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Lễ mừng lúa mới (new rice celebration) of the ethnic groups of Tây Nguyên

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Tết lúa mới

According to the sources consulted, after the harvest the Ê-đê hold the ceremony household by household; the Gia-rai and Ba-na invite the rice spirit back to the granary and announce it to the ancestors and the mountain god; the Mạ have the custom of sacrificing a buffalo to thank the spirits. Those pages mention this ceremony in articles about the Tết Hạ nguyên of the Vietnamese, but the ceremony of these communities is held according to the harvest of each buôn. The dataset does not yet have the prayer text of this ceremony.

When
After the harvest; sources do not record a fixed date
For whom
The rice spirit, the mountain god, the spirits of the village and the ancestors, according to the sources

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, Ê Đê (Rade), Folk practice

When
After the harvest; the source pages place it on the occasion of Tết Hạ nguyên, new rice, and do not record a separate date for the ceremony

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Chicken, pigthe source records killing a chicken and slaughtering a pig
Rượu cần (jar wine drunk through straws)
New rice
Gourd of plain water
Pipe, charcoal brazier
Farming toolsone hoe, one machete, one axe

Steps

  1. The ceremony is held household by household
  2. After the offering, relatives eat together in celebration

Central Highlands, Gia Rai (Jarai), Ba Na (Bahnar), Folk practice

When
After the harvest; the source pages place it on the occasion of Tết Hạ nguyên, new rice, and do not record a separate date for the ceremony

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Jar winethree jars
Pigone fish
Chickentwo

Steps

  1. One jar of wine and a pig to invite the rice spirit back to the granary
  2. One chicken and one jar of wine to announce it to the ancestors
  3. One jar of wine and the remaining chicken to announce it to the mountain god

Central Highlands, Mạ, Folk practice

When
After the harvest; the source pages place it on the occasion of Tết Hạ nguyên, new rice, and do not record a separate date for the ceremony

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Buffalosacrificial animal

Steps

  1. Kill a buffalo as a sacrifice to give thanks and to pray that the spirits continue to protect the village

Sources

  • Văn Khấn Tết Hạ Nguyên, Tết Cơm Mới, Tết Trùng Thập (hoatieu.vn)

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

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