Bamboo shoot growing up festival of the Kho Mu people
Formed a long time ago, when life was still difficult, the Bamboo Shoot Festival seems to have penetrated deeply into the cultural life of the Kho Mu people as a part of their bloodline. Every time spring comes, when the red color of the pot flowers blooms in the middle of a sky forest when the golden color of the seedling flowers is sprinkled on that simple picture, when on the young bamboo shoots is the image of a bitter cassava tree wearing a crown the land sprouts or when the sweet chirping sound of the toucans competing to sing is also the beginning of a festival called "Bamboo shoot growing up season" of the village.
The festival "Growing up Bamboo Shoot Season" has 2 parts, the ceremony part and the festival part.
The ceremony was prepared and conducted very carefully. From the types of objects needed in the ceremony, especially living animals, from the unforgettable procedures to decorations such as wildflowers or tools used for the ceremony such as bags containing grains of rice and corn. , pouring,... all are planned clearly and with great importance. When the preparation stage is completed, it is time to hang it around the tree, the tree becomes the center, the object to conduct rituals and festivals. According to the beliefs of the people here, heaven and earth, nature is the supreme being, there is where all things are created and currently the proliferation and proliferation of all things continues. Therefore, nature, earth and sky here reside in the image of the tree, or more accurately, the universe resides in that tree. There are not only flowers and leaves there, but also all animals and plants. Therefore, the meaning of prosperity appears very clearly, overwhelming even the divine element. Finally, we also see the presence of the "cosmic" tree, reflecting a unique cultural and artistic symbol that is only found in the Kho Mu ethnic group.
The Bamboo Shoot Festival is usually held at the beginning of the year when the rains soak the ground and fat bamboo shoots emerge. That is when the Kho Mu People's Festival Celebrating the Growing Season of Bamboo is approaching. The rain falls to make the trees lush, the buds and leaves on the branches, the beautiful forest with hundreds of flowers fluttering in the wind, the fields chirping with laughter. The center of the festival is the flower tree (Cosmic tree, in the past it could also be made from crochet or banana tree, today it is replaced by small, slimmer, more aesthetic branches for easy hanging. placing objects during the ceremony). That flower tree is hung with birds, bees, and fish made from wood or paper. The tray of offerings to the gods is placed right under the flower tree, the priest wears traditional clothes, prays to invite the gods to receive the offerings, blesses the people with good weather, strong legs and arms, and can do it many fields. The offering reminds the gods to help villagers chase away squirrels, birds, hedgehogs, and grasshoppers, and not let them destroy crops.
The festival during Bamboo Shoot Growing Up Festival is extremely bustling. After the community festival, people hold hands and dance together, with the sound of drums, gongs, and bustling sounds, the dances simulating sowing seeds, farming, and scooping fish continue one after another. Mixed into each dance are boisterous laughter, red faces from alcohol and the happiness of the festival.