Puh Ho Drih festival of Ro Ngao people in Kon Tum

The Puh Ho Drih festival of ethnic people in Kon Tum has its own regional appearance. The Puh Ho Drih festival takes place usually after the harvest is completed, the village owner organizes for the villagers to repair the water trough, repair the communal house, clean the communal house, repair and restore the roads, suspension bridges ... then festival will be held. Available sacrifices include buffaloes, cows, or goats, pigs, and chickens depending on the economic conditions of the village. In addition, the Puh Ho Drih festival cannot be complete without an effigy symbolizing supernatural power, dark forces, bad luck, and terrible risks. The effigies will be hand-made by the men in the village and brought to the communal house yard the night before the peace ceremony, there will be someone to take care of these effigies, not to let others stir. In the past, in each festival Puh Ho Drih could use 3-4 dummies, but now they will usually use 2 dummies.

On the morning of the festival, people will gather a large number of villagers at the communal house. The village elder will be the one to host the sacrifice ceremony, recite the vows to God of Heaven, God of Earth, God of Mountain, God of River as people wish for peace, prosperity and happiness.

After the ritual at the communal house, the village elder leads the procession around the village. There will be two healthy men chosen to carry a effigy holding a sword and a crossbow, the village elder walking ahead, dancing with a shield, followed by two muscular young men dressed in spear and spear dance costumes, followed by two girls holding bunches of leaves. The broom makes a continuous sweep and at the end of the formation is a team of gongs and sinuses.

In the sound of drums and gongs resounding, people walk and dance while walking, shouting with angry faces, decisive movements to show their determination to banish bad luck, misfortune, evil, and filth. out of the village.

After going around the village, the group brought the dummy back and planted it at the junction or intersection at the beginning of the village, in order to secure the land and prevent evil from entering the village. After that, everyone will return to the communal house. Here, the village elder will declare that the Puh Ho Drih ceremony has been successful, the wishes of the villagers have been witnessed by the gods. The village elder reminds everyone to unite to take care of production and help each other to keep the village and build a full, peaceful, happy and harmonious family life. People beat gongs, dance sinuses, drink can wine, celebrate happily.

Address: Dak Wok village, Ho Moong commune, Sa Thay district, Kon Tum province.