Forest God and Water God offering ritual of the Hà Nhì people
Also called: Cúng rừng đầu năm, Gạ Ma Do, Gạ ma thú, Tết Gạ Ma Thú
- Rites of ethnic communities
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By the custom of the Hà Nhì people, at the beginning of the year the whole village stretches a rope to close off the village, makes an offering at the water source and then goes into the sacred forest to give thanks to Thần Rừng (Forest God); in Điện Biên and Lai Châu the forest offering is part of the Gạ ma thú ceremony (village offering).
At a glance
- When it is held
- First lunar month in Lào Cai; second lunar month in Điện Biên
- For whom
- Thần Nước (Water God), Thần Rừng (Forest God) and the deities of the village
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
North
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Y Tý, Bát Xát, Lào Cai, Folk practice
- When
- First lunar month (in 2025 the Water God offering is on the 7th day; another year it is held on the 14th day of the first lunar month); in the morning the water source is worshipped, in the afternoon the forest is worshipped
- Where the offerings are set
- The main water source of the village; the sacred forest (forbidden forest) at the highest place in the village
- Who makes the offering
- The ritual master on behalf of the villagers; each household sends one person to the water source; in the afternoon only the men who are heads of households enter the sacred forest
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| One pair of chickens | 1 pair | Meat or fish | Required. For the water source offering |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| A yellow packet of xôi (steamed sticky rice) with a boiled chicken egg in the middle | 1 | Meat or fish | Required |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| A tube of live-fermented glutinous rice wine kept in an old bamboo tube, with a straw made from a bamboo branch | 1 | Required | |
| A tube of water taken from the sacred water source | 1 | Required | |
| Objects | |||
| A pair of wooden chopping blocks, nine porcelain bowls, two pairs of chopsticks | Required | ||
| Each household brings one piece of firewood to the water source | |||
| Other | |||
| Pork, chicken meat, wine, ginger tea | For the Forest God offering | ||
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Sín Thầu, Chung Chải, Sen Thượng, Leng Su Sìn (Mường Nhé), Điện Biên, Folk practice
- When
- Second lunar month, choosing a dragon day, a horse day or a tiger day
- Where the offerings are set
- Seven offering places: the head of the village, the village gate, the water god, the fire god, the earth god, the forest god, the wind god
- Who makes the offering
- One main ritual master, six assistant ritual masters and one helper, chosen beforehand by the villagers
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tea, rice wine, water | ||
| Chicken eggs, rice, wine, tea, plain water | Meat or fish | Required. Present on every tray |
| Other | ||
| Leaves of the ồ mé tree wrapping a little bran, kitchen ash, iron filings, copper filings, white thread, red thread | Required. Present on every tray | |
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Mường Tè, Lai Châu, Folk practice
- When
- Three days of Tết Gạ Ma Thú; the first day is the offering to the forbidden forest
- Where the offerings are set
- Forbidden forest; on the second day the offering is at the village entrance and the village end
- Who makes the offering
- The ritual master and the village head direct it
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| A pig slaughtered for the offering in the forbidden forest | Meat or fish | Required. The ritual master examines the pig's liver |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Sticky rice, corn cakes | Vegetarian | On the third day, made as gifts for guests |
What is avoided
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Y Tý, Bát Xát, Lào Cai, Folk practice
- Those who enter the sacred forest wear dark-coloured clothes, wear hats, go barefoot
- The sacred forest is a place that must not be trespassed upon
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Sín Thầu, Chung Chải, Sen Thượng, Leng Su Sìn (Mường Nhé), Điện Biên, Folk practice
- Rest from field work
- Do not cause disunity
- Do not eat wild animal meat; do not catch or bring into the village animals that live in burrows or underground such as bamboo rats, porcupines, pangolins
- In the past women did not come near the offering place and strangers were not allowed into the village; now women join in preparing the offerings and guests are allowed in
Northwest, Hà Nhì, Mường Tè, Lai Châu, Folk practice
- During the three days of the festival, nothing leaves the village and nothing enters from outside
Communities and regions
More about Forest God and Water God offering ritual of the Hà Nhì people
Sources
- Độc đáo lễ Gạ Ma Do của người Hà Nhì (baolaocai.vn)
- Lào Cai: Độc đáo lễ cúng Thần Nước, Thần Rừng của người Hà Nhì (nongnghiepmoitruong.vn)
- Độc đáo lễ Gạ ma thú của người Hà Nhì (thanhtra.com.vn)
- Tết Gạ Ma Thú của người Hà Nhì huyện Mường Tè (baodautu.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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