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Lễ bỏ mả (Pơ thi) of the Gia-rai and Ba-na peoples

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Pơ thi, Lễ bỏ mả của người Gia Rai, Ba Na, Lễ bỏ mả của người Jrai

The final farewell to the deceased: building the grave house, carving statues, making offerings to announce, playing gongs and dancing around the grave house; after the ceremony the family no longer brings rice and water to the grave and considers mourning to be over.

When
One to three years after burial or longer, in the rest season, usually three days
For whom
The soul of the deceased

Offerings and how the rite is done

As commonly practised and recorded by the sources. Each family and each region may do it differently.

Central Highlands, Gia Rai (Jarai), Gia Lai, Folk practice, At the grave

When
One to three years after burial, depending on the family's circumstances (one account records 5 to 10 years); the ceremony usually lasts three days, in the rest season around the third month; the main rite is held in the afternoon
Where the offerings are set
The grave house at the village cemetery; the final day at home
Who makes the offering
The village elder serves as the master of the ceremony, the family members make offerings themselves; the whole village helps

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Buffalo, cowone account records that a buffalo or cow must be slaughtered; poor households use pig, chicken, rượu cần (rice wine drunk from a jar)
Pig, chickenRequired. wealthier households offer a whole animal, poor households also have meat, the head and tail of a pig
Rượu cần (rice wine drunk from a jar), riceRequired
A string of liver, tongue, heart, belly skin, throat of a pig and a bamboo tube of wineused by the master of the ceremony when making offerings at the grave mound
Wooden statues of the grave house, kút poles, klao poles, wooden puppets, masksRequired
Goods divided for the deceased: gongs, jars, bead necklaces, swords, hoes, pots, bowls and plates; small weaving frames, baskets, pipes
A newly hatched chicken placed on the grave moundaccording to one account

Steps

  1. Going into the forest to get wood, bamboo, rattan, thatch; the men build the grave house and carve statues at the cemetery, taking a whole week to a whole month
  2. Bringing the share of goods divided for the deceased out to the grave house
  3. During the three days of the ceremony, the family members go out to the grave house to keep watch every night
  4. The master of the ceremony slaughters a pig, pours wine to soak down into the grave mound and reads the offering words announcing the final building of the grave house; the relatives enter the grave house to weep for the last time
  5. Gongs and drums rise up; the procession beats shields, beats drums, wears masks, manipulates puppets, women dance in a circle around the grave house; village boys smear mud on themselves as mud spirits
  6. Feasting, drinking rượu cần, dancing xoang; on the final day a ceremony is held to release the living

Things to avoid

  • During the mourning period before the ceremony, the family members do not wear new clothes, do not use good things, do not go out for pleasure
  • After the lễ bỏ mả, they no longer bring rice and water, no longer visit the grave house

Where the sources differ

  • Names of the steps: one account tells of building the grave house, escorting the soul to the Atâu world, releasing the living; one account tells of rebuilding the grave house, abandoning the grave, releasing; the village elder Ak tells of three days, two days at home and one day at the grave
  • Waiting time: 1 to 3 years (Vietnam+, Đại Đoàn Kết); usually 5 to 10 years depending on the family's economy (báo Nhân Dân)

Central Highlands, Gia Rai (Jarai), Ba Na (Bahnar), Đắk Lắk, Chư Păh (Gia Lai), Folk practice, At the grave

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Wooden statues erected at the four corners of the graveRequired

Steps

  1. The family members go into the forest to find a tree to carve a statue, holding an offering ceremony before cutting it
  2. They ask a craftsman to carve a statue suited to the family circumstances and the life of the deceased.
  3. On the day of bỏ mả, the statues are brought out and erected at the four corners of the grave, and an offering rite is held.

Things to avoid

  • After this rite, the relatives no longer visit the grave or make offerings there.

Sources

  • Lễ bỏ mả của người Gia Rai: Tôn vinh giá trị gia đình và cộng đồng (vietnamplus.vn)
  • Lễ bỏ mả của đồng bào Gia Rai (daidoanket.vn)
  • Chuyện nhà mồ và lễ Pơ Thi ở Tây Nguyên (baophapluat.vn)
  • Quan niệm về sự tái sinh trong Lễ bỏ mả của người Gia Rai (baodantoc.vn)
  • "Ma bùn" trong lễ bỏ mả của người Jrai ở Tây Nguyên (nhandan.vn)
  • Nghệ thuật tạc tượng nhà mồ ở Tây Nguyên (nhandan.vn)
  • Giữ gìn văn hóa truyền thống các dân tộc Tây Nguyên (nhandan.vn)

Part of the open dataset Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.

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