Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

Old men of the families contributing some
rice to worship the deities.

Customarily, after the completion of the construction of the ” nha rong” (communal house), the Gia Rai, as well as a few other ethnic groups in the Western Highlands, celebrate buffalo-meat feasts. Planting a “cot gung” (bamboo-pole) and tying a buffalo to it is the first item on the ceremony.

Shortly after drums and gongs are beaten to rally the villagers to the communal house. The village headsman puts a noose of a long rope round the animal’s neck, and after that all villagers, old and young, men and women, should hold on to the rope. As a preparation for the ceremony, all householders take a handful of rice to the communal house and put it on a large plate. Then the headsman and the elders make a long line, facing the rising sun, near the bamboo pole and the buffalo. While holding the plate of rice, the village headsman scatters the rice grains in the direction of the buffalo and prays for bumper crops and good health for the villagers.

While the buffalo is slaughtered, the ceremony in the communal house is held, a major item of the whole process where only household representatives are allowed to attend. After the ceremony, the buffalo-meat is distributed to all the families in the village accompanied by pipe-drinking of the ” ruou can ” (local rice liquor) in a jar, amidst the drum- and gong-beating and dancing that lasts long into the evening.

The headman scatters rice grains to pray
for a bumper harvest and good health
for the villagers.

The following day, after the major ceremony, the buffalo-head is processed. The brain and tongue are minced and boiled to make soup, which is used as an offering in the communal house. The buffalo-skull is hung in the most sacred corner. After that, the village headsman is the first to taste the soup, followed by the household representatives. This is the last item of the fete.

The long-standing Buffalo-meat Feast of the ethnic minorities in the Western Highlands in general, and the Gia Rai in particular, has been preserved as a folk belief.