New rice celebration – unique to Jrai people in Central Highlands
The Bul Rice Festival (Celebration of New Rice) is a long-standing festival held by the Jrai ethnic group in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai each spring.
Gia Lai (VNA) – The Bul Rice Festival (Celebration of New Rice) isa long-standing festival held by the Jrai ethnic group in the Central Highlandsprovince of Gia Lai each spring.
Associated with the ethnic group’s milpa production, the festival, whichusually takes place during the period from November to January, is organised tocelebrate the crop harvest and the Lunar New Year.
During harvesting, village patriarchs will decide on the best rice field andchoose a “good day” for a ritual worshipping deity Ia Pom (Rice God) performed atthe field. On this day, all villagers are present and bring their foods to the festivalsuch as a jar of wine, pork and chicken.
This year, people in Yang 3 village, Ia Phi commune, Chu Pah district heldtheir Bul Rice Festival on January 31, after a bumper crop. They gathered inthe “Nha Rong” (Communal House) with offerings such as effigies carrying bowsand arrows, “ruou can” (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes), pig, chickenand rice.
Village patriarchs who are authorised to give offerings to the “Yang” (the God)hosted a solemn ceremony. They led rituals to ask the deities to protectvillagers from natural disasters and epidemics. They also wished the villagersgood health and happy lives in the New Year. The effigies were then put at thevillage gates to drive away unlucky things.
“This is a traditional custom left from our ancestors,” said Patriarch Ro ChamLuol. “We hold it every year to celebrate the harvest of our crop.”
Ro Cham Yung, a young villager, said this is the happiest day of the year forthe village, as everybody has a chance to relax and welcome the New Year inpreparation for a new crop.
The Bul Rice Festival, a cultural practice of Gia Lai in particular and theCentral Highlands region in general, needs to be preserved, as it promotescommunity solidarity.-VNA
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