The cultural characteristics of Lo Lo ethnic group in Cao Bang province are often expressed in worshipping traditions for expressing gratitude and praying for peace, prosperity or favorable conditions, etc. with unique cultural identities.
Praying for rain ceremony:
Lo Lo people often hold a ceremony for rain praying in the third lunar month on odd days. The tradition is only carried out when facing dried and harsh weather conditions. In such circumstances, local people invite the head of the community or a prestigious elderly in the community who has deep knowledge of rain praying rituals to lead the ceremony.
The ceremony offerings include dogs and chickens. During the ceremony, the festival head delivers a long sacral speech invoking blessings of environmental gods for bumper crops, good weather conditions and prosperous lives. After the sacral speech, the ceremony chief burns the votive paper and pouring alcohol into four directions to thank heaven and earth.
New rice worshipping ceremony:
Lo Lo people only grow one crop in a year often starting in late spring and harvesting in the ninth or tenth lunar month. After harvesting the crops, Lo Lo people organize a ceremony for new rice celebrations. Worshipping offerings included wine, sticky rice, chicken, and pig ... They often invite a shaman to lead worshipping rituals to thank god of agriculture, ancestors, and heaven and earth, as well as to pray for good weather and bumper crops in the coming year.
Ancestor worshiping tradition:
According to Lo Lo people’ custom, when a family member has been death for three years, the oldest child set up a worshipping altar for him or her. Lo Lo families often set up the worshipping altar in the center of the house and opposite the main door and a wooden statue is often placed on top of the altar to symbolize ancestral spirits. The ancestral worshipping tradition is annually held on the 14th of the seventh lunar month. As usual, the eldest member of the family hosts the ritual and others contribute offerings according to their capacities. Offerings must include one pig, one chicken, a pair of bronze drums, sticky rice, wine, oil lamps, votive paper, etc.
Bronze drums are indispensable instrument in "Ma Kho" worshiping rituals of Lo Lo people
God of stone worshiping ritual:
Also known as "Mề lồ pí", the ritual aims to pray for favorable weather, bumper crops, healthy and happy life. During the ritual, a village shaman read a sacral speech with more than a thousand sentences in two or three days to invoke gods’ blessings. During days of the ceremony, there are many folk games taking place on the open place in front of the village.
Ma Kho (dried ghost) worshipping ritual:
The ritual clearly expresses the characteristics of Lo Lo ethnic’s culture. Ma Kho means that when a person dies, relatives do not immediately worship him or her, but have to wait the little longer. Ancient bronze drum, the most precious treasure of Lo Lo people, is often used for making worshipping sound. The sound of the bronze drum in harmony with the shaman voice when he read seven-day-long songs, combined with rhythmic dances helps bridging the living and the dead, as well as guide the deceased’s soul return to the ancestral place.
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