Sacred ceremony of Chieng Ngam temple

(Baonghean.vn) - The Chieng Ngam Temple Festival is a spiritual ceremony held annually in the spring. People in Chau Quy often gather in Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district to participate in the ceremony, worshiping with the wish to remember and show gratitude to their ancestors, the founders of the village, praying for favorable weather, good crops, and vowing to live and work well to build happiness for their family and homeland.

» Priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc incited parishioners

From early morning, many people of Quy Chau district gathered at Chieng Ngam Temple. Photo: Thanh Chung

For the Xen Ban and Xen Muong in Quy Chau district, Hang Bua Festival is the most important festival, the place where the ethnic people here look forward to returning to. People who come to the festival often come to offer incense at Chieng Ngam Temple to satisfy their wish to be grateful, hoping to receive strength from their roots to rise up in life.

Chieng Ngam Temple has existed for a long time, the temple worships 3 Thanh Hoang, the 3 brothers Xieu Bo, Xieu Ke and Xieu Luong who founded the village in Chieng Ngam, Phu Quy. The temple is divided into 3 worshiping rooms, the middle room worships 3 gods Xieu Bo, Xieu Ke and Xieu Luong. The right room worships the Mountain God, the left room worships the River God.

Performing spiritual rituals before entering the Hang Bua festival in 2017. Photo: Thanh Chung

Since 1945, Chieng Ngam Temple was damaged, remaining only in ruins. In 2005, the temple was restored, built on the foundation of the old temple. After more than 10 years of use, the temple was damaged and degraded again. With the Provincial People's Committee's approval to invest in upgrading, the temple was rebuilt according to the plan and completed and put into use on January 19, 2017.

Before the opening ceremony of the Hang Bua Festival 2017, Quy Chau district held a ceremony to worship the tutelary god Muong Chieng Ngam. Early in the morning of the big ceremony, many people from the two districts of Trung Son and Thuy Van were present at the high mountain in Hong Tien 2 village - where Chieng Ngam temple resides. They solemnly dressed in traditional costumes, professional costumes, sincerely stepped up 98 stone steps, then gathered under the hundreds of years old banyan tree right next to the sacred temple. In front of this temple, which is covered by clouds all year round, the festival organizers arranged gongs, drums, stalls, carving frames, and poles for the Xang Khan ceremony.

Offering to ancestors, those who contributed to the establishment of the village, the products of Chieng Ngam land. Photo: Thanh Chung

Before the ceremony, the sisters in brocade skirts with silver peaches hanging on their hips, and the strong and handsome men from the 9 villages of Chau Tien carried up the offering trays. The offering trays were rich in local products and dishes. These included boiled chicken, grilled fish, sticky rice, meatballs, rice wine, can wine, oranges, tangerines, and apples. The main dish of the ceremony was buffalo meat.

In the past years, when the people's lives in the area were still difficult, goat meat replaced buffalo meat. In recent years, life has become more prosperous, the people in the area have resolutely requested to use buffalo meat again according to the old custom. They believe that buffalo is a good animal, and that every year they offer buffalo, that year the weather, location, and people will all be as desired.

The auspicious hour has come, three shamans representing the ethnic groups of Quy Chau district perform rituals in front of Chieng Ngam temple.

Three shamans perform the ceremony. Photo: Thanh Chung

In the main hall, the main monk in a silk robe invites the village guardian spirits who have contributed to the development and construction of the village to their descendants to enjoy the offerings; respectfully hoping that the ancestors will bless their descendants, so that in the new year everyone will be healthy and have good luck to build family happiness and a prosperous village.

According to the customs of the Thai people in Quy Chau and the unwritten rules of the shamans: The prayer must convey all the wishes of the district and must not be written down to be recited but must be engraved in the heart.

The ceremony was completed, the sound of gongs and drums resounded loudly, resounding throughout the mountains, then spreading to distant lands. People attending the ceremony took turns stepping up to light incense sticks respectfully as well as offering some lucky food. The dance and song again reminded people of the oath made at the sacred Chieng Ngam temple on the morning of the first day of spring./.

Thanh Son - Ho Phuong