Ramưwan Festival: Traditional New Year of the Cham Bàni People
Ramưwan, also called Ramadan or the month of fasting and contemplation, is one of the most important and sacred festivals of the Cham Bàni Islamic community in Vietnam. More than a mere religious ritual, Ramưwan has become a distinctive cultural beauty, regarded as a traditional New Year, deeply imbued with the unique identity of the Cham community in Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận provinces. This article explores the origins, characteristic rituals, and profound humanistic meanings of this festival.
Origins and Timing
The Ramưwan Festival is tied to the religious life of the Cham Bàni, a faith that uniquely blends traditional Cham folk beliefs with Islam. According to researchers, Bàni Islam arrived in the Champa region around the 15th-16th centuries and gradually became localized, creating a distinct religious nuance different from orthodox Islam. Therefore, although Ramưwan originates from the Islamic month of Ramadan, the Cham Bàni have adapted it to suit local culture and customs.
The festival usually begins on the first day of the ninth month of the Bàni Islamic calendar and lasts for an entire month. Due to their specific calendar calculation, the timing is not fixed in the solar year, often falling between February and June. The start date of Ramưwan is determined by the observation of the moon by community religious leaders.
Three Main Rituals of Ramưwan
The Ramưwan Festival comprises three fundamental rituals, interwoven and closely connected, forming a complete cultural whole: grave visiting, ancestral offerings, and fasting (abstinence).
#### Grave Visiting: The Initial and Most Important Ritual
Grave visiting is considered the beginning and the most sacred part of the entire festival. According to Cham Bàni belief, this ritual invites deceased grandparents and ancestors to celebrate the New Year with their descendants. Before the main day, preparations in Cham Bàni villages become lively. Village paths and alleys are decorated with colorful flags and flowers; families busily clean their homes, wrap cakes, and prepare offerings.
This ritual typically lasts three days. On the first day, people visit graves far from home. On the second and third days, they visit those closer. Visiting distant graves first is explained so that ancestors buried far away have enough time to travel home, arriving in time with those buried nearby, to reunite with descendants.
During grave visiting, families wear traditional attire and bring offerings including prepared betel and areca nuts, tobacco, drinking water, and cakes to family cemeteries. There, led by the Thầy Char (a religious officiant), they reverently sit in circles around the graves by lineage. The Thầy Char recites Koran prayers in Arabic. Meanwhile, assistant priests sprinkle holy water on each tombstone to purify, bringing coolness and purity to the deceased. Then they read prayers, make offerings, and perform a ritual to welcome ancestors home for the New Year.
A distinctive feature at Cham Bàni cemeteries is graves marked by two round stone slabs oriented North-South, with the head at the northern end and feet at the southern end. Graves are arranged by lineage in long, orderly rows. Grave visiting is not only a time to remember loved ones but also for younger generations to express filial piety and learn the ethic of remembering one's roots.
#### Ancestral Offerings: Connecting Families
After completing grave visiting at cemeteries, families return home to perform ancestral offering rituals. During these days, family members, even those working far away, strive to return for reunion. They prepare traditional offerings to present, inviting grandparents and ancestors to share joy with descendants.
Notably, Cham Bàni families only set up ancestral altars at home for two days. Afterward, they perform a ritual to escort grandparents and ancestors to the temple (Bàni Islamic temple) until the end of Ramưwan. This distinctive cultural trait shows the close relationship between family space and religious space in Cham Bàni life. After offerings, families host feasts for relatives and friends, and sons-in-law also bring offerings to their parental homes during this occasion.
#### Fasting (Contemplation): Toward Purity
After the first two rituals, Bàni Islamic dignitaries and followers enter a month of fasting at Bàni Islamic temples and Islam mosques. This phase is considered the peak of spiritual life, reflecting abstinence and moral improvement.
For Cham Bàni, during the fasting month, dignitaries and followers abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset for five days. However, this rule is relaxed for special groups such as pregnant women, children, the elderly, and the sick. The remaining time of the month is devoted to prayer, reflection on moral principles, and doing good deeds.
Meanwhile, the Cham Islam community performs fasting rituals at mosques for the entire month. Despite differences in duration and some rituals, both communities share a common noble purpose.
Humanistic Meanings and Cultural Values
Cham Bàni believe the fasting month is a time to purify body and mind, restrain mundane desires, and strive for a virtuous, good, and beautiful life. Fasting is not merely asceticism but also a way to empathize with the hardships of the poor, fostering compassion and mutual support within the community.
Beyond religious significance, Ramưwan is also an occasion to express the ethic of remembering one's roots, focusing on family and ancestors. The festival exalts filial piety and serves as a bridge linking generations within families and lineages. It is also a time for those away from home to return to their villages, join the festive atmosphere, and strengthen community bonds.
Beyond religious rituals, during Ramưwan, Cham villages also organize vibrant cultural, artistic, and sports activities at stadiums or community halls. Hundreds of people gather to exchange New Year wishes, sing, and perform traditional dances. This is an opportunity for Cham youth to interact, show solidarity, and develop together.
Comparison Between Cham Bàni Ramưwan and Cham Islam Ramadan
Although both originate from Islam and are held in Ninh Thuận, the Ramưwan New Year of Cham Bàni and Cham Islam have distinct characteristics, reflecting the diversity of Cham culture.
| Criteria | Ramưwan (Cham Bàni) | Ramadan (Cham Islam) |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Traditional New Year blending Cham folk beliefs and Islam | Fasting month of orthodox Islam |
| Fasting duration | 5 days within the month | Entire month (29-30 days) |
| Place of worship | Bàni Islamic temples (often with curved roofs) | Islam mosques |
| Rituals | Includes grave visiting, ancestral offerings, and ancestor procession | Focuses mainly on prayer and fasting |
These differences show the flexible cultural integration of Cham Bàni: they adopted a new religion while preserving traditional values of the ancient Champa kingdom, creating a unique and rich cultural identity.
Ramưwan Festival in Modern Life
In recent years, with state attention to investing in infrastructure and improving material and spiritual life for ethnic minorities, Cham rural areas have flourished. This facilitates the organization of traditional festivals like Ramưwan on a larger, more formal scale.
The Ramưwan Festival is no longer solely a religious event of the Cham community but has become an attractive cultural tourism product, drawing many visitors to attend and learn. The intertwining of ethnic and religious elements, along with customary laws and rituals imbued with folk beliefs, creates an irresistible appeal, promoting the image and culture of the Cham people to domestic and international friends.
The Ramưwan Festival is a living testament to the endurance of Cham culture within Vietnam's diverse and rich cultural flow.
