Why are the O Du people afraid of the sound of gongs?

(Baonghean.vn) - The sound of gongs is not a welcome sound for the O Du people residing in Nga My commune, Tuong Duong district (Nghe An). When someone strikes a gong, it is considered a disaster for the whole family, even the entire clan. The sound of the gong is believed to disturb Then (the Heavenly Court) and bring misfortune.

The women of the O Du ethnic group

The O Du people are one of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam and are found only in Tuong Duong district. Before 2006, the O Du people lived in the villages of Xop Pot, Pung Ca Moong, and Kim Hoa in Kim Da commune. In some communes, the O Du people lived mixed with the Thai and Khmu people. Since 2006, the O Du people have relocated to Van Mon village in Nga My commune. Their old villages have been submerged by the Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir.

A house believed to resemble the ancient architecture of the O Du people most closely is located in Van Mon village, Nga My commune (Tuong Duong district).

Today, the culture of the O Du people has essentially disappeared completely. Only the oldest people remember more than 200 words, but many of these are borrowed from the Thai language. They have only preserved a few customs, the most typical of which is their fear of the sound of gongs.

Mr. Lo Van Phuc, one of the few remaining elders in the village, said that the O Du people currently maintain the custom of not striking gongs or drums. The gongs are only sounded once a year. That is when the first thunder of the year strikes; the homeowner will strike the gong three times and then hang it in a place of honor, near the ancestral altar. From then on, no one is allowed to touch it again for the entire year.

He keeps money, fish baskets, and seed baskets of the O Du people at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

The O Du people believe that misfortune will befall anyone who accidentally or intentionally strikes the gong on an ordinary day. Striking the gong on a day without thunder at the beginning of the year will cause illness and death to family members one by one. Then it will affect relatives. To avoid this misfortune, those who violate the custom must slaughter pigs, or even buffaloes and cows, to offer to Then (Heaven) to ask for forgiveness. The ceremony is usually very expensive, so few dare to violate the custom.

According to Mr. Lo Van Phuc, the fear of the gong is related to the O Du people's custom of worshipping Heaven. This custom originated from the belief that the beginning of a year starts from the first thunderclap. Mr. Lo Van Tinh, the Party Secretary of Van Mon village, said: "Previously, the O Du people swore an oath never to beat drums or gongs on ordinary days. They would only strike them three times upon hearing the first thunderclap of the year. From then on, it became a custom."

Huu Vi