Belongs to Bru – Van
Kieu ethnic group, the Ma Coong is a small group living in Thuong Trach
commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province. The legend has that the
love night of the Ma Coong is derived by Giang (God) who helped local
people to kill the naughty monkey that harassed crops, creating poverty,
and after that he granted Ma Coong people a night of free love to live
in wildness without worrying about restrictions and rules.
In the 16th
night of the first lunar month every year, Ma Coong people gather in
the sacred land that is Ca Roong village. In the festival night, when
the moon rises highest, the chieftain reads the prayers asking the Gods
to support for peaceful life, productive crops… After finishing the
ritual, the rice will be thrown out, wishing that new rice will come to
make the baskets, the crops full.
The
banquet of offerings to worship Giang must include tube-wine, chicken,
fish, sticky rice, top of rattan tree, a part of doac tree trunk. Each
village has a banquet and there must be totally 18 banquets. The
offering banquets must be made by members in the families of villages’
chiefs. After several times worshipping, the chief speaks the command to
start the breaking drum festival. The villagers and also guests flow
close to the drum. Everyone try to get the drumstick.
The
festival drum has been made since the morning, drum body is made from
the trunk of convex woody tree, and the leather covering the drum
surface is made from the skin of cow. The drum is covered by old rattan;
old bamboo is used to pack the drum surface to make it stretched. The
persons who beat the drum must be the strongest guys. The drum must be
beaten to be broken before the morning so that the god will recognize
sincerity of people and they will get productive crops in the next year.
As
well as beaten the drum, the young guys shout: “Roa lu Giang oi!” (This
means “How happiness it is!”). The faster the drum is broken, the
sooner young people can take their lover to the forest for making love.
After
the drum is broken, each couple quietly holds the hands of each other;
find their private place to chat, make love. The location may be on the
mountain, near the stream or wherever. Lovers may be single guy - single
girl or wife – husband; even ones from different marriages can date
with each other according to the free love offered by Giang. There is
no jealousy, no obstacle; others passing through and seeing this will
consider it manual issue. This happens similar to Khau Vai love market
or Moc Chau love market.
When the fire is about to be off, the
sun slowly rises on another side of the mountain, it’s time for the
breaking drum festival of the Ma Coong to be ended.
Translated by Vu Thuy Duong
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