Lễ cấp sắc (ordination rite) of the Dao people
Also called: Lễ lên đèn, Đặt tên âm, Lễ trưởng thành, Quá tăng, Độ giới
- Rites of ethnic communities
Culture and belief A record of custom.
The rite recognizes a Dao man as an adult: the ritual master lights the lamps, grants spirit soldiers, and gives a ritual name to the person receiving the rite. Each Dao group has its own way of doing it (three, seven, twelve lamps; mounting and descending the platform; there are women who sing for the cấp sắc).
At a glance
- When it is held
- From the eleventh lunar month to the first lunar month
- For whom
- Ancestors, Bàn Vương, Ngọc Hoàng and the deities in the beliefs of the Dao people
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
North
Northwest, Dao, Tòng Sành (Bát Xát), Nậm Dạng (Văn Bàn), Lào Cai, Folk practice
- When
- The eleventh lunar month, the twelfth lunar month, the first lunar month; the three-lamp rite lasts one day and one night and must pass into the hour of the Rat
- Where the offerings are set
- At the home of the person receiving the rite, with worship paintings hung
- Who makes the offering
- The chief ritual master (Tầm sai) and two assistant ritual masters; the person receiving the rite is a married man
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Pig, chicken, wine, glutinous rice | Meat or fish | Required. Raised and made by the household itself over one year |
| Votive paper | ||
| Various kinds of paper money cut by hand | Required | |
| Objects | ||
| New clothes | Required | |
| Worship paintings (the Bàn Vương painting, the Đại Đường painting) | Required | |
Northwest, Dao, Tam Đường, Lai Châu, Folk practice
- When
- Formerly held in spring and winter, done for each person individually, lasting 5 to 7 days
- Who makes the offering
- Three ritual masters; the person receiving the rite is a young boy
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Mà đài (a high platform) and a net woven from forest vines | Required. The net symbolizes the mother's womb |
Northeast, Dao, thôn Mào Phìn, xã Phương Tiến, Vị Xuyên, Hà Giang, Folk practice
- When
- Performed throughout the night
- Who makes the offering
- Three chief masters, three assistant masters, twelve helpers
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| The offering platform (đàn cúng) and a hammock | Required. The hammock symbolizes the womb |
Northeast, Dao, xã Bằng Cả, Quảng Ninh, Folk practice
- When
- At the end of the year or the beginning of spring
- Where the offerings are set
- At home, before the ancestors' altar
- Who makes the offering
- The ritual masters; four cấp sắc singers
What is avoided
Northwest, Dao, Tòng Sành (Bát Xát), Nậm Dạng (Văn Bàn), Lào Cai, Folk practice
- The husband and wife receiving the rite abstain from sharing a bed for one month before and three days after the rite
- Do not scold the children and grandchildren, do not use vulgar words
Northwest, Dao, Tam Đường, Lai Châu, Folk practice
- For nine days before the rite, do not kill any living being, not even a blade of grass or an ant
- Eating vegetarian, each day two bowls of rice with bland soup
Communities and regions
More about Lễ cấp sắc (ordination rite) of the Dao people
Sources
- Cấp sắc, nghi lễ bắt buộc với người đàn ông Dao trưởng thành (baovanhoa.vn)
- Đặc sắc lễ cấp sắc của đồng bào Dao đỏ (baolaocai.vn)
- Lễ Cấp sắc của người Dao (nhandan.vn)
- Huyền bí nghi lễ "sinh ra lần thứ hai" của người Dao áo dài ở Hà Giang (baolaocai.vn)
- Quảng Ninh: Độc đáo Lễ cấp sắc của người Dao Thanh Y (baoquocte.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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