As rice fields turn golden in Vietnam's Quang Ngai Province, the Xo Dang people erect ceremonial bamboo poles topped with wooden birds to welcome spirits to their new rice festival, giving thanks for the harvest and praying for prosperity.
The Xo Dang people usually celebrate their new rice festival in late October, when the rice fields are ripe for harvesting. Photo: Ngoc Chi
When the rice begins to ripen in late October, the Xo Dang ethnic community in Quang Ngai Province prepares for its annual new rice festival, a traditional celebration of gratitude to the spirits and hopes for a prosperous harvest.
Amid the sounds of gongs and traditional dances, villagers gather to honor their spiritual beliefs and celebrate the fruits of their labor.
Erecting a ceremonial pole to connect with the spirits
Young villagers prepare Hrong tree bark to make decorative rice ears for the ceremonial pole. Photo: Ngoc Chi
The new rice festival is usually held in late October, when the rice has ripened and villagers begin harvesting their fields.
Before the celebrations, village elders assign young men to venture into the forest to find tall bamboo poles for the cay neu, a ceremonial pole used in traditional rituals. They also collect a tree known in the Xo Dang language as Hrong, whose bark is used to make decorative rice ears.
A Deu, an elder from Kon Hia Village in Dak To Kan Commune, explained that skilled villagers use hammers to separate the bark from the tree's core, loosening it into fine fibers. These are then tied together, colored and hung from the ceremonial pole to symbolize rice ears.
A wooden kuk bird atop the ceremonial pole symbolizes a guide showing the spirits the way to the village festival. Photo: Ngoc Chi
"The more rice ears there are and the taller the pole, the more abundant the harvest it represents," he said.
Local artisans also carve pieces of wood into kuk birds, representing spotted doves, and decorate them in bright colors before attaching them to the pole.
The wooden birds serve as spiritual guides, showing the spirits the way to the village so they can attend the festival alongside the community.
According to A Deu, the upright ceremonial pole symbolizes a pathway to heaven in Xo Dang belief.
It carries the prayers of the ritual leader, village elders and residents to the spirits, connecting the human world with the spiritual realm.
Praying for favorable weather and abundant harvests
The ceremonial pole is erected in front of the communal rong house, where villagers gather to celebrate the new rice festival. Photo: Ngoc Chi
Before the village-wide celebration begins, each Xo Dang household prepares rice at home and places a rice ear in the cooking pot as an expression of gratitude to the spirits.
At precisely 6 a.m. on the festival day, villagers gather at the communal rong house, a traditional stilted meeting hall, for the ceremonial raising of the bamboo pole.
Inside the communal house, solemn rituals are performed according to longstanding customs.
Freshly harvested rice grains are selected as offerings, accompanied by locally produced foods such as chicken, pork and com lam, rice cooked in bamboo tubes.
Village elders and respected community members lead the ceremonies, offering thanks and conveying wishes for the well-being of families and the wider community.
Village elders and respected community members perform traditional rituals during the new rice festival. Photo: Ngoc Chi
A Deu said the new rice festival generally lasts two days.
During the ceremony at the communal house, the village elder reports to heaven and the spirits on the community's agricultural activities and harvest.
"We pray to heaven and the spirits for favorable weather in the next growing season, for crops to be free from disease and protected from wild animals, so that everyone in the village can enjoy a prosperous life," he said.
Strengthening bonds within the Xo Dang community
Once the ceremonial rituals conclude, villagers gather at the communal house for the festive celebrations.
Each family brings a dish and a jar of ruou can, a traditional fermented rice wine consumed through long bamboo straws.
The sounds of gongs and the rhythms of traditional xoang dances fill the communal space, creating a joyful atmosphere of togetherness.
A Ngung, Secretary of the Party Cell of Kon Hia Village in Dak To Kan Commune, said the new rice festival is not only the most important celebration of the Xo Dang people but also an opportunity for families and neighbors to come together.
Each family brings food and jars of traditional rice wine to share during the new rice festival. Photo: Ngoc Chi
Villagers share traditional foods, recount stories about farming and daily life, and celebrate their collective achievements.
"The festival is also an occasion to strengthen solidarity among villagers and pass down our beautiful cultural traditions to younger generations so they can continue to preserve and develop them," he said.
In Quang Ngai Province, Xo Dang communities are concentrated in Ngoc Linh, Mang Ri, Tu Mo Rong, Dak Sao, Dak To Kan, Dak To, Dak Ui, Dak Koi, Ngok Reo and Ro Koi communes, with smaller populations living elsewhere in the province.
Agricultural rituals hold a particularly important place in Xo Dang spiritual life and are observed with deep reverence.
Among these traditions, the new rice festival and the water-channel installation ceremony are regarded as the community's two most important rituals, reflecting its enduring relationship with nature, agriculture and ancestral beliefs.
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