Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.Nghi lễ gia đình của người Mường ở xã Cẩm Lương, huyện Cẩm Thủy, tỉnh Thanh Hóa.
Trang 1VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DOCTORAL THESIS FOR ANTHROPOLOGY
HA NOI, 2022
Trang 2This study is conducted at GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Supervisors: 1 Assoc Prof Ph D Dang Thi Hoa
2 PhD Nguyen Anh Cuong
Reviewer 1: Assoc Prof Ph D Dinh Hong Hai
Reviewer 2: Assoc Prof Ph D Nguyen Duy Binh
Reviewer 3: Assoc Prof Ph D Le Ngoc Thang
The thesis will be defended at Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences’s
Committee, 477, Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi
Trang 3The PhD candidate (hereinafter referred to as the author) of the thesis chose Cam Luong commune, Cam Thuy district, located in the northwest midlandand mountainous area of Thanh Hoa, to be the research area since the Muong’s traditional culture and their family rituals are experiencing a great change due to their coexistence; in addition, their cultural exchanges with the Viet people are occurring profoundly and widely Moreover, the tourism development and hydroelectric projects of Cam Thuy 1 and Cam Thuy 2 have a significant impact
on the locals’ cultural traditions Accordingly, a number of questions arise: Will family rituals be affected when facilities and ritual space alter? If so, how will they change? Are the changes suitable for the new context? Hence, the author believes that those issues have a practical significance, contributing to clarifying the changes in rituals of Muong people’s family life and preserving as well as promoting their traditional cultural values in Cam Luong, Cam Thuy, Thanh Hoa under the currentcontext
Based on the above analysis, the author chose “Family rituals ofMuong people in Cam Luong commune, Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa province” as
my PhD thesis topic inAnthropology
2 Research goals andobjectives
2.1 Researchgoals
- To conduct a systematical and comprehensive study on Muongpeople’s family rituals, thereby clarifying the cultural characteristics and valuesthrough their rituals and changing family rituals inCamLuong commune, CamThuy district, ThanhHoa
Trang 4- To propose recommendations on preserving and promoting thosefamily rituals in building the Muong group’s new cultural life and their modernand happy families in theregion.
- The thesis contributes to providing a scientific ground for makers in childbirth, marriage, funerals to make good and sound policiessuitable for new culturalvalues
policy-3 Subject and scope of theresearch
3.1 Subject of the research
The thesis targets Muong people’s family rituals in Cam Luongcommune, Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa
3.2 Scope of theresearch
- Spatial scope: Cam Luong commune, Cam Thuy district, ThanhHoa
- Time periods: The thesis covers family rituals in the past and theirchanges at present
- Content of theresearch:
Since family rituals involve numerous activities, the author chooses tofocus on some of them, including i) Life cycle rites (birth, marriage, andfunerals); ii) Ancestor worship; iii) God worship, “vía kéo si” (explained in theendnote 1), “cúng cơm mới” (new rice offering ceremony)
The thesis examines family rituals in traditional society and theirtransformation in the current context
4 Researchmethodology
4.1 Theories
Taking Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s ideology as thetheoretical grounds, the thesis is based on historical and dialectical materialismviewpoints to examine family rites in their mutual interaction Ritual practices
1 Translator’s explanation: This ritual is performed through a banyan tree known as the fate banyan, which is used to recall the sick’s spirits getting lost from their bodies The performer of the ritual and the sick people’s descendants (do as the performer’s instructions) will worship and pray to Gods asking for their blessings to cure the sick people and prolong their lives.
Trang 5and participants are closely related to Muong people’s outlook on life,worldview, beliefs, and customs Those factors create a dialectical relationshipthat is inseparable from rituals Under historical materialism, the author does notconsider rituals as an independent element, but the ones in the context of locals’cultural behavior towards the environment, clans, and theircommunity.
4.2 Methodologies
To achieve the research objectives, the author employs the following
methods:Ethnographic fieldwork; analysis, synthesis, and comparison; expertopinion.
