Cultural quintessence gathers in Central Highlands festival

Themed “Central Highlands – Convergence of quintessence,” the festival attracted the participation of nearly 600 artisans, artists, actors, athletes from five Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Lam Dong.

The festival was a meeting place for cultural quintessence of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands. Many excerpts of unique festivals and traditional rituals were performed, such as rice warehouse opening ceremony of the Ro Mam people (Kon Tum province), coming of age worshipping ceremony of the Ede people (Dak Lak province), and gong worshiping ceremony of the Ko Ho S'Re people (Lam Dong province).

The festival created a space for cultural connection among domestic, international visitors and ethnic minority people and helped enhance solidarity among ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, contributing to develop local tourism, culture-socio-economy.

The Online People’s Army Newspaper introduced several photos of this first-ever festival.

A view of the rice warehouse opening ceremony of the Ro Mam people

It often takes one month to prepare for the just-three-days rice warehouse opening ceremony.

The ceremony opens with a worshipping ritual, the erection of a ‘neu’ tree (a sacred symbol that wards off evil spirits and misfortunes of the past and prays for a lucky future) and ends with the ritual of hanging the buffalo head bone on the wall of the communal house.

Dak Lak provincial artisans reappear the coming of age worshipping ceremony of the Ede people.

The offerings will be hung on the pole if the mature person is male and put on the ground if it is a female.

The ritual is held for Ede girls or boys aged 18.

After the ceremony, the mature boys and girls are allowed to engage in decisions on family and community-related works.

Gongs are indispensable in the coming of age ceremony of the Ede group.

Gong worshipping ceremony of the Ko Ho S’Re group reappeared by artisans from Lam Dong province

Offerings at the Gong worshipping ceremony

The ritual of praying to the Heaven during the Gong worshipping ceremony

Translated by Song Anh