Unique game of calling the moon fairy of Thai people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Three fairies are sisters in a family on the moon, taking turns coming down to the human world to play for three consecutive nights, which is the content of a Thai folk game.

Watch Bon villagers play the moon fairy game:

Bon village, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong district), on a May night, when the sky was full of moon, the villagers organized a folk game called “Ta nang xong” (calling the moon fairy). Since the afternoon, people had been spreading the news to each other, so young and old, young and old, invited each other to watch, just like when the village had an art performance. It is rare to find a folk game that is so attractive.

Ban Bon is a Thai community with nearly a hundred houses. The residents here have long lived along the Cha Ha stream flowing from Yen Tinh commune through Yen Na and Yen Hoa communes (Tuong Duong district). The residents here have long known how to cultivate rice and pan for gold along the stream. The stilt houses are arranged in neat rows. Each house has a small adjacent garden to grow perennials and raise poultry and livestock. At night, the stilt houses hidden under the trees look both intimate and mysterious under the moonlight. The game Calling the Moon takes place in such a space.

After dinner, the moon rose, about 40 spectators and the game organizers gathered at the designated place. The most spacious yard in the village, which was also the location of the community cultural house and volleyball court, was usually only bustling in the evening, but tonight it was suddenly crowded and unusually bustling. Everyone stood around a group of 6 women sitting together. Together, they held in both hands a mannequin that was shaking constantly. The mannequin was called the “moon fairy”.

The image of the moon fairy sitting in the middle, surrounded by players. This game is often organized by the Bon villagers on bright moonlit nights. Photo: Huu Vi

From a distance, hundreds of meters away, people could hear a song calling the moon. The lyrics said: Hey, Moon Fairy/ Bright fairy, clear fairy/ Dancing in a soft dress/ Her mother is dancing on the hut in the field/ Her mother is dancing on the hut in the field/ The son longs for her so much/ The daughter dreams of her every night/ Tonight is a bright night/ Tomorrow night is a bright night/ White as a peeled egg/ White as freshly pounded rice...

The song was sung by the group of players, then the boys and girls repeated it. Sometimes the groups of boys and girls in attendance took turns continuing the chant. After a while, the fairy effigy began to dance on the hands of the group of players. “She” tapped her arms made of bamboo sticks on both sides, faster and faster. The “old ladies” said to each other: So the moon fairy has come down to play with the villagers. One of the players asked: “My dear, which one do I ask? Where do you come from?” After a long hesitation, the effigy turned one arm toward the moon. Everyone cheered: Oh, so it really is the moon fairy. Another person in the player asked: Who are you? If it is the first fairy, tap once, the second fairy, tap twice, and the youngest fairy, tap three times.” The fairy leaned over and tapped her arms on the ground three times. Then she danced again and continued to tap her arms on the ground. Someone teased: “That’s really Miss Ut, so young, dancing so enthusiastically.”

Another person in the group that was in charge of the game suddenly said: “Hey, stop dancing, stop, let me ask you something? In our group, who do you love the most? Please headbutt with that person.” The Moon Fairy immediately expressed her feelings by headbutting with the most respected old lady in the group.

The questions and answers continued until almost midnight. Someone asked if their mother would recover this year. Another asked when they would get married. Will the village be peaceful this year?... The Moon Fairy answered by standing still, meaning that the mother would not recover yet, or by tapping the ground, meaning: "Your ancestors will survive this disaster." Or: "Our village will have a good harvest this year." People could guess the Moon Fairy's answer by the number of times she tapped the ground. One mischievous guy even asked the Moon Fairy to stop dancing so he could "kiss" her forehead.

The game continued until the moon fairy finished performing all her tricks and the audience gradually left. The group sang a song to send the moon back to heaven. The lyrics were as follows: "You came with the dew, then go with the dew/ You came with the rain, then return with the rustling rain and wind/ Return with the clouds and mountain wind/ Don't bring your soul back to the sand dunes/ Don't call your soul to the hem of your shirt/ Don't call the soul of the whole village back with you"... After stopping singing, the moon fairy stopped dancing and only swayed for a moment before stopping. The players said: So she has returned to heaven.

Mrs. Vi Thi Giang, one of the 6 people who organize the game, shared that: This game is usually only held on the brightest moon of the year, usually from the 5th to the 8th lunar month. Once the game is held, it must be held continuously for 3 days. "Today, we call Miss Ut, then the next 2 days, we must call all the moon fairies in turn. The organization and the songs are the same.

The party was over but everyone was eagerly waiting for the following nights. The moonlit night was truly wonderful when a fairy from heaven came. Everyone knew that it was just a game but because of its interesting features and closeness to the community's daily routine, it was still passed down through many generations.

Huu Vi - Lo May Hang