Distinctive cultural features of the Cham people in Binh Thuan

Land worship is a beautiful custom of the Cham people in Binh Thuan , reflecting a humble and friendly attitude towards the land where they settled and built their daily lives. It also reflects a respectful and reciprocal attitude towards those who pioneered the land, providing a place for later generations to settle, work, and develop their livelihoods.

.jpg — One of the distinctive cultural features of the Cham people in Binh Thuan is that they all hold a land worship ceremony when entering the new year according to the Cham calendar.

One of the distinctive cultural features of the Cham people in Binh Thuan is the custom of holding a land worship ceremony at the beginning of the new year according to the Cham calendar. This ceremony is held within each family and is usually on the third, fourth, and seventh days of the first month of the Cham calendar. It is a ritual where Cham families express their devotion to the earth god, local deities, and departed spirits of the land where they live; they pray for blessings from their ancestors and the earth god for a prosperous new year, abundant harvests, and success in business. The offerings vary depending on each family's circumstances. However, the basic offerings include items such as boiled chicken, bananas, duck eggs, betel nuts and leaves, sticky rice and sweet soup, rice and soup, braised fish, grilled fish, and wine. Afterward, the family invites a shaman specializing in local rituals to perform the land worship ceremony. The ceremony takes place within the family's property.

Before the ceremony, the shaman must perform a purification ritual. To perform the land worship rituals, the shaman sits facing east, spreads out a mat, and then places the offerings on trays. The shaman recites in the Cham language, inviting the Cham deities such as Po Inâ Nagar, Po Klaong Garai, Po Romé, Po Klaong Kasait… to attend the ceremony, and finally, inviting the spirits of those who died on the land where the family lives to participate. After the ceremony, family members and neighbors gather to share a meal and enjoy a few drinks while chatting.

Binh Thuan province has a large Cham population, with over 40,000 people. The Cham people live concentrated in six districts: Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan, and Tanh Linh. Over the years, the Cham community has been closely associated with Binh Thuan for centuries and, along with other ethnic groups in the region, has contributed many valuable cultural legacies to the culture of Binh Thuan province in particular and Vietnam in general.

Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Cham people in the process of building an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity is an important requirement, and has always received special attention from the Party committees and authorities at all levels in Binh Thuan province.

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