5 Thesiscontributions
In terms of theoretical contribution, the research findings add new
materials to Ethnology/Anthropology on characteristics and alterations of rituals
in the Muong families in Cam Luong commune, Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa.Besides, the thesis clarifies differences in family rituals between Muong people
in Thanh Hoa and in Phu Tho, HoaBinh
In practical terms, the research findings provide a profound
understanding of the Muong group’s cultural values through examining theirfamily rituals, thereby contributing to the preservation and promotion of thosevalues in the area
6 Theoretical and practical significance of thethesis
7 Thesis structure
In addition to the Introduction, Conclusion, References, and Appendix, the thesis is divided into four chapters below:
Chapter 1 reviews the literature related, presents the theoretical background
of the topic, and describes the study site
Chapter 2 examines life cycle rites
Chapter 3 investigates worshiping in the family
Chapter 4 discusses trends, causes of changes in family rituals, and their values in the Muong’s culturallife
Trang 6Chapter 1 LITERATURE REVIEW, THEORETICAL BACKGROUND,
AND THE STUDY SITE 1.1 Literaturereview
1.1.1 International research on the Muong’srituals
One of the noteworthy research on Muong people in Vietnam is “Muongpeople - Human geography and sociology” by Cuisinier.J Besides, in “LaProvince Muong de Hoa Binh” (Muong Hoa Binh, 1994), Grossin Pierredescribes the geographical location, topography in which the Muong groupresides He introduces their history and division and decentralization ofmanagement in the area bounded by four provinces, including Son Tay, NinhBinh, Hanoi, and Hung Hoa
1.1.2 Research on ethnic groups’ family rituals inVietnam
A great number of researchers examine and give a detailed description ofthe Viet’s life cycle rituals in the delta region, such as “Rites of passage” by Le Trung Vu, “Life cycle rituals” by Pham Minh Thao, “Life cycle ceremonies” by
Truong Thin In addition, numerous works on of ethnic minorities’life
cycleritualsare conducted including “Chăm Ahier people’s life cycle rituals in
Ninh Thuan” by Phan Quoc Anh, “Xơ Đăng group’s rites of passage” by Phan Van Hoang, “Khmer people’s life cycle ceremonies in Soc Trang” by Vo Thanh Hung, “Primary rites of passage of Dao Tiền group in Ba Be, Bac Kan” by Ly Hanh Son, “Transformation of Chut ethnic group’s life cycle rituals in the NorthCentral Vietnam” by Nguyen Van Manh, “Primary rites of passage of Khmer people in Chau Lang commune, Tri Ton district, An Giang” by Nguyen Van Lu,
“Rites in Dao Thanh Y ethnic group’s life cycle in Hoanh Bo district, Quang Ninh” by Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Rite in the Hoa Kwangtung group’s life cycle in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City” by Do Hong Thanh, “Hà Nhì ethnic group’s rituals
in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai” by Trinh Thi Lan, “Life cycle ceremonies of Tay people in Na Hang district, Tuyen Quang” by Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, “Rites in thelife cycle of Nùng Cháo group in Van Quan district, Lang Son” by Hoang Thuy Duong However, until now, there are a few studies on all rituals in an ethnic group’s family such as “Family rites of the Tày Muong in Nghe An” by Le Hai Dang and “Family rituals of the Mảng people in Vietnam” by Nguyen VanThang
1.1.3 Research on rituals and family rites of the Muong people in Vietnam
There are numerous studies on Muong people Out of them, Nguyen TuChi is one of the remarkable scholars by his works such as “La CosmologieMuong” (the Muong cosmology), “Contribution to the study of culture and
Trang 7ethnicity” In the same vein, a number of works give a detailed description of theMuong group namely “Muong people in Vietnam” edited by Bui Tuyet Mai,
“Muong people in Tan Lac, Hoa Binh” edited by Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga &Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, “The Muong ethnic group’s culture in Kim Boi district,
Hoa Binh” edited by Hoang Huu Binh Besides, research onMo Muong 2 (Mo prayers) is of interest to various scholars including “Mo - Road to Heaven” by Dinh Van An, “Mo rituals in Muong people’s religious life” by Bui Thi Kim Phuc In light of a person’s life cycle, marriage, and family, various in-depth projects are carried out such as “Family and marriage of Muong ethnic group in Phu Tho” by Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, “Rite of the passage of Muong people in Hoa Binh” by Nguyen Thi Song Ha, and “Changes in Muong people’s marriage in Hoa Binh and Muong migrants in Dak Lak” edited by Nguyen Thi Song Ha Those works investigate comprehensively and systematically various aspects of the Muong ethnic group’s material culture and spiritual beliefs inVietnam.
