The festival "Celebrating new rice" of Xo Dang people - Kon Tum

Every year, around October, when the rice is ripe, the Xo Dang (Kon Tum) start harvesting and celebrating the celebration of new rice, pray for a good rainy year, good crops and houses. warm, happy
In order to introduce the traditional cultural features of Xo Dang people, Dak To district, Kon Tum province, on October 21, the Management Board of Ethnic Villages, Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in collaboration with Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Kon Tum province introduces to the public the Xo Dang ethnic new rice celebration. This is a highlight activity in October activities with the theme "Loving West" held at Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, Dong Mo (Son Tay - Hanoi).

Like many other ethnic groups living in the Central Highlands, the Xo Dang spiritual life is closely associated with festivals, containing many cultural elements rich in identity. Xo Dang ethnic people have many ceremonies throughout the year such as the North of the water trough, the New Rice Celebration Ceremony, the Ceremony of buffaloes feeding ... in which the "New Rice Celebration" ceremony is a ritual that reflects deeply the customs, customs and beauty. and Xo Dang ethnic identity. This folk rite has been passed down through generations of Xo Dang people, which has a good meaning in community cohesion, and contributes to the cultural picture of the 54 ethnic groups. .
When the rice on the field starts to ripen, to perform the "New rice celebration" ceremony, the village patriarch agrees on a good day to organize, the families take the initiative to renovate houses, stairs, and old furniture arranged around the house. places that are easy to see, so that the rice spirit can return home from home. In these days, the Xo Dang women prepare sacred objects for family rituals such as sacred bowls, cozy rice cookers, sirh jrong cords, sirh proth strings. Xo Dang men clear the headwaters, repair the docks and build trees to prepare for important community rituals.
Xo Dang festival "Celebrating new rice", usually divided into 2 phases, the first stage is to eat new rice in each family (Ka pa neo) and the second stage is to drink new rice wine in the community. the village (Onrode trieng).

In the first stage, when the rice is ripe, the head of the household and the family come to their paddy fields, using fresh leech to mark the locations of plucking and carrying out religious practices before plucking. After finishing plucking the rice, they took the rice to the storehouse, and each family brought a large basket of rice to go home to worship new rice. On the way back, when they meet the turn, they use branches to block the aisles, only one way from the barn to their house with the thought to not get lost.

Families took dry roasted and pounded rice, took rice to cook new rice, presented food and wine to perform the new rice ceremony.
When all the families in the village celebrated the new rice (Ka pa neo) in each family, the village patriarch gathered the household heads to announce the "New rice" wine drinking festival of all communities (On de triezo).

According to custom, in the early morning of the festival, the families in the village were closed, no one was allowed to go in and out, prepared enough rice, wine and ready-to-eat foods to put on the kitchen platform. The village patriarch was the first to be allowed to open the door to the Rong house, then beat the drums to signal to the villagers to attend.

As the host, A Tui village patriarch, Dac To town, Kon Tum province informed all families to bring the ceremony to the communal house for the "New Rice Festival" festival to begin.
When the sun just shone the first rays of the new day, Xe Dang people gathered at the communal house of the village, offered gifts that people produced and raised themselves such as pigs, chickens, blue rice, sticky rice, and wine. need ... to worship the gods, pray for the new rainy season, the wind and harmony, the people are well off and united.

The elder of the village read the vow: “O No Pôk, o Noa Sai. Eu-dong A study of Pêa, Troh Hnam stated if Pà nà ta hra, Poi ta mo ngua "(O Giang, O God of rice, today the spirit of rice returns to our village, we pray for the rice god for them I go to the new year and forever don't be short of rice to eat, the villagers don't have to be hungry, please stay with us, let us be full.

After the traditional vows and rituals, the elder ate new rice and blessed wine, the village members took turns drinking and eating new rice.
After drinking at the Rong house, the elder takes everyone at the Rong house to go to each family in the village (the group goes to the left hand, the elder is the first one) to each house, the families bring rice and wine, food for the delegation.
Villagers drink, dance, play gongs and organize folk games and games until late at night. When the fire is over, the wine is faded, the main festival "Welcome new rice" of Xo Dang people, in Dak To - Kon Tum seems to end.
The festival attracts a large number of people from near and far villages and visitors to join in the fun, for the good meaning of connecting the community.