SEARCHING FOR THE PROTOTYPE
Nearly 10 years ago, in A Luoi town (Ha Luoi district, Thua Thien- Hue province ), thousands of people gathered to celebrate the Ariêu Car festival under the direction of the council of village elders of the Pa Koh, Ta Oi, Co Tu, and Pa Hy ethnic groups. Last October, the Pa Koh people recreated the Ariêu Car festival on a smaller scale at the traditional ethnic cultural village of Ha Luoi. "These festivals have been staged, and only the most distinctive rituals are selected for performance. Anyone who has the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the Ariêu Car festival of the Pa Koh people, like us, can consider themselves lucky. Because in its original form, this festival is only held once every 10 years, or even once every 30 years…", village elder Ho Van Hanh, known as the "living dictionary of Truong Son," began his story.
The village elder welcomes guests to the festival.
I had the opportunity to experience the Ariêu Car festival right in the land where Mr. Hanh was born and raised, in An Trieng village (Trung Son commune), in August 2023. Witnessing the rituals firsthand, I realized that the festival almost completely showcases the essence of the intangible cultural heritage of the Pa Kôh people, from music , folk tales, storytelling, to tomb sculpture, traditional costumes, and cuisine… According to Mr. Hanh, Ariêu Car is originally a reburial festival of the Pa Kôh ethnic group with a total of more than 20 rituals. From ancient times, the festival was divided into two parts: the celebratory part with the participation of neighboring villages and the ceremonial part with sacrificial rituals performed by the clans. Before, during, and until the end of the festival, the village organizing Ariêu Car must provide enough food and drinks for up to a hundred guests for three days.
People bring the remains of their loved ones back to the festival area.
"Before the festival begins, the village elders and clan leaders must perform a ceremony including the 'tan hung' ritual to unify the organization, preparations, and guest list... This is followed by the 'axa arah' ritual to cleanse the village of impurities and defilements... During the main ceremony, Ariêu car features prominent rituals such as: pađoh â đoong (opening ceremony); veel moot (welcoming guests); pa dưn veel (welcoming dance); chắt ti rỉ (buffalo stabbing ceremony); tực arieu car (Ariêu car offering); moot câr hoot, coat pâr nai (entrusting and making promises); pachoo tâm mooi (seeing off guests); zi zar (signaling the end of the festival)," Elder Hạnh said, adding: "The Ariêu car festival held in August 2023 is the original festival with spiritual rituals dedicated to the deceased. This is something that the re-enacted Ariêu car ceremonies have omitted."
A GRAND CELEBRATION OF SOLIDARITY
During the ceremony, which was performed only within the village, I witnessed villagers, after completing the reburial ritual, bringing the small urns (ta'r nau) containing the remains of their relatives back to place them on pre-made bamboo platforms with roofs. The urns were arranged in rows and in order according to each lineage. If less than 10 years had passed since the exhumation, people would often take a handful of earth or catch a grasshopper and put it in the urn to offer as a sacrifice. After the aforementioned rituals, the villagers would take the urns to place them in the tombs, which were designed and decorated in the distinctive style of the highlands. Village elder Ho Van Rai (80 years old, A Dieng Par Leng 1 village, Trung Son commune) said that the ceremony also had interesting aspects, such as having to consult an oracle to ask the deceased whether they could be buried in the same tomb or not; if not, a different tomb had to be built…
Each family lineage will design a bamboo platform to place the small containers holding the remains.
Many Pa Kôh village elders recounted that, in order to hold the Ariêu Car festival, the HA Lưới authorities consulted and sought the opinions of many respected figures in the community. Initially, fearing disturbance to ancestral graves and traditional spiritual rituals, many elders flatly refused. However, after discussions, realizing that the festival would only be recreated with "excerpts" in a performance and artistic style, the elders agreed. "Moreover, Ariêu Car is organized with the participation of all ethnic groups, so its significance is even greater. At first, my father was also pleased, but hearing that it brings together all ethnic groups is great, promoting unity and showcasing the unique culture of this highland region," said elder Hồ Văn Hạnh.
Through the organization of the Ariêu Car festival, the traditional tomb art of the ethnic minorities in the A Lưới highlands has been revived.
Recently, while participating in the reenactment of the Ariêu Car festival, village elder Lê Tuấn Mõ (70 years old, residing in Hồng Thượng commune) was delighted to see a large number of tourists flocking to the HA Lưới ethnic minority cultural village to watch. Joining in the traditional dances of his people with the artisans and young people, Elder Mõ was happy that the younger generation is increasingly aware of the importance of preserving traditional cultural values. Especially, the reenactment of the Ariêu Car festival promises to provide food and clothing for the people as it becomes a unique tourism product for visitors.
Ms. Le Thi Them, Head of the Culture and Sports Department of Ha Luoi District, further explained that the Ariêu Car festival, since ancient times, has been valuable in connecting and fostering unity among ethnic groups. During this festival, some villages have resolved conflicts, while others have forged stronger bonds of brotherhood. When recreating Ariêu Car, the District Culture and Sports Department proactively omitted the rituals related to graves, especially the buffalo-slaughtering ceremony which was considered offensive. According to Ms. Them, today, although it is a revival, the Ariêu Car festival is organized on a district-wide scale with a series of cultural and sports activities, truly becoming a great celebration of unity for ethnic minorities. (to be continued)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-le-hoi-doc-dao-tuc-cai-tang-thanh-dai-le-o-truong-son-185241130195955655.htm
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