The Neu pole raising ritual and a set of worshipping objects called Guused in the buffalo sacrifice ceremony have been well preserved by theCor ethnic people in the central province of Quang Nam for generationsas they hold a significant standing in the local spiritual life.
TheCor people is one of the main ethnic minority groups residing in QuangNam’s mountainous areas, mostly in Tra Kot and Tra Nu communes of BacTra My district.
According to ninety-year-old patriarch Tran VanHanh from Tra Kot, who is usually entrusted with making the Neu poleand the Gu set, the buffalo sacrifice ceremony is to worship gods andancestors to pray for health and wealthy for the family and the wholevillage. Although the service is often organised by a rich family, italso attracts other villagers who will contribute rice, wine, chickens,and pigs.
The erection of a Neu pole is important since it willserve as a bridge inviting gods and ancestors from the heaven to witnessthe buffalo sacrifice, he added.
The wooden pole, about 4m high,is engraved with colourful images of the sun, the moon, mountains,streams, villages, crops, and livestock. A buffalo will be tied to theNeu pole during the ceremony.
Patterns carved on the poledemonstrate the harmony between man and the nature as well as theformation and development of the Cor community, Deputy Director of theBac Tra My Cultural Centre Duong Lai said, adding that the bananaflower-shaped top of the pole implies prosperity and development while awooden black drongo on it represents the ethnic group’s unyieldingnessin production and struggle against enemies.
Meanwhile, the Gu setis hung inside the house of the ceremony’s host. One item will besuspended on the main door to wish for good lucks to the host whileanother more sophisticated at the middle of the house for gods andancestors to sit on and receive offerings laid beneath.
In July2014, Bac Tra My district inaugurated an ethnic cultural square with aNeu pole erected at the centre and an exhibition hall with a Gu set hunginside.
Two months later, the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism recognised the Neu pole raising ritual and the worshipping setas national intangible cultural heritages, which is believed to furtherencourage the Cor people to uphold their traditions.
ViceChairwoman of the district People’s Committee Huynh Thi Thuy Dung saidthat in the coming time, local authorities will collect all documents onthe practice of the buffalo sacrifice to make booklets to be handedover to local villages and schools, helping raise the Cor ethnicminorities’ awareness of maintaining and promoting their traditionalcultural values.-VNA
TheCor people is one of the main ethnic minority groups residing in QuangNam’s mountainous areas, mostly in Tra Kot and Tra Nu communes of BacTra My district.
According to ninety-year-old patriarch Tran VanHanh from Tra Kot, who is usually entrusted with making the Neu poleand the Gu set, the buffalo sacrifice ceremony is to worship gods andancestors to pray for health and wealthy for the family and the wholevillage. Although the service is often organised by a rich family, italso attracts other villagers who will contribute rice, wine, chickens,and pigs.
The erection of a Neu pole is important since it willserve as a bridge inviting gods and ancestors from the heaven to witnessthe buffalo sacrifice, he added.
The wooden pole, about 4m high,is engraved with colourful images of the sun, the moon, mountains,streams, villages, crops, and livestock. A buffalo will be tied to theNeu pole during the ceremony.
Patterns carved on the poledemonstrate the harmony between man and the nature as well as theformation and development of the Cor community, Deputy Director of theBac Tra My Cultural Centre Duong Lai said, adding that the bananaflower-shaped top of the pole implies prosperity and development while awooden black drongo on it represents the ethnic group’s unyieldingnessin production and struggle against enemies.
Meanwhile, the Gu setis hung inside the house of the ceremony’s host. One item will besuspended on the main door to wish for good lucks to the host whileanother more sophisticated at the middle of the house for gods andancestors to sit on and receive offerings laid beneath.
In July2014, Bac Tra My district inaugurated an ethnic cultural square with aNeu pole erected at the centre and an exhibition hall with a Gu set hunginside.
Two months later, the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism recognised the Neu pole raising ritual and the worshipping setas national intangible cultural heritages, which is believed to furtherencourage the Cor people to uphold their traditions.
ViceChairwoman of the district People’s Committee Huynh Thi Thuy Dung saidthat in the coming time, local authorities will collect all documents onthe practice of the buffalo sacrifice to make booklets to be handedover to local villages and schools, helping raise the Cor ethnicminorities’ awareness of maintaining and promoting their traditionalcultural values.-VNA
