Saturday, October 15, 2011

Season change for living

      New Year a top or “Kha-Thong-Ar-Paew” is a four-day ceremony held to celebrate the changing seasons. “Kha” means “to cultivate” and “Thong”, “year” or “season”. This is held annually in December and to the Akha call this month is “Thong-La-Ba-La”. The general person likes to call this tradition that “New year a top”.
      “Kha” have the meaning is cultivating, “Thong” gives the meaning is year or season and “Pha-Er” give the meaning that changing, exchange, change, thus all words together mean the tradition changes or season change. The season cultivates have 4 days for performing a ceremony. This tradition has the history tells that is the tradition indicate the arriving of season change to earns living, which later as there is harvest the plant from farm field finished then will reach relaxation season.
 “Kha-Thong-Pha-Er” tradition is the tradition of a man by both of boys and an adult will have doing a top “Chong” and will have the amusement for celebrate their grown up more and more. They will raise this tradition together with the community, each household will have exchange the drinks in the community as the proverb that “Kha-Thong-Jee-Chee” that mean the tradition lifts liquor. Therefore, this tradition have the drunken as the usual and it is the beginning of eats the rice that keep in the storage rice. The woman part will have playing Sa-Ba in the community grounds.
Performing a ceremony follow as
  • Day 1 or " Ja-Bae”: A ceremony is held to give offerings or sacrifice to the spirits.

  • Day 2: The top or "chong" is made.

  • Day 3 or “Lor-Da-Ar-Paew”: Every home will invite a guest for a meal to wish his guest success in his endeavors.

  • Day 4 or "Ja-Sa": Villagers play with tops in the day and in the evening, all offerings are kept to conclude the Kha-Thong-Ar-Paew ceremony
http://akha.hilltribe.org

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