The Pat Oong ceremony has been observed for generations and is held at the start of the new year, from the 5th to the 12th days of the first lunar month.
According to Cung Chan Trang, Secretary of the Chung Trai village Party Committee, on Lunar New Year’s Eve the Pu Peo people hold a ceremony to invite their ancestors to join their Tet celebrations.
After this ritual, the Pu Peo avoid taking fire out of the house, carrying farming tools to the fields, or beginning agricultural work. Instead, they select the most auspicious day at the start of the year to hold the Pat Oong ceremony.
In this ritual, a Pu Peo folk artisan performs the ceremony to seek permission from the ancestors for the community to enter the new planting season, praying for favourable weather and abundant harvests.
The ritual also symbolises the purification of water and the kindling of fire to dispel misfortune, explained Cung Chan Trang.
The Pat Oong ceremony is conducted at the artisan’s home, with offerings prepared collectively by the villagers. These include two chickens, sticky rice cakes, rice wine, and meat.
After performing the ceremony for his own family, the shaman carries a bundle of torches and visits each Pu Peo household in the village. At each home, he recites invocations, seeking ancestral permission for the family to begin farming and wishing them good health and prosperity in the new year.
After visiting all households, the shaman conducts a ceremony to pay gratitude to the forest god at the village cultural house. At the conclusion of the Pat Oong ceremony, villagers take up their ploughs and hoes and head to the fields, marking the start of the new crop season.
This year, the Pu Peo community in Chung Trai village staged the Pat Oong ceremony on February 25, the 9th day of the first lunar month. Following the ritual, villagers dressed in traditional costumes gathered at the village cultural house yard to take part in cultural exchanges, performances, and folk games.
Nguyen Van Hanh, Vice Chairman of the Pho Bang commune People’s Committee, said the Pat Oong ceremony is a beautiful tradition of the Pu Peo people, preserved across generations. It enriches the cultural heritage of ethnic communities in the border commune of Pho Bang. Beyond its role in praying for favourable weather and bumper crops, the ritual also strengthens bonds within the Pu Peo community.
By promoting these cultural values, the Pu Peo community in Pho Bang commune has united to overcome difficulties and improve livelihoods. The village currently has 46 households, with only three classified as poor or near-poor. Villagers have also eliminated outdated customs such as early marriage and consanguineous marriage.
