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The Central Highlands region always holds many mysteries and attractions that captivate every traveler. Among them, we cannot forget the Xo Dang ethnic group with their unique customs and traditions. Let's explore the Water Droplet Festival of the Xo Dang People with Mytour in the following article to add more exciting experiences to your Central Highlands tour!
1. Introduction to the Xo Dang People
The Xo Dang People are an indigenous ethnic group that has long inhabited the Central Highlands. With a population of about 170,000 people, the Xo Dang primarily reside in Kon Tum Province and scattered in small numbers in Quang Ngai Province and Quang Nam Province. As one of the six most populous ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, the Xo Dang people have preserved the precious cultural values of their ethnic group through generations.
Every village has a communal house called Rong House, and the oldest person in the village, known as the 'village elder,' oversees all communal activities and represents the entire village. The Xo Dang people do not have surnames; instead, they are named based on gender. Males are called A (A Nhong, etc.), while females are called Y (Y Hen, etc.), and they are free to explore, love, and marry each other.
The Xo Dang people live very simply and harmoniously with nature. They worship supernatural powers and pay homage to nature spirits in their daily lives. The Xo Dang also enjoy dancing, playing gongs, musical instruments, and place great emphasis on community cultural life.
2. Water Droplet Festival of the Xo Dang People
2.1 Introduction to the Water Droplet Festival
The Xo Dang people make a living by growing wet rice, working in the fields, and cultivating various crops. Therefore, the customs of the Xo Dang people are very simple, mainly associated with agricultural beliefs.
In a year, the Xo Dang people only celebrate two most important festivals: the Water Droplet Festival and the Fire Festival, which occur quite close to each other. If the Fire Festival marks the beginning of a new crop season, the Water Droplet Festival is held when a crop season ends. The Water Droplet Festival of the Xo Dang People takes place in March of the Gregorian calendar, usually on the full moon day of the month.
The Water Droplet Festival of the Xo Dang People is to pray to the Water God (Yang Dak) for a prosperous new year, abundant water sources, and a life of abundance and prosperity for the villagers. In the folk beliefs of the Xo Dang people, the Water God is one of the most important nature spirits, alongside the Fire God, Thunder God, Rice God, etc.
Although society is becoming increasingly modern, the lives of the Xo Dang people undergo many changes, but the belief in worshipping deities remains an important part of their culture and is passed down through many generations.
2.2 The significance of water droplets in Xo Dang culture
In the Xo Dang people's belief system, water droplets are the pure gift of the ancient forest and the earth bestowed upon humans, bringing abundant and beautiful life. Every day, Xo Dang children play and frolic in the water, women fetch water for cooking, and men irrigate fields... Water sources are also where people gather, chat, and bond with the Xo Dang community and other ethnic groups.
Water droplets are intertwined with the land and villages of the Xo Dang people; preserving water droplets is also preserving a part of the soul connected to nature. Water droplets have thus become a cultural symbol, both intimate and sacred, in the lives of the Xo Dang people.
In the past, people's lives were difficult, and finding clean water for daily life and farming was quite challenging. Therefore, worshipping the Water God is an essential part of concluding the harvest season. Nowadays, village life is no longer concerned about water sources as before, but the tradition of celebrating the Water Droplet Festival is still maintained annually by the community, although many cumbersome procedures have been reduced.
3. Ceremonies of the Water Droplet Festival
Similar to most festivals in the majestic land of the Central Highlands, the Water Droplet Festival of the Xo Dang people consists of two parts: the ritual and the celebration. Before the event, everyone in the village must contribute to preparing for the Water Droplet Festival. Men in the village repair and replace damaged sections of water channels, while women and children clean and maintain the water sources together...
The Water Droplet Festival is always meticulously prepared because villagers believe that finding a good water source will bring prosperity to every household, free from sickness and disease.
1. Ritual Part
During the ritual part, villagers prepare a pig or a chicken for the village elder to perform a bloodletting ceremony. Three drops of blood are mixed into water, and after the blood has dissolved completely, the elder drinks it to determine its quality.
So, how do the Xo Dang people conduct rituals during the Water Droplet Festival to seek blessings from the water deity? This is surely a question many wonder about when exploring the Xo Dang's Water Droplet Festival. Let's find out with Mytour below!
During the ritual part of the Water Droplet Festival, the village elder performs the 'water channel offering ceremony' to honor the Water deity and other deities at the Rong house, seeking protection for everyone in the village, abundant harvests, and healthy livestock. This is the ritual to seek blessings from the Water deity and is the most significant ritual in the Water Droplet Festival because the water channels symbolize the Xo Dang people's life.
In the life of the Xo Dang people, these water channels serve as tools to channel clean water from streams to their family's water containers. These channels are often made of bamboo or wood obtained from the forest. Every family has ladles and buckets to collect water from these channels. Before the Water Droplet Festival takes place, the channels must be replaced or repaired to show respect to the deities.
2. Festival Part
During the festival part, following the guidance of the priest, people in the village bring ladles and copper pots to the water channels to collect water to bring home and organize feasts and festivities for several consecutive days thereafter. The Water Droplet Festival is also a time for community bonding in the village, with distant relatives returning to reunite. According to tradition, each household brings as many bamboo rice tubes, wine, along with hunted or foraged food items as they have family members, and brings them to the Rong house for the whole village to enjoy together, singing and celebrating.
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Similar to Tet Nguyen Dan of most families in Vietnam, the Xo Dang Water Droplet Festival is an indispensable part of the cultural life of the local community. Hopefully, the above information will provide you with valuable insights into the ethnic cultures of various regions. If you are interested in booking a Tay Nguyen tour or affordable Tet tours, feel free to contact Mytour's hotline Mytour for free consultation and tour booking!
