A unique ritual honoring the ginseng spirit

As morning mist still clings to ancient cinnamon trees at the foot of Mount Ngoc Linh, members of the Xo Dang ethnic community in Tra Linh Commune, Da Nang City, are busy preparing for their traditional ginseng worship ceremony.

At the village community house, residents gather to rehearse gong and drum performances and traditional dances. Colorful costumes are carefully prepared, while a group of young men select materials to decorate a ceremonial bamboo pole known as a neu.

For the highland community, the ceremonial pole symbolizes good fortune and peace. It is an almost indispensable part of traditional festivals. Meanwhile, strong young men select the healthiest and finest Ngoc Linh ginseng plants to present as offerings to the spirits.

At exactly 8 a.m., following a signal from the village elder, residents assemble outside the Ginseng Spirit Temple in Kon Pin Village, Hamlet 2, Tra Linh Commune. Offerings have been carefully arranged, including chickens, traditional jar wine, betel leaves, areca nuts and products gathered from the surrounding mountains and forests.

Village elder Nguyen Van Dung, 56, adjusts his traditional clothing before stepping to the front of the procession. In his hands, he carries a carefully selected Ngoc Linh ginseng plant.

"The Ngoc Linh ginseng worship ceremony is an important ritual for the Xo Dang people. It is usually held in late July. Villagers begin preparing offerings several days in advance, and the ginseng plant presented to the spirits must be healthy and beautiful. The ceremonial pole is also decorated to stand out," Dung says.

According to the village elder, the ceremony is first and foremost an expression of gratitude to the ginseng spirit, mountain spirits and forest spirits for protecting the community, providing its livelihood and helping residents enjoy increasingly prosperous lives.

After opening the ceremony with a prayer, Dung raises his voice in a traditional ceremonial call. The procession then moves toward the Ginseng Spirit Temple, carrying offerings for the sacred ritual. The temple stands on a spacious, elevated site surrounded by mature Ngoc Linh ginseng plants.

Inside the worship area, the elder places each offering on the altar, accompanying every presentation with a heartfelt prayer.

He then performs the traditional ritual of examining a chicken's tongue before continuing his prayers of thanksgiving to the spirits.

A large jar of traditional wine is respectfully brought forward by young Xo Dang men. The wine, betel leaves, areca nuts and other local products are placed on the altar one by one.

A solemn atmosphere settles over the temple, surrounded by the forests of Mount Ngoc Linh.

According to Dung, villagers visit the Ginseng Spirit Temple every month to offer incense. Once a year, the entire community comes together for a larger ceremony to thank the spirits and pray for peace and prosperity in the year ahead.

When the sacred rituals conclude, the quiet mountain setting comes alive with festivities.

Drums beat and gongs echo through the forest as Xo Dang women in traditional costumes move gracefully to familiar dances.

Villagers gather to share food and drinks, dance together and exchange wishes for abundant harvests and peaceful lives.

From ancestral traditions to sustainable livelihoods

The Ngoc Linh ginseng worship ceremony is gradually becoming a distinctive cultural and tourism attraction in the highland communes of the former Nam Tra My District.

Each festival season, visitors travel to the area to experience Xo Dang culture and discover the story behind Ngoc Linh ginseng, a plant deeply rooted in the community's history and daily life.

Regular markets featuring Ngoc Linh ginseng and medicinal herbs are also organized, creating additional opportunities for local residents to trade their products.

Through these activities, locally cultivated ginseng and other medicinal plants have greater opportunities to reach visitors and potential customers.

Trinh Minh Hai, chairman of the Tra Linh Commune People's Committee, describes Ngoc Linh ginseng as the product of a unique combination of nature, indigenous knowledge and the hard work of local communities.

According to Hai, reviving the traditional ginseng worship ceremony plays an important role in preserving the Xo Dang people's cultural heritage.

The ritual also carries a broader message: sustainable ginseng cultivation depends first and foremost on protecting the forests where the plants grow.

Alongside the annual ceremony, Tra Linh authorities have introduced initiatives to help Xo Dang households build more sustainable livelihoods.

One practical approach involves distributing ginseng seedlings to poor and near-poor households.

Each donated seedling represents more than an economic asset. It offers a potential new source of income and an opportunity for families to gradually improve their living conditions.

As the ginseng plants mature, households can generate additional earnings, move toward greater financial security and work their way out of poverty sustainably.

During the latest ginseng worship festival in late July, local authorities mobilized more than 17,600 ginseng seedlings for distribution to 88 poor and near-poor households in Tra Linh and neighboring communes.

"In the coming period, we will continue encouraging businesses and ginseng growers to contribute seedlings. This will help more households develop their livelihoods, improve their economic circumstances and escape poverty," Hai says.