Sacred ritual of taking Uncle Ho's surname

HNN - On September 2, 1969, beloved President Ho Chi Minh passed away in Hanoi. At that time, ethnic minorities in A Luoi (Hue City) vowed to carry the Ho family name for life to remember his great contributions. 56 years have passed, and that ritual is still preserved and reenacted many times with extremely sacred and touching emotions.

A Luoi village elders attend the reenactment ceremony vowing to carry the Ho family name for life

The ceremony was most recently re-enacted on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2025), at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hue City.

Going back in history, on September 2, 1969, when hearing the news that beloved Uncle Ho had passed away forever, the ethnic minorities in the Western part of Hue City cried their eyes out, many people did not eat or drink for many days, saddened by Uncle Ho's passing. With boundless grief, the Party Committee, the government and the ethnic minorities in the Western part of the city held a 4-day mourning ceremony for Uncle Ho and a 7-day memorial service.

At the beginning of the reenactment, the artisans beat a gong and drum to signal the start of the ceremony. Next, Meritorious Artisan, village elder Ho Van Hanh (Pa Co ethnic group, A Luoi 1 commune) read a speech expressing gratitude for the contributions of President Ho Chi Minh. Mr. Hanh's words were clear, that President Ho Chi Minh devoted his entire life to the cause of national liberation, for the happiness of the people. In the midst of his busy work of taking care of peace in the country, he still expressed his affectionate feelings through letters to ethnic minorities, advising: "Although I am far away, my heart and the Government are still close to the people". He emphasized the national origin and sentiments, the strength of Vietnam: “The Kinh or Tho, Muong or Man, Gia Rai or E De, Xe Dang or Ba Na and other ethnic minorities, are all descendants of Vietnam, are all blood brothers: We live and die together, we are happy and miserable together, we help each other in hunger and fullness”… Therefore, all of our ethnic groups must unite closely to fight for national liberation, to maintain our freedom and independence.

The village elder also respectfully addressed the village elders, the elders, the representatives of the front, the village chief and all the people before continuing: “Our beloved Uncle Ho is no longer here… This loss is immense! This pain is truly limitless! Our nation and our Party have lost a genius leader, a great teacher, a beloved father. In this moment of sorrow, the ethnic people of Western Hue absolutely trust in the Party’s wise and talented leadership, have deep and sacred feelings for beloved Uncle Ho, and vow to carry the Ho family name for the rest of their lives to remember his great merits. It is an honor and pride to affirm that: Uncle Ho always lives forever in the heartbeat of every ethnic group. We swear!”. As soon as the village elder finished speaking, the children of A Luoi, regardless of age, gender, A Luoi boys and girls, shouted in response: “We vow to carry the Ho family name! We vow to carry the Ho family name!”.

The village elders in A Luoi shared: Taking the Ho family name is to forever engrave his immense gratitude, and vow to be his grandchildren and children. At the end of the ceremony, the village elder affirmed that in the midst of the Truong Son mountain range, today there are village elders, elders, representatives of the front, village chiefs and all the ethnic people of the Western region, we all turn to the North, to Uncle Ho with infinite respect and vow: "Those who are two-faced will be punished by God, punished by heaven, will wither like rotten trees in the forest, like dried-up streams, like burnt grass and trees...".

The reenactment was brief, but meaningful. Being named Ho is a source of pride, like being a child or grandchild of Uncle Ho. It is considered a breakthrough that goes beyond all the regulations of customary law, like adding sacred “new provisions” to the customary law system in the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in Hue.

According to statistics, there are more than 14,000 ethnic minorities in Hue City with the surname of Uncle Ho. Among them, the largest group is the Pa Co ethnic group, with over 7,000 people. Some of the famous heroes of the People's Armed Forces include: Ho Vai, Ho Kan Lich, Ho A Nun, Ho Duc...

Meritorious Artisan Ho Thi Tu (former Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of A Luoi) - the scriptwriter of the ceremony to reenact the ritual of ethnic minorities with the surname Ho said that she felt proud to contribute to telling the sacred story. To have such a script, Ms. Tu said that she had to research local history very carefully, in addition to meeting many witnesses who had witnessed, organized and participated in the ceremony. "This ceremony has been reenacted in Hanoi and some other places on major holidays, such as commemorating Uncle Ho's birthday, commemorating the day he passed away. It is a great honor for us," Ms. Tu shared.

Article and photos: NHAT MINH

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/thieng-lieng-nghi-le-nguyen-mang-ho-bac-ho-157124.html