XANG KHAN FESTIVAL

Xang Khan festival dates back to when no one remembers, only hearing the old people in the village said that: "When the ground was as small as a banyan leaf, the sky was as small as a snail's shell, and the mountains and forests were as small as a bantam's footprints. If you have chicken curry, Xang Khan already existed". This ritual was preserved, passed on from generation to generation and becomes an indispensable part of the cultural life of the Thai ethnic group in the western region of Nghe An province. According to Thai language, "xăng khan" means advice and reply, Thai people believe that "xăng" is a message from the deceased powwow (nài khù) to vocationally trained powwow (lực xít), "khan" ” is the promise of powwows who had been given the profession to promise to do better things for themselves, their families and the community. Xang Khan ceremony was also a day of thanksgiving to ancestors, thanks to powwows (pó pù) who taught how to make medicine, cure diseases and save people and thank the gods for helping them to cure the sick.

Usually every 3-5 years, around November, December, or in the spring, February, March (according to the Thai calendar), when the crops have been harvested, the powwows organize Xang Khan Festival. The time to perform the rituals takes place from 2-3 days at the family of the powwow. In order to organize a Khan Khan ceremony, a long time before that, the powwow's family had to prepare food such as money, rice, chicken, at least dozens of pigs, each over 50kg, and Super wine, Rượu Cần (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes or rice husk wine) on a few dozen jars, hair washing ceremony,...

To celebrate Xang Khan festival, the powwows have appointed a ceremony committee consisting of “chà kháy”, “chà cống”, section of “bào tồn ô”, “xảo chìa pô”, each person is assigned their own tasks such as: the powwow has a master (as the celebrant) and his associates "assist in sacrifice ceremory". The number of associates is more or less depending on the ability of the host's family to invite and depending on the size of the ceremony.

Xang Khan ceremony takes place in a sacred atmosphere, bearing the sound of the mountains and forests, and is also a very unique ceremony expressing the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group in the West of Nghe An province. Each powwow in each hamlet or village has its own way of organizing the Xang Khan ceremony, but basically it is carried out according to the following rituals: "Pay tọoc tang" ceremony;  “mo khu”, “mo bạn” welcome ceremony (powwow's master and associates),...

The ceremony of "Pay toọc tang" (đi tong ruột cây tạng). In the opinion of the powwows, this is an important ritual of the Xang Khan ceremony, in order to make a Tang tree, the powwow must choose a beautiful day to go to the forest to pray to the mountain god and forest god to cut the color and make sacred things: “dây tang xoi, dây xái mường, cành hoa tang chò”, birds, animals, plugged on old bamboo trees, with tops facing the sunrise, bamboo splits to make pipes for drinking rượu cần (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes or rice husk wine), knitting ceremony trays shaped like birds and animals such as "tô chắc chắn" (cicada), "nộc cá léo", "ngua pà" (bison),... All of above things, as far as they can be done, were gathered, led or hung around the wall of the house, or on the pillars, not to be scattered on the floor and must be completed before the day of the festival. In addition to Xang Tang tree, people also erected two sugarcane trees to keep their leaves intact and one Bang Xoc tree that is a real flower tree that is plugged and decorated with many kinds of forest flowers.

According to custom, before entering to make sacrifices, people have to go to the stream to wash their hair, called "xạc húa", to cleanse the soul of the king to be cool, healthy, and clean, otherwise ancestors and gods will punish, the ceremony will be difficult to do. After the hair-washing ceremony, everyone return their home to prepare for the wedding ceremony. This is an important ritual in the Xang Khan ritual. At the beginning of the ceremony, go to sit next to "tặng kẹo", perform the ceremony with a long drum beat. People come and sit around the "phướn khài", fix their headscarves, take out their swords and put them in the banners, hold a hand-fan in one hand, a candle in the other hand, sit and listen to a prayer reading "bắc châu hinh", Chau is the owner, Hing  is the altar (where the ghost of the hostess), according to the Xen tune to invite the ancestors at the altar to come down to check the preparations for the ceremony of the descendants, to make offerings to the ghosts in the heaven area to know that the family has organize the Xang Khan festival and invite to enjoy the ceremony and report to all mountain ghosts, river ghosts, land ghosts, earth gods and ask for no disturbing and destroying so that the ceremony will have a good result,...

At midnight, Tang tree will be erected (it means púc xằng tang in Thai language). When the time to change to a new day has just come, Chà Kháy will go up continuously. Hearing the urging of gongs, everyone gathered in the middle of the house. Xang Tang tree was placed in the middle of the house, the stump rested on the floor, the top of the tree directed the ceremony inside the altar. Descendants huddled on both sides to support the bamboo tree. The owner (powwow) and his wife stand under the tree with the implication that the owner has to shoulder a lot. The rest of the people took things: “tang xòi, tang chò”, birds, animals and fresh flowers that were prepared to be plugged into the holes of the tree. In addition, they also hang living tools such as baskets and steamers of sticky rice on the tree. The powwows stood around holding their swords, its sword top with candles, and lit up and raised their voices to read the offerings in a rhythm. The players hold the trophy and dance around. The sound of gongs emerges as if urging everyone to hurry up so that the flower tree can be erected to welcome the gods to attend the ceremony from the first hour of the new day.

The end of the house ghost worshiping ceremony is an invitation ceremony that Tao Muong in the sky is invited to attend the ceremony with his family. In Thai language, it is called "bắc tôn hình" (the ceremony to invite the ghost to attend the ceremony). Each group of ghosts (or Phí like as god that the Kinh people often call them) "xuống" is called a "muột” (Tốp), the order are types of gods associated with each dream of the Thai ethnic people.

Besides, the powwows also read worship songs praising the beauty of Xang Tang tree called “Lễ Chánh tang”.

In addition to above rituals, a number of other rituals are also held in Xang Khan festival such as: Forest ghost worshiping ceremony so that people can do business in peace; Praying for Peace for families to be well and prosperous; Test of egg god (Nàng Ò) to know the skills of powwows; “lễ Xiểng xưa” which means fortune-telling; lễ Cuột xiểng vắn nọc noong (checking the spirits of descendants), lễ Áo nhông pê lầu” (Kho Mu god brings the ceremony to heaven) and finally “lễ Păm xăng tang” (lowering Tang tree). At the end of the ceremony, the host is the one who directly picks flowers to give to everyone, each flower is a reward symbolizing perks and luck in life. With a passionate farewell song, see you next time, and at this time it was just morning, everyone returned to continue with their daily work..

Xieng Khan ceremony not only has many rituals and ceremonies, but also has many performances and fun games. After each ritual is a show illustrating the content, simulating the actions of the gods and ghosts in that ritual. At the end of this ceremony, from one performance to another ceremony, another performance, and so on until the end of the festival with many unique performances such as dancing, singing, “hát xuối, khắc luống”, beating gongs, “gõ boong bu”, blowing pan-pipe,...

Xang Khan is a ritual imbued with cultural and spiritual identity typical in the daily life of the Thai ethnic group in western of Nghe An province. Although Xang Khan ceremony is an almost professional ceremony to pray for peace and repay the gratitude of the powwows, it has become a cultural activity that is very interested and eagerly awaited by Thai ethnic people in western of Nghe An province. Stemming from the above meaning, every time in a certain village there is Xang Khan festival, it is really a jubilant festival for everyone. Also from this ceremony, dances and songs in the form of performance have been developed by many mass art units into traditional art pieces, meeting the the enjoyment needs of everyone in the annual festivals.  With the uniqueness of the ritual, combined with good preservation and promotion, Xang Khan Festival was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2017.