Gia Lai: Unique water drop worship ceremony

A drop of water connects the Jrai community

The water drop worshiping ceremony, also known as Soi Yang Ia, is a long-standing traditional cultural beauty of the Jrai people in Gia Lai . Like other ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, before choosing land to establish a village, the Jrai people will first look for an area with a spring water source flowing from a mountain stream to make a water drop. The water drop not only ensures the villagers' lives but is also the source of life.

After the village was established, the Jrai people often held a water drop worship ceremony (water wharf). This was an important ceremony to thank the Water God for bringing good things to the villagers. At the same time, through this ceremony, the village elders also prayed to the Water God to bless the villagers with good health, favorable weather, bountiful crops, prosperity of all things in the village, a prosperous and happy life... This ceremony would be held in the following years, after the crops had been harvested.

Water drop offering ceremony, one of the important rituals of the Jrai people in Gia Lai

In Bong village, Ha Bau commune, Dak Doa district (Gia Lai), every year around March and April, villagers bustle together to contribute labor and money to organize the water drop worship ceremony.

Blông village elder shared: "Before the ceremony took place, all the villagers enthusiastically participated. Some young people cleaned and cleared the village roads and alleys, some cut bamboo, split reeds, and erected a pole at the riverbank. The village elders prepared the prayers, and the women in the village also brewed many jars of fragrant wine to treat guests. The gong and xoang teams also practiced day and night to make the ceremony more solemn and impressive."

Offering water drops - an important ritual to thank the Water God for bringing good things to the villagers

According to the Jrai tradition, the water drop offering ceremony requires a set of gongs, drums, 2 bamboo tubes, 10 jars of wine, 1 gourd of water, 1 rooster, 1 pole, and a bunch of Ngăl leaves with fruit. The time to perform the water drop offering ceremony is early in the morning. The pole is brought to the water wharf by the young men of the village and planted in advance. The offerings include a grilled chicken, raw chicken liver, raw chicken blood, a jar of wine, banana leaves, and a bunch of Ngăl leaves with fruit.

Offerings include a grilled chicken, raw chicken liver, raw chicken blood, a jar of wine, banana leaves, and a bunch of Ngăl leaves with fruit.

When the water offering ceremony began, the village elder Blông and two prestigious elders of the village spread banana leaves, smeared chicken liver on the ear of the wine jar and the leaves of the Ngăl tree with fruit. All three of them read the prayer in unison, inviting Yang to bless the villagers with good health, favorable weather, bountiful harvests, and all things in the village to flourish, without any epidemics. Water flows all year round, crossing rivers and streams without drowning or drowning, without accidents on the road, praying for safe journeys. After finishing the offering at the water wharf, the villagers began to carry the water back to the village. Around the red fire, everyone held hands, socialized, ate and drank, and wished each other good things.

The Jrai believe that gods have feelings like humans, they are happy, sad, angry, hateful, loving, etc. Offering many gifts to the gods with a sincere heart will receive help, protection, support, and defense from the gods.

Offering water drops - a cultural beauty that needs to be preserved and promoted

Similar to the Jrai people in other villages, along with preserving unique traditional rituals such as the communal house worship ceremony, the New Year worship ceremony, the grave abandonment ceremony... the Jrai people in the mountainous town of Pleiku also pay special attention to the Water Drop Worship Ceremony. Because for them, the water drop is a unique cultural symbol closely associated with the spiritual and cultural life that the villagers have preserved together for generations.

After the village elders finished the worshiping ritual, the Jrai girls went down to the cool water to collect the fresh water in a gourd and brought it home.

Recently, the Choet 2 village art troupe, Thang Loi ward (Pleiku city) reenacted the water drop offering ritual at the communal house of Op village, Hoa Lu ward, witnessed by many tourists from inside and outside the province. Accordingly, on this occasion, village elder Ak was the one assigned the responsibility of performing the offering ritual.

After preparing all the offerings, village elder Ak poked the rod into the jar of wine and began to recite the prayer: “Oh stream god, please cross the forest, follow the stream god’s field and come to our Ia Nguin water drop. Today, we hold a ceremony to offer chicken liver, pig liver and wine to the gods and pour it on the water wharf to pray for Yang to bless the villagers with good health, a good life, no illness, favorable weather, good harvests, everything in the village flourishing, no epidemics. God, please give us a source of clear water, abundant water flowing all year round…”.

Offering water drops - a cultural beauty that needs to be preserved and promoted

After reading the prayer, old Ak bowed down to drink the first cup of wine, then the elders and villagers. At this time, the Jrai girls went down to the cool water to collect the clear water in their gourds and brought it back. The villagers and children collected the water to wash their faces and splashed it on themselves together with the meaning of receiving the luck bestowed by Yang.

As soon as the ceremony was over, the sounds of gongs and cymbals began to stir up the previously peaceful atmosphere. Visitors were welcomed by the village with the resounding sounds of gongs and cymbals, accompanied by soft and graceful xoang dances. The faces were excited to welcome the cool water to the village, and the villagers wished each other good things.

“Now the villagers’ lives are much less difficult and arduous than before. In addition to focusing on economic development, the villagers also focus on preserving and promoting traditional culture. Recently, with the attention of all levels and authorities, the village’s water drop worshiping ceremony has also been restored on a larger scale, with many people and tourists coming to visit, and everyone in the village is happy,” said village elder Ak excitedly.

Under the traditional communal house roof, to the resounding sound of gongs, everyone holds hands and performs graceful xoang dances.

The water drop worshiping ceremony of the Jrai people not only contributes to preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the nation in the Central Highlands but also contributes to strengthening community solidarity, joining hands to build the homeland to become increasingly rich and civilized.

Every year, the Jrai people in the villages still maintain the water drop worship ceremony. With the attention of all levels, the government has helped people restore the worship ceremony on a larger and more grand scale to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the nation.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/gia-lai-doc-dao-le-cung-giot-nuoc--net-dep-van-hoa-cua-nguoi-jrai-post284301.html