This ceremony, which has been practiced for centuries, is a way to express gratitude to the Mountain God for protecting the villagers.

In the early days of the new year, all members of the Kray clan come together at the communal yard of A Lieng hamlet, Quang Tri province, to participate in the ceremony. In the center of the yard, they have erected a tall, sturdy wooden ceremonial pole. A white cord, tied to the pole, extends to the Kray clan's ancestral temple, symbolizing a tie of gratitude to the Mountain God.

Once the offerings are placed on the altar and a goat is tied to the ceremonial pole, patriarch Ho Xuan Van, the head of the Kray clan, stands before the offering tray, holding a brocade cloth.

He offers his gratitude to the Gods of the mountain, river, and sun, praying for their blessings upon the villagers, asking for health, peace, happiness, freedom from illness, prosperity in business, and fertility.

“This is an age-old tradition of the Pa Co. We follow our predecessors and will transfer the custom to our children. The Pa Co people say, ‘When eating the fruit, remember the person who planted the tree’,” Van said.

The Kray clan people in A Lieng hamlet believe that the Mountain God protecting them is Plang, the highest mountain in the Ta Rut-Huc Nghi region.

“We’ve learned a lot of things from our ancestors. We’ll preserve the Pa Co culture and customs forever,”  a Pa Co woman named Kray Suong shared.

The Pa Co people hold the ceremony once every 7 to 10 years, on a scale that depends on the clan's resources. Families contribute what they can, including beef, goat meat, chicken, sticky rice stuffed in bamboo tubes, and fish grilled in bamboo tubes. Customarily, all attendees wear new traditional clothes.

To show unity, they walk in a circle around newly woven brocade pieces and dance to the rhythm of gongs, drums, and panpipes. The dance continues around a large fire throughout the night, ending the next morning just before the patriarch leads a peace prayer ceremony.

Kray Suc, Emeritus Artist and researcher of the Pa Co ethnic group, said the ceremony to establish a sacred connection with the Mountain God is an important event of the Pa Co people. The ceremony expresses their gratitude for their ancestors and the Mountain God. Kray Suc said the event strengthens neighborly ties and fosters a sense of community.

“This festival is meaningful to the Pa Co, who all feel grateful to the forests and mountains. Thanks to the protection of the Mountain God, the people in A Lieng hamlet have a peaceful life. We must conserve nature and promote our culture,” Suc said.

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