When a villager dies, the shaman will make a promise to the ghost that after 12 days, there will be a dry-ghost ceremony (death anniversary) with hope for salvation of the departed’s soul and there is no harassment made by ghost.
As the custom of H’mong people in Sang Tung Commune, death anniversary is ritual to farewell the departed’ soul and show them how to find the way to ancestors, origin as well as bless family.
After 12 days buried, the unconditional host can have the shaman to make adjourning ceremony (or promise again) to promise that the death anniversary will be implemented after 1 month or several years. If not, ghost’s harassment will make hard condition for their life.
Meal after chasing the ghost
In the early morning of death-anniversary day, the bereaved family will come to the burial spot to take two pieces of bamboo, which are next to tomb (they are overlapped to symbolize the departed’ soul), and then bring home. Reaching home, the shaman lay the bamboos vertically and start the ceremony to call the departed’ soul. If the bamboos fall upside, it means that the soul is still outside. Thus, the call must be implemented until they fall downside.
After calling soul successfully, the host will use the bamboo with some additive items such as clothes and scarf to make a dummy. After that, the dummy will be put vertically in a “met” at the middle of house and surrounded by rice, wine, and meat for the official ceremony.
Starting with the sound of Khen, a traditional musical instrument, the shaman walks around house. Other shamans also turn around and dance to invite the departed back for meal before farewell. One word of worship, then one turn of poured wine, one turn for a spoon of rice and meat to offer the soul to eat.
At the same time, the family’s member are crying in their own language to show how they feel regret about the departed. The ceremony is covered by plaintive cry, sorrowful sound of Khen among glimmering light of oil lamp in the dark.
Chasing ghosts out of the house
During the ceremony, the villagers drop off here for visit and chat with the host. All of them bring a basket of rice or wine, pork, chicken, paper money to pay homage to the departed. Man and the old people inside and outside sometimes take a sip of spicy corn wine with confiding memories about the death person. Women and children wander around. Some others prepare ingredients for meal after the ceremony.
About 1 hour later, the shaman will ask the Ghost if it could leave or not by throw two half of bamboo down. If their faces are contrary to each other, it means the Ghost says “OK”. After that, the shaman takes dummy out of the “met” and rolls it to outside of house.
According to H’mong people’ conception, if the “met” falls upside, the salvation of ghost has not been successful yet. The shaman has to do it again until the “met” falls downside. Afterwards, when the funerals come to the tomb, they will burn “met” and the dummy to farewell the departed’s soul to the other world.
The participants will be invited to stay for meals prepared in advance with spicy corn wine. They gather and condole with the bereaved family.
(Collection)
