Intermediates
Gallantry and accessories
According to the beliefs of the Lô Lô people, who live in the northern provinces of Vietnam, people go to their ancestors after death and start a new life there. Since parents gave their children life and raised them, therefore, after their deaths, children are obliged to pay due respect to them. According to tradition, rituals to honor ancestors are performed during the new lunar year, during the Vu Lan festival and important family events, such as the construction of a new house or a wedding.
Representatives of the Lô Lô people pay tribute to deceased ancestors from the three closest generations. When the next generation arrives in a family, its members hold a ritual to lead the oldest spirits out into the forest.
Each house has an altar to the ancestors, but the main ritual in their memory is held in the house of the head of the family. Preparations for this ritual take almost a year.
According to tradition, in each family the eldest son is responsible for setting up the altar, conducting the ritual of invoking the spirits of the ancestors, as well as making in wood and placing on the altar their images.
Usually the Lô Lô ancestral altar is located in the central room opposite the main entrance to the house. Figures carved from wood or drawn in charcoal symbolize the spirits of the dead. Other ethnic groups hold prayers to honor their deceased relatives during the full moon each month. The Lô Lô people, however, do not hold such prayers until July 24 or 26 according to the lunar calendar. The Lô Lô themselves explain this fact as follows:
The Lô Lô used to be very poor. When others could celebrate every full moon, they had to work in the rice fields during that time. Only after the harvest could they perform the traditional ritual.
When the time for the celebration in honor of the ancestors approaches, all the families in the village try to finish the harvest. This is because during the three-day festival it is forbidden to do field work and also to hold entertainment events.
The list of ritual items for the prayers includes a pig, two roosters, sticky rice, alcohol, ritual money, an oil lamp and two bronze drums, among others. At the same time, the pigs and roosters are chosen from among the most beautiful. The villagers are convinced that this will ensure that their ancestors will bless them and give them a good harvest.
The prayers are led by three shamans. To begin the ritual, the householder places two roosters, 42 handfuls of rice and 12 glasses of alcohol on the altar. With this, the 40 small handfuls of grain symbolize the 40 different species of plants that make up the world, and the two large ones symbolize Heaven and Earth. In turn, 12 glasses filled with alcohol are symbols of the 12 months of the year.
In the presence of the host's relatives and neighbors, the shamans invite the ancestors to attend the ceremony and accept offerings. The prayers last for more than an hour. During this time, the host hangs a bag of rice in front of the entrance to the house for the misguided spirits to eat and not disturb the household. At the end of the ritual, household members and neighbors gather together to eat and drink to their hearts' content - after all, the next day is also a holiday.
Ancestor worship is among the important rituals of the Lô Lô people. It recalls deceased family members and creates a close bond between the living.
