On the morning of November 23, Ca Dong people in Mong Pry village located under Ngoc Linh peak in Tra Vinh commune (Nam Tra My district, Quang Nam province) held a water trough worshiping ceremony – the biggest festival of the year for highland people. .
The Ca Dong community has always valued water resources, considering water as the source of life.
Therefore, worshiping water troughs is the most important festival to pray for the forest and water gods to bless and bring water to people so they can have a prosperous life. Offering water troughs also prays for good weather and healthy villagers.
From early morning, Ca Dong boys and girls along with the elders and village elders gathered in a house in the middle of the village. All spaces are filled with color with decorative items for worshiping ceremonies and colorful traditional costumes of indigenous people blending into the mountain and forest space.
Amid the bustling sound of gongs, village elders perform worship rituals passed down by their predecessors; then instruct children, grandchildren and village members to know how to keep the water source fresh and clean; Always unite, love, protect each other, and strive to do business for a bountiful harvest.Play automatically later
Ca Dong people believe that the stream flowing through the village is a gift from the jungle to people.
Every day, people bring dry gourds, bamboo tubes, and bamboo tubes to get water for cooking and daily activities. Children can play and have fun under the water trough.
Besides, the water trough is also a place for people to meet, chat, and create connections in the community. Therefore, the water trough has long become a cultural symbol that is both close and sacred in the lives of the Ca Dong people.
Nowadays, the lives of highland people have changed a lot. Many customs and practices have more or less disappeared. Maintaining traditional and typical rituals such as the Water Trough Worshiping Ceremony is an effort to preserve the cultural identity of highland ethnic groups in Quang Nam.
