Thai Nghe An people run out of luck and hold a ceremony to ask for more

Rituals for young people

One summer morning, from a stilt house in Hoa Tien 1 village, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district, the sound of gongs and carvings echoed. People from far away thought that the village was having a big festival, but in fact it was just an internal family ceremony. Mr. Luong Van Long organized a spiritual ceremony for his son, called the "nho bun" ceremony.

The shaman next to the offering tray prays for more luck. Photo: Huu Vi

In the Thai language of Nghe An, “nho” means to lift, to lift up, and “bun” means luck, fortune, prestige… This ceremony is to ask the gods to give the person receiving the ceremony more luck in life.

According to shamans and elders in Chau Tien commune, the “nho bun” ceremony is usually only for young people. They explain that people are born with good luck in life. With these things, when going to the fields, they will not fall down trees or guard huts; when going out or facing social relationships, people with “nho bun” will be respected, cherished, have smooth business and avoid disasters.

According to the Thai people in Quy Chau district, the gods only give each person a certain amount of luck. Some people get a lot, some have a little, and there are also cases where people face too many uncertainties or participate in more social relationships than usual, so they use up all the luck given by the gods. That is when they have to hold a ceremony to pray for more luck.

Big feast, long ceremony

“This is a rather expensive ceremony,” said Mr. Luong Diep, a shaman and the master of ceremonies at Mr. Long’s house. Before beating the gongs and carving the lines to perform the ceremony, a pig and 12 chickens must be prepared to offer to the gods. In addition, the homeowner must also prepare a feast to invite relatives to attend. Therefore, to organize a “nho bun” ceremony, a Thai family with normal economic circumstances would spend months preparing.

The young couple lift the offering tray to pray for luck. Photo: Huu Vi

The main space of the ceremony is the outer room where the altar is placed. The pig is boiled and butchered. To reduce costs, the celebrant uses 12 baby chickens instead of adult chickens. In addition to the chicken and pork, there are also fabrics and some things that imitate silver ingots.

At the ceremony, a young couple lifted the offering tray. The ceremony lasted all morning because the shaman had to read 5 different prayers. After each prayer, the young couple performed the ritual of lifting the offering tray, raising it to head height, then slowly lowering it. According to the shaman and the elders in Hoa Tien 1 village, doing so was to show respect to the gods. Each time the tray was lifted, the person receiving the ceremony would have more luck.

While the couple lifts the tray, people “welcome” them with the sound of gongs and carvings. After lifting the tray, the couple is offered a horn of rice wine by the shaman. On the jar of wine, there is a candle to wish them luck. Like many other festivals, the “nho bun” ceremony ends with a party and a rice wine festival.

According to some local cultural researchers, the “nho bun” ceremony is also commonly seen in Thai villages in Chau Phong commune, Quy Chau district, but the organization is more elaborate, lasting from the morning rooster crowing until the following evening. Next to the offering tray, people set up a “flower tree” made of bamboo similar to a gasoline tree. To complete the ceremony, the shaman must go through 9 worships and the couple must also lift the offering tray 9 times.