Unique rice offering ceremony of the Khmu people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, before the rice harvest, the Khmu people in the highlands of Ky Son prepare offerings to hold a ceremony to ask for rice to be put into storage. This is one of the customs showing respect to the gods who protected and cared for the crops in the previous crop.

When the rice in the fields begins to yield harvest, it is also the day when the family of Mr. Moong Pho Chau, Huoi Tong village, Keng Du commune, begins to prepare offerings to go to the fields, pray to heaven, earth, ancestors and gods for permission to harvest the rice and store it in the barn.

Mr. Moong Pho Chau shared: According to the Khmu people's concept, all surrounding phenomena have souls, ghosts, and gods. Therefore, if we want to harvest rice and store it in our warehouse, we must kill chickens and pigs to offer to the gods and the earth and sky for governing, protecting, and helping us have a lot of rice. Moreover, if we want to bring rice to our warehouse, we must ask and invite the rice spirit to follow us.

Offerings to pray for rice to be brought back include clothes, fabrics, jewelry, silver bars, tools for making mousetraps, pressing sticky rice, jars of rice wine, etc. Photo: Lu Phu

Before harvesting, the owner of the field chooses an auspicious day to make an offering. According to shaman Moong Pho Dong, Huoi Tong village, Keng Du commune, said: “This offering ceremony is also the Khmu field offering ceremony, depending on the way people in each region and each place of residence call it. Before the new rice celebration, our people organize this offering ceremony, because it is for offering to the field ghosts, while the new rice celebration ceremony is for our ancestors to eat, and this offering ceremony must be held right at the field guard hut, and old rice must be used for the offering, asking to bring back new rice, then offering to the ancestors later.”

In the Khmu Ky Son people's rice-returning ceremony, before performing the ritual, people set up an offering platform right next to the hut in the field, on the rice field. On the platform are decorated rings and a cicada effigy, all woven from bamboo strips. The offering tray placed on the platform includes skirts, shirts, fabrics, jewelry, silver ingots, mousetrap making tools... at the foot of the platform are two jars of rice wine. The master of ceremonies is usually a shaman who understands customs, thoroughly understands the prayers and is believed to be able to communicate with ghosts and gods...

At the end of the ceremony, everyone gathered together, enjoyed a cup of wine, and a handful of sticky rice... Photo: Lu Phu

The custom of worshiping the spirit of the mother and the spirit of the rice, asking to bring the rice to the warehouse of the Khmu people, is not only to worship supernatural forces, but also to show solidarity, help and support each other in the work of harvesting the fruits of a hard-working farming season. When the worshiping procedures are over, it is also the time for brothers and friends in the village community to gather together around a jar of rice wine, and then exchange experiences in production. After that, it is also the time when people start to go to the fields to harvest the rice and bring it to the warehouse.

The rice offering ceremony has been maintained by the Khmu people from generation to generation, reflecting their belief in nature, the earth, streams, and fields. To them, these are the gods who always embrace, protect, and help them have a full life.

Lu Phu