Festival of the Xo Dang people in Kon Kloc

Learning about the festivals of the Xo Dang people in Kon Kloc village, Dak Mar commune (Dak Ha district), Meritorious Artisan Y Khar - a son of the village and also one of the people who understand the traditional culture of the Xo Dang people here, told us that through many generations and the ups and downs of life, the villagers still pass on and preserve the traditional cultural identity of the nation.

Festival of the Xo Dang people in Kon Kloc

“Like the village’s Water Drop Festival. Since ancient times, villagers have been looking for water sources to make village water drops. From these water drops, villagers have made small troughs to bring water to the roofs. Now in modern life, every house has its own water source, no longer depending on water drops like before. However, the Water Drop Festival has always been maintained and held on December 8 every year, as a reminder to everyone of a good custom and tradition of the nation” - Artisan Y Khar cited.

Like most festivals in the majestic Central Highlands, the Water Drop Festival of Kon Kloc villagers consists of 2 parts: the ceremony and the festival. Right before the festival, villagers will gather to repair the village’s water drops. Regardless of age, young, male or female, everyone must contribute their efforts to prepare for the festival. The young men in the village will be responsible for repairing and replacing damaged parts of the water drop troughs. Women and children clean the water source together...

The water drop festival is often prepared very carefully, because the villagers believe that finding a good water source will bring a prosperous life to every family, without illness or disease. During the ceremony, the villagers will prepare a pig or chicken for the village elder to cut its throat, then drop 3 drops of blood into the water drop, wait for the blood to dissolve, mix well with the water drop until it is clear, the village elder will drink the water in the drop, to taste it, thereby deciding whether the water is enough to feed the villagers.

Now that the villagers have settled down for a long time, they no longer have to worry about finding water sources like before, but this custom is still maintained and practiced every year, however, many cumbersome procedures have been reduced.

After a short break, Artisan Y Khar continued to introduce us to another festival of the village, which is the New Rice Festival. Since ancient times, this has been one of the most important festivals, usually held after the end of the harvest season on the 10th day of the 10th lunar month every year.

In Kon Kloc village, the New Rice Festival is held separately for each household. The festival takes place when the rice has been harvested, dried, and put into bags. Bringing the rice to the warehouse, the family will make chickens and prepare jars of wine for the offering. The family uses chicken blood to smear on the rice bags, the stairs up and down, and both sides of the warehouse door. This is an annual ceremony, with the meaning of honoring the rice grains that Giang gave to the villagers.

The organization of the ceremony is large or small depending on the ability to harvest a lot or a little of each family and accordingly, the time can last one or many days. This is also an opportunity for the homeowner to invite relatives, friends, and friends to come and have fun, eat, dance, and any house with many guests is considered an honor.

Another festival of Kon Kloc villagers that cannot be ignored is the Rong House Festival. Although it is not held regularly, only when the Rong House is repaired or upgraded, this festival is often held on a large scale. Whenever the village plans to repair the Rong House, it must notify the villagers a long time in advance, so that they can save money to buy buffaloes and pigs to organize the festival. When the Rong House repair is launched, the villagers all enthusiastically participate. Regardless of age or gender, everyone must be responsible for contributing to building the "soul" of the village. Depending on the number of people in the family, the village elder will calculate the appropriate tasks to assign to each household.

After the Rong House is completed, everyone in the village will perform the rituals together, then sit together, eat, dance, sing... At that time, the elders will tell the younger generation stories about the process of building the village, the hardships, as well as the efforts to form a Rong House.

It would be a mistake to mention traditional festivals without mentioning the gong culture of the Kon Kloc people. This is one of the indispensable spiritual foods of the people for generations. During festivals, every time the gong sounds are played, it acts as a bridge, reminding everyone of the origin of the nation. The gong culture in Kon Kloc village has always been inherited and strongly developed.

Artisan Y Khar said: Currently, the whole Kon Kloc village has 3 gong teams. Of which, the middle-aged and young people teams each have 25 members, the children's team has 30 members. The gong teams have performed in many places inside and outside the province, thereby receiving many compliments and awards. In recent years, many people have come to Kon Kloc village to learn and enjoy the gong sounds here. I believe that the gong sounds of Kon Kloc will fly higher and further.