone's face reflects joy at the reunion of their family after a year. Stories about the harvest and the changing lives of each family are vividly recounted along the familiar village paths.

In Cham cemeteries, people are buried together according to their lineage. More specifically, and a unique cultural feature, Cham graves are not built solidly but are simply covered with sand level with the ground and marked by a round stone. These stones are arranged in long, very regular rows. Here, after the head of the lineage performs the ritual of clearing the sand and watering to purify the graves, each family line will arrange offerings and, dressed in traditional clothing, sit in two long rows to recite prayers and worship their ancestors...

The tomb sweeping ceremony and accompanying rituals are traditional customs passed down through generations. It is a way of commemorating and showing gratitude to ancestors and lineage, as well as reflecting the spiritual beliefs of the community before the Lunar New Year. The offerings for the tomb sweeping ceremony are quite simple, including betel nuts, tobacco, water, and sweets. Previously, the tomb sweeping ceremony, and Ramuwan in particular, was an occasion for Cham people living far from home to return to worship their ancestors, reunite with family and relatives. However, nowadays, with its unique cultural characteristics, the Cham tomb sweeping ceremony has attracted many tourists and cultural researchers to study and learn about it.

With the meaning of allowing descendants to remember their ancestors, grandparents, and parents, and to pray for peace in the village, prosperity for every household, and bountiful harvests, the Cham Ramuwan festival consists of many traditional rituals following one another. After the tomb sweeping ceremony, families and clans will return home to worship their ancestors, celebrate the festival, and then the religious leaders and monks will go to the temple to observe a month of fasting and meditation.

The Cham people throughout Binh Thuan province are joyfully celebrating the 2025 Ramuwan Tet (New Year) in a warm and prosperous atmosphere. In every Cham village, every household is bustling with festive spirit. Men are busy cleaning and tidying their houses, while women are busy cooking and preparing traditional cakes and treats.

Binh Thuan currently has 9,908 households with over 43,700 Cham people living there, concentrated in 13 communes in the districts of Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Bac, and Tanh Linh… To create favorable conditions for the people to organize the festival, the provincial leaders have directed all levels of government to coordinate and guide the people in organizing the Ramuwan Tet festival in a joyful and safe manner, preserving their traditional cultural identity...

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ramuwan-net-dep-van-hoa-cua-nguoi-cham-bani-128296.html