K‘Ho people in Lam Dong have religious polytheistic beliefs. K’ Ho ancestors have been closely associated with agriculture where rice existed for a very long time through many generations; So the system of agricultural festivals is often linked with the stages of rice production, such as the rice sowing ceremony (Nho sih sre), the flowering rice ceremony (Nhô wèr), the ritual of drinking rice (Nhô tơpor kòi) Most important is the ceremony of bringing rice to the warehouse (Nhô rơhe)… K’ Ho People’s Culture
Based on the statistics of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, currently in Lam Dong province, K’Ho people are the largest ethnic group of Indigenous ethnic minority people, accounting for 152,098 (12.32 %). K’ Ho people include many groups (Sre, K’Yòn, Nộp, Chil, Lạch). K’Ho ancestors in particular and indigenous ethnic minorities in general living in Lam Dong have long been associated with wet rice cultivation (rice and corn).
Implementing the "Culture Development Strategy to 2020" of Lam Dong People’s Committee, Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been actively cooperating with the authorities and culture and information agencies of districts and cities in the province for many years in the implementation of the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage of indigenous ethnic minorities. The cultural sector of Lam Dong has so far directed to restore 8 traditional festivals of ethnic minorities in the province such as Pơthi ceremony, Bok Chu-bur festival (of Churu and Ko Ho group in K’Long village , Hiep An commune, Duc Trong district), Nhô Wèr Ceremony (of the Kơ Ho Sre, Bảo Thuận village, Di Linh district), rice worshipping rituals (of the Mạ in Lộc Bắc commune, Bao Lam district; …, advised the provincial People’s Committee to approve the project "Preservation and Development of Gong Cultural Space of Western Highland ethnic groups in Lam Dong province by 2020"…
Nhô rơhe festival is the most important agricultural festival (occurring from February to March every year) and has a long-standing history. This is the last stage in the rice production process - the fruits of labor, attracting the whole community and bearing the characteristic nuance in the life of the K’ Ho. On the first two days of early April, 1818, at the home of the village chief Dôm Dai K’Bát (84 years old), happened the sophisticated ritual and it left a deep impression on the awareness, and sentiments of the K’Ho community here.
The whole ritual is performed by the old chief village K’Bát and his wife (Ka Phơ, 78 years old – the one who has a special place in the K’ Ho family). On the previous day people performed the "gong lowering " ritual to worship Gods by bringing the gong down to beat; the ceremony of "bringing rice into the warehouse"; The following day, from 5am (before sunrise), the whole family perform the ceremony in their paddy field to beg the "rice god" to allow the transport of rice to the warehouse (the retinue includes 10 strong men and women to carry rice) and pour into the warehouse (barn) in the house; The village chief gives the straw to his brother to drink alcohol from the jar; The wife gives each person a piece of cooked glutinous rice to eat and drink wine to welcome the rice to the warehouse.
The end of the ritual is the "Festival", with the cultural gong performance between the gong groups and the village elders, descendants; all start dancing, singing K’ Ho folk songs ...
According to the old village chiefs Bồ Liêng commune, Nhô rơhe ceremony arouses the pride of the K’ Ho, linking generations of children and the community; This is also the place where the transmission of traditional cultural values to the young people so they can receive, inherit, promote the beauty of traditional festivals of their own peoples.
Nhô rơhe festival in Bồ Liêng (Lâm Hà) was restored for the first time; This is a form of special cultural activities, a vibrant color in the multi-color cultural picture of the life of ethnic minorities in Lam Dong that should be preserved, promoted ...
(By THANH DƯƠNG HỒNG)
