The special ceremony of making merits in the
rice field is called “Uem-Phi-Lor-Er”. This ceremony will be held 3 – 4
weeks after the Akha farmers planted their first seed transplantation
in the field. The significance of the ceremony is to pray for good
harvest and make sure that the holy spirits that belong to the field
will protect the plantation from grasshoppers and other pests. The Akha
farmers will have to choose an auspicious date and time to hold this
ceremony and it is usually the birthday or someone.
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Akha
hill tribe people will use 12 animal names to calculate the auspicious
date like for example the sheep day (Yor), a monkey day (Hmo Ya) or a
chicken day (Ya) etc. The offerings for the ceremony are usually pigs
or chickens and the following are some of the ingredients need for the
offerings for the Holy Spirits:
- An egg, to be cooked with rice
- A whole chicken, not cut.
- The husk of the liquor (Gi-Pa-Gi-Ju)
- Some tea (Lor-Por)
- Ginger (Chor-Jue)
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All
these offerings will be distributed into two groups. When everything
need is ready, there will be a leader leading the whole ritual. He will
start this traditional ritual by leaving someone’s house for the field
and he will weave a basket to put the boiled chicken (Ga-Low). The
leader will prepare two leaves to be stick to the house and at the rice
field so that any bad luck and wild animals will not come and disrupt
the ritual. Similarly to the past, if the Akha people encounter a snake
before performing the ritual, they will have to abort the ceremony and
choose to hold it on other days. There is another belief that dogs
should not be allowed during the ritual because dogs may attract snakes
to come out.
Once the Akha people reach the
rice field, the leader will cut some wood and use it to pitch into a
cross section. After which, he will rinse the chicken with some water
three times and den kill it eventually. The blood of the chicken will
be collected and put at the basket. This is a way to inform the
guardians of the field that they are holding a ceremony today in the
field.
Finished
from that, then go the anthill (Ja-Pu) or use the clod of earth if can
not seek the anthill. Then peel an egg together with tea, ginger and
the chaff from the liquor deceit, then perform a ceremony to make
offerings or sacrifice to the spirit (La-Ka) be like at in front of the
shrine 3 times, from that time, wrap 2 eggs separately (Lor-U ) to lead
back to a house. Take the basket that bring a chicken to put on the
wood in front of the shrine by give turn to the east, then go back
home. When arrive the house will bring a bag goes to hang in the middle
of a house(Lor-Kha) then take an egg come out the bag. Take bamboo
flask (Ji-Ba-Ji-Si) that Akha people uses in performing a ceremony come
to place and take that chicken comes to cook, give an old man person to
eat (Ja-Pu-Ya-U-Bee-Ja-Er). After finished a meal they will perform a
ceremony (Ji-Ba-Ter-Er). After finished this ceremony mean the merit in
rice farm finish by use the chicken (Um-Pi-Lor-Er). The big performing
to making merit in rice farm ceremony by use a pig will do prevent for
a family who is "Ya-Yae-Ar-Ma" mean the woman who has to perform a
ceremony lift a position is equal to a man. These families will use a
pig in performing a ceremony. To make the merit in rice farm
“Um-Pi-Lor-Er" they will use a pig and a chicken. If a chicken is male
will use female pig and be opposite too as chicken female, pig male.
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