Since when, folk festivals have been born, conveying the spirituality and aspirations of people and becoming an indispensable part of the daily life of ethnic minorities in the Northern Central Highlands. Through time and many ups and downs of history, that traditional beauty is still cared for, preserved and has a strange attraction, especially for tourists from far away to this land of more than a hundred years old with a strong identity.
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| Festival of the Ba Na people in Kon KTu village, Dak RoWa commune, Kon Tum city |
Since ancient times, every year, the local ethnic groups (Ba Na, Xe Dang, Gie Trieng, Gia Rai...) in the Northern Central Highlands hold many festivals. According to the life cycle of humans, the life cycle of rice plants, as well as the characteristics of community life change and rotate; festivals are born and affirm their vitality over time.
Festivals are spread throughout the year, but for the ethnic minorities of Kon Tum, according to the calendar, from the end of the rainy season, around October, November of the previous year to the beginning of the dry season, around March, April of the following year; that is the "season" of festivals. According to Mr. A Dang in Kon Ro Bang village, Vinh Quang commune, Kon Tum city, it is called "season" because it is the idle farming time, everyone is free to hold festivals. In the past, living off the mountains and forests, relying on nature, the Ba Na, Xe Dang, Gia Rai... only did one crop season each year. At the beginning of the dry season, February and March, people work hard to clear the land, break the soil, and wait for the rain to thin the seeds and sow the seeds; in September and October, at the end of the rainy season, every household gathers to finish threshing and harvesting the rice; then comes the free days.
When the barns are full of rice and corn, and the pigs and chickens are numerous; according to traditional spirituality and beliefs, this is also the season when work is smooth and joy comes; it is an opportunity for people to express their thoughts and wishes. Festivals are held at this time such as the new rice celebration, the water trough building (or repairing), the New Year celebration...; or commonly, festivals related to the birth, growth, and maturity of humans and the life cycle of rice plants; first of all, to pray and thank the gods; then to express joy, to exchange and share thoughts and wishes...
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| The beauty of the New Rice Festival of the Gie Trieng people |
Because it carries the meaning of offering to the Supreme Being, the festival never lacks the sacred and solemn rituals. All the best, most beautiful, most delicious things... are reserved for the festival, and especially, are chosen as offerings. As an "unwritten law", sacrificial animals are never lacking, and jars of wine are never forgotten. For big festivals, the villagers often erect poles, in place of invitations and reports to the Supreme Being; often offering buffaloes, cows, goats, pigs... Normal festivals only require a chicken..., the offerings take place solemnly, do not take much time; but the "festival" part lasts all night, all day, sometimes lasting for two or three days. Because it is an opportunity to meet and exchange, everyone in the community is voluntary and enthusiastic. Everyone is eager and carefree to immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere.
6 years have passed, the couple Nguyen Tin Trung and Dao Vu Nhi, tourists from Da Nang city, had the opportunity to return to Kon Tum, not forgetting to visit Kon Klor communal house, where in June 2011, they had the opportunity to witness the buffalo stabbing ceremony to celebrate the new communal house, which was extremely impressive. In Kon Tum, in each person's life, the most sacred and important thing is to witness the buffalo stabbing festival (also known as buffalo eating). In the past, the buffalo stabbing ceremony was often held when establishing a village, celebrating a new communal house, or when there were big events such as celebrating the New Year, praying for rain, praying for luck... "Buffalo stabbing ceremony" is not a separate festival, but is only used as the name for important festivals, when the sacrificial object is a buffalo, which has high value and carries many meanings.
Like other ethnic minorities, in Kon Tum, the "festival" of the people is a combination of sounds, colors, lines, images... of gongs, xoang dances, traditional musical instruments, of ecstatic intoxication... For that reason, festivals always contain a strange attraction and appeal. Being immersed in the bustling festival atmosphere is the desire of many tourists coming to this land rich in traditional cultural identity.
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| Preserving and promoting the value of traditional festivals in the community |
The same festival, the ethnic minorities in Kon Tum all have similarities in the organization; however, each ethnic group also has differences in the preparation of offerings, decorations, rituals, etc.; each has its own unique and distinctive features; creating diversity and richness in the community's identity. After the festival, everyone returns to work together; diligently and skillfully create new products and valuable artifacts to prepare for the next festivals...
Along with popular, annual festivals such as the New Year festival, the New Rice festival, the water trough repair festival, the rice storage festival..., or family festivals such as weddings, ear blowing ceremonies, health praying ceremonies...; in the Northern Central Highlands, there are also unique festivals with distinct characteristics, such as the Tinh Penh festival (Shooting festival) of the Xe Dang people of the Xo Tra branch in KonHra village, Dak Ui commune, Dak Ha district; The village Kieng festival of the BRau ethnic group in Dak Me village, Bo Y commune, Ngoc Hoi district; the Cha Kchah festival (coal eating) of the Gie Trieng ethnic group in the border area of Ngoc Hoi district, the Et Dong festival (Con Dui festival) of the Ba Na people of the Jo Lang branch in Kon Ray ...
Over time and change, folk festivals are no longer numerous and are not regularly held. However, in line with the need to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the nation, the festivals are still preserved, passed down, and become beautiful features bearing the mark of the land and people where they were born. From 2000 to present, of the nearly 2,600 festivals organized by Kon Tum province, there are 2,088 folk festivals; attracting a large number of people in the province and tourists to participate and respond. The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also restored 23 typical traditional festivals, such as the new rice festival, the buffalo eating festival to celebrate the new communal house, the water drop festival, the village founding festival, the wedding ceremony... of the ethnic groups (Ba Na, Xe Dang, Gie Trieng). In particular, selected to be printed in books to widely introduce to readers, it is necessary to mention the traditional cultural beauty of some very small ethnic groups in the Northern Central Highlands, such as the wedding ceremony of the BRau people (Ngoc Hoi district), the new rice festival and the grave abandonment ceremony of the Ro Mam people (Sa Thay district).
With their own attractiveness and appeal, traditional festivals need to be revived in community life and especially need to be paid attention to creating unique tourism products, inviting and retaining tourists to Kon Tum./.
Tags:
people & culture