Traditional festivals of the Brau people

Living in the majestic Central Highlands with strong indigenous culture, the Brau ethnic group has formed its own unique cultural identity, of which traditional folk festivals are typical.

Traditional festivals of the Brau people

According to animism, the Brau people believe that the world is tangible, all phenomena and things have gods inside. To survive and develop, people need to interact and connect with the community, and together seek supernatural powers through the images of gods, so the festivals of the Brau people often have strong spiritual elements. On the other hand, originating from the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, farming according to the seasons, agricultural production depends a lot on nature, so the Brau people attach great importance to worshiping the god of agriculture to pray for good harvests and luck. That is why the Brau people have many festivals in a year. Mr. Dang Hung, an official of the Kon Tum Provincial Ethnic Committee, said: "The Brau people's festivals usually have four main festivals a year. These are the festival in the slash-and-burn season, the festival when sowing rice, and the festival to celebrate the new rice in the harvest season. The end of the year is the Brau New Year festival. On festival days, villagers contribute wine, rice, food, and organize gong-beating rituals, while the village elders worship the gods according to the tradition of the nation.

In addition to festivals following the agricultural production cycle, festivals that are the beginning and start of something new for the Brau people are also important. Among them, the buffalo stabbing festival to enter the new village and celebrate the new house are festivals with many spiritual elements, while the rice-sowing festival (seeding) is the most important festival of the year. Before the festival, families, depending on their circumstances, contribute offerings to the festival to worship the gods. The sacrificial animals are usually buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Villagers set up a tree to worship the gods called Soóc roóc, which is a pole over one meter high with the top split and woven into the shape of a basket facing up to the sky. A small ladder leads up to the basket, where rice tubes, pig livers, chicken eggs, chicken feathers, chicken wings, and chicken feet are placed to worship the gods. Villagers choose a healthy buffalo, bathe it, feed it well, and tie it with rattan rope to a very eye-catching Gưng Cot, about 5m high. Gưng Cot is a large wooden tree erected in the middle of the yard, which is the centerpiece for the buffalo stabbing festival. Brau festivals often begin with a sacrifice ceremony.

When the gong sounds, the village elder stands as the celebrant and reads a prayer inviting the gods to come to the ceremony and bless the village. Amidst the sound of gongs and rice pounding, the celebrant takes the blood of the sacrificed animal and smears it on the new Rong house, new houses, or on Tha gongs, wine jars, and seed baskets as a way to communicate with the gods. The village elder's prayers express his hope that the gods will bless and protect the village to have a prosperous and peaceful life. In agricultural festivals, the Brau people always have a strong belief that the land god, the water god or the rice god... are always important gods who determine whether there will be a good harvest or a bad harvest. Every year, at the end of March and the beginning of April, when there are the first rains of the season, it is also the time when people prepare for the new year rice planting festivals. During the rice planting cycle, there are also festivals such as: New rice celebration, good harvest celebration, rice entering the warehouse celebration. These are festivals for people to express their wishes to the gods, praying for favorable rain, good wind, good crops, and prosperity for every family. Village elder Thao La, in Dak Me hamlet, Bo Y commune, Ngoc Hoi district, Kon Tum province, shared: "When the Brau people move into a new village or a new house, a house or a Rong house, they all have a buffalo stabbing ceremony to ask for land, hills, mountains and water to pray for the village and house to be cool, peaceful and strong. I hope no one gets sick or ill and that there is happiness and prosperity in this land, in this village. When we farm, we grow rice and have rice, we grow cassava and cassava. We must ask the land and the sky for blessings so that everything we do will be prosperous and rich.”

Like many festivals of other ethnic groups, the festival of the Brau people always consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. After the solemn worshiping ceremony, the festival usually takes place very jubilantly. To the rhythm of drums, gongs, and flutes, festival participants are free to perform their favorite songs and dances. The young men hold spears in their hands, enthusiastically performing vigorous dances, while the Brau girls in traditional costumes, hand in hand, forming a circle, gracefully performing seductive dances. Just like that, everyone is immersed in the festival atmosphere that lasts all night and all day. On festival days, whether they are acquaintances or strangers, when hearing the sound of gongs, everyone joins in the festival in a very warm and friendly atmosphere. Perhaps this is the beauty and humanity in the festivals of the Brau people./.