Connecting communities in highland cultural space
The Kho Gia Gia Festival is usually held in the sixth lunar month, depending on the seasonal calendar and agricultural production conditions of each village. Before the main festival, people clean the water wharf, a place associated with daily life and beliefs, and rebuild a house made of cogon grass to serve as a place to hold community ceremonies.
Ha Nhi people clean the utensils for the feast at the water wharf, work
the start of the Dry Old Old Festival.
The festival lasts for three days, with many rituals performed according to tradition. Offerings such as sticky rice cakes, sticky rice, meat, wine, etc. are carefully prepared. Of these, sticky rice cakes are an indispensable offering, symbolizing the wish for a full and fulfilling life. The process of making cakes is also a collective activity, attracting the participation of many households, demonstrating community spirit and the spirit of preserving customs.
Banh day, a traditional offering symbolizing wishes for abundance and prosperity.
During the ceremony, the shaman represents the whole village to make offerings and perform rituals to communicate with the gods. The offerings are displayed on trays in a large yard, solemnly witnessed by the villagers. All show respect and belief that sacred things will bring peace, good crops, and health to people.
Offerings are brought to the sacred forest, a sacred space in the religious life of the Ha Nhi people.
The ceremony is solemnly held at the communal house, festival center and community activities.
A boy is given holy water by his mother, symbolizing the passing of blessings through the generations.
After the ceremony, families gather in the communal house to celebrate a communal meal. This is an opportunity to connect generations in the village, demonstrating the spirit of sharing, solidarity and shared joy after completing the traditional rituals.
The joy of children in the festive atmosphere of village solidarity.
Preserving identity through community cultural activities
The festival took place in a lively atmosphere with many typical folk games such as tug of war, stick pushing, swinging, etc. These activities not only created a joyful and exciting atmosphere but also contributed to preserving and teaching traditional cultural values to the younger generation.
The festival is also an opportunity for each member of the community to promote their role and responsibility, from preparing offerings, participating in rituals, to organizing games and collective activities. It is this widespread participation that has created sustainability for the festival, helping Kho Gia Gia become an important part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Ha Nhi people in the highlands.
Fertile fields in Bat Xat, the result of labor and community spiritual beliefs.
Promoting value in modern flow
In 2014, the Kho Gia Gia Festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is a recognition of the unique cultural values of the Black Ha Nhi people, and at the same time affirms the position of the festival on the map of national cultural heritage.
Nowadays, festivals are not only a space for traditional cultural activities, but also become a unique cultural tourism product, attracting visitors to learn, experience and explore the cultural life of the highlands. Linking festivals with tourism activities has contributed to promoting the local image, creating resources to preserve traditional values in new conditions.
Preserving and promoting the Kho Gia Gia Festival is not only preserving a traditional ritual, but also demonstrating the orientation of sustainable cultural development, where heritage becomes a resource and the community is the subject. In the Bat Xat highlands, the Kho Gia Gia Festival continues to be passed down through generations, contributing to shaping the identity in the cultural life of the Ha Nhi people in the current of integration.
NGOC XIEM - HAI YEN
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Source: https://nhandan.vn/kho-gia-gia-di-san-van-hoa-o-vung-cao-bat-xat-post894709.html
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