Prestigious person preserving Raglay culture

Prestigious person - Meritorious Artisan Pi Nang Trach in Ma Oai village is considered by the Raglay people of Bac Ai district, Ninh Thuan province as a "living treasure" of the village. He has painstakingly researched and "memorized" the traditional rituals of the Raglay people such as grave abandonment, filial piety, and weddings. He and the folk artists of Phuoc Thang commune successfully recreated the Raglay Wedding Ceremony at the 2025 Raglay Cultural Festival, receiving warm applause from officials, people, and tourists.

Prestigious person - Meritorious Artisan Pi Nang Trach (right cover) participates in the Jury to judge the stilt house at the Raglay Cultural Festival of Bac Ai district 2025

Inviting us to enjoy a cup of warm wine under the cool thatched roof of the house, the prestigious Pi Nang Trach said that to recreate the traditional wedding ceremony of the Raglay people, he mobilized a force of 20 actors to practice intensively for 3 days. He played the role of master of ceremonies to perform the traditional wedding ceremony for the two "talented and beautiful" actors Ca Da Sy and Patau Axa Thi Nhung from Ma Oai village, along with 17 witnesses and artists performing trumpets, ma la singing to celebrate the wedding ceremony.

At the beginning of the wedding ceremony at the bride's house, Mr. Pi Nang Trach, as the master of ceremonies, read the prayers to the forest gods, mountain gods, river gods, and stream gods to attend and witness the couple becoming husband and wife. The couple exchanged necklaces and bracelets with beads symbolizing a lasting marriage. The master of ceremonies advised the young couple to love each other faithfully until their hair turns white and their teeth fall out, not to fight, not to leave each other. He prayed that the gods would bless the young couple to grow corn and get corn, raise buffalo and get buffalo, have many children, and have a warm and happy family.

Prestigious person - Meritorious Artisan Pi Nang Trach performs the ritual of giving rice wine to the groom at the Raglay Wedding Ceremony

Betel leaves and areca nuts are symbols of steadfast love and loyalty in the Raglay people's wedding ceremony. The master of ceremonies, Pi Năng Trạch, gave the groom Ca Dá Sỹ and the bride Patâu Axá Thị Nhung each half a betel leaf, symbolizing half a heart - with the philosophy: each person is half of the other, inseparable.

According to the Raglay custom in Bac Ai district ( Ninh Thuan province), the chicken offering ritual in the wedding ceremony is an indispensable ritual. The direction the chicken's tongue turns is considered by the master of ceremonies to be a lucky sign for the married life ahead.

The artists, playing the role of relatives, organized a meal to celebrate the couple, expressing their wishes for harmony, enough food, and keeping the family fire warm. The bride and groom bowed to thank their ancestors and invited each other to drink tapai wine to express their deep affection and attachment. The young couple raised their cups to offer tapai wine to express their gratitude to the celebrant, relatives, and villagers who came to celebrate. The traditional Raglay wedding ceremony ended with the bustling sound of the ma la, mixed with the sound of the gourd trumpet echoing throughout the mountains, forests, and villages.

As the master of ceremonies, the prestigious person - Meritorious Artisan Pi Nang Trach guided the group members to practice the ritual of reenacting the traditional Raglay Wedding Ceremony. The 15-minute performance brought to the audience vivid and unique slices of the cultural life of the Raglay people in Bac Ai district.

Young Raglay couple exchange beaded necklaces symbolizing lasting marriage

This traditional wedding ceremony is a highlight of the 3rd Raglay Cultural Festival of Bac Ai district - 2025, which was warmly welcomed and appreciated by the public. Previously, in previous years' festivals, Mr. Pi Nang Trach successfully recreated the Tomb-leaving Ceremony and the Filial Piety Ceremony, contributing significantly to the overall success of the festival.

According to Mr. Trach, the New Rice Festival, the Grave-leaving Ceremony, the Traditional Wedding Ceremony and the Filial Piety Ceremony are four important rituals rich in humanistic meaning in the spiritual life of the Raglay people in Bac Ai district, Ninh Thuan province. As the master of the traditional wedding ceremony, the Prestigious Person - Meritorious Artisan guides the group members to skillfully practice the reenactment ritual, with a duration of 15 minutes, bringing to the audience the unique traditional customs of the Raglay people in Bac Ai district. The Raglay Wedding Ceremony is an important highlight in the 3rd Raglay Cultural Festival of Bac Ai district - 2025, which has been warmly received and appreciated by the public.

During the festivals of previous years, the prestigious Pi Nang Trach also reenacted the Tomb-abandoning Ritual and Filial Piety Ritual of the Raglay people, contributing significantly to the success of the festival. According to Mr. Trach, the New Rice Harvest Ritual, Tomb-abandoning, Traditional Wedding, and Filial Piety Ritual are important rituals in the cultural life of the Raglay people in Bac Ai district, Ninh Thuan province.

The traditional wedding ceremony of the Raglay people ends with the sound of gongs and trumpets echoing throughout the village...

Panoramic view of the Raglay Wedding Ceremony at the Raglay Cultural Festival in Bac Ai district 2025

Talking with the prestigious person - Meritorious Artisan Pi Nang Trach, we learned that he was born in the year of Giap Ngo 1954, from Ma Oai village, Phuoc Thang commune, Bac Ai district. In March 1970, when he was just 16 years old, he joined the Ama Ho army, was assigned to unit B5, and participated in the battle at Bac Ai Tay battlefield until the day the village was completely liberated and the country was unified.

After being discharged from the army, he returned to his hometown, participated in local work and held many positions such as Chief of Commune Police, Commune Judicial Officer, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the Commune, and Secretary of the Party Cell of Ma Oai Village. In 2017, he handed over the position of Party Cell Secretary to a young cadre and assumed the role of a Prestigious Person of Ma Oai Village.

With his tireless contributions to the community, in March 2019, Mr. Pi Nang Trach was honored to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisanby the President in the field of Social Customs and Beliefs, and Folk Performing Arts.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nguoi-co-uy-tin-bao-ton-van-hoa-raglay-1747985700402.htm