1.1.4 Research on Muong people and their family ritualsin Thanh Hoa
Muong people and their family rituals in Thanh Hoa have attractedattention from scholars and researchers such as Hoang Anh Nhan with
“Documentation of Muong people’s folk beliefs in Thanh Hoa” (volume 1,volume 2) and “Human realm - under Muong Trong (original Muong)’s beliefs”.Along the same line, Cao Son Hai conducted various works namely “Songs inMuong people’s weddings in Thanh Hoa”, “Muong folklore under a differentview”, and “Life cycle rituals of Muong people under an investigation, surveys,and retrospective in the Muong community in Thanh Hoa” On the same subject,Vuong Anh studied “An approach to Muong group’s culture; besides, Mai ThiHong Hai demonstrated her perspective through “Folklore in Muốt village” and
“Xường singing in the Muong’s weddings in ThanhHoa”
Having discussed the mentioned literature review, the author believesthat examining the Muong group’s family rituals will shed light on culturalvalues in Muong people’s family rituals in theoretical and practical terms.However, there has not been any conducted research that comprehensively andsystematically explores Muong people’s family rituals in Thanh Hoa as well asanalyzing alterations to those rituals and theircauses
2Translator’s explanation:Mo Muongrituals that are performed in Muong ethnic group, including
a “thầy Mo” (Mo master, Mo practitioner), who knows tens of thousands of lines of Mo by heart,
as well as many traditional rituals and customs, recites Mo (poetry/prayers) In the Muong community, thầy Mo is an intellectual and reputable person whose role is associated with the human life cycle including birth, old age, sickness, anddeath.
Trang 81.2 Theoretical background
1.2.1 Definitions:The thesis has defined and clarified key terminology
mentioned in this research topic such as rituals, family rituals, life cycle rituals,birth, marriage, funerals, taboos, customs/practices, ancestor worship,Gods
1.3 Overview of the studyarea
1.3.1 Geographical characteristics and naturalenvironment
Cam Luong is a highland commune located in the northern mountainouspart of Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa with various types of terrain includinglimestone mountains, low mountains, hills, rivers, streams, alluvial flats along
Ma river The locality is situated in the humid tropical and monsoon climate.Additionally, three sides of the commune are surrounded by Ma river, which isabout 6 km long and flows through villages of the commune Ma river helpsbuild fertile alluvial land that enables locals to grow various plants and crops inthe area Besides, in the commune, numerous streams are formed from crevices
in Truong Sinh mountain range Attentionally, Ngoc stream, which is about200m long, is home to thousands of fish Cam Luong fish stream has attractednumerous tourists from all over the country, enabling the locality’s tourismdevelopment However, in the rainy season, much water in Ma River and streamsgoes up, causing flooding and transport problems that affects locals’ lives andtheirproduction
1.3.2 Demographics
Cam Thuy is home to Muong people with 55,570 people, accounting for52% of the total population in the district, making the district become the localitywith the second-highest percentage of Muong population in Thanh Hoa As ofJuly 2020, Cam Luong commune consists of four villages namely Xu Xuyen,Kim Mam, Luong Ngoc, and Hoa Thuan with 802 households equivelent to 3290people belonging to two chiefly ethnic groups of Muong and Kinh as well asother ethnic minorities Out of them, 603 households with 2415 people belong toMuong ethnicgroup
In Cam Luong commune, Muong people are descended from threeprimary groups namely: i) The Muong group that has resided in the commune for
a long time and lives mainly in Luong Ngoc village is called the Muong Trong(original Muong); ii) The group that migrated from Muong Bi (in Tan Lacdistrict, Hoa Binh) are called Muong Ngoài people (means coming from outside).Besides, several households moved here from Yen Thuy district (in
Trang 9Hoa Binh) known as a branch of the Bui family that Mr Bui Van Loi is seen as aleader in Luong Ngoc village; iii) The Viet (Kinh) group who has migrated to thecommune at different times, lived together with Muong people and graduallybecome more likethem.
1.3.3 Socio-economic - culturalcharacteristics
1.3.3.1 Economic activities:In Cam Luong commune, Muong group
lives in the hills and low mountains Their livelihoods focus on growing crops,animal husbandry, handicrafts, building materials, and tourism Under the solideconomic growth and science and technology achievements, the Muong peoplehave improved their knowledge of farming in wet fields, planting sugar cane,doing side jobs, livestock and poultry breeding, and strengthening the tourismeconomy to build on their newlife
1.3.3.2 Social characteristics
After the August Revolution (1945), the Muong organization wasabolished and replaced by the model of communes - hamlets; Cam Luongcommune used to belong to Dong Minh commune In early 1947, Dong Minhcommune was changed its name to Cam Giang commune, consisting of 12hamlets, including Kim Mam, Luong Thuan, Luong Hoa, and Luong Ngoc By
1964, Cam Giang commune was divided into two communes namely CamLuong and Cam Giang Cam Luong commune comprises five hamlets includingLuong Ngoc, Kim Mam, Luong Hoa, Luong Thuan, and Xu added to thecommune (used to belong to Cam Thach commune) In 2007, Kim Mam wasdivided into two villages namely Kim Mam 1 and Kim Mam 2 As a result, CamLuong commune consisted of six villages In 2018, Kim Mam 1 merged withKim Mam 2 to become Kim Mam village, Luong Hoa merged with Luong Thuan
to form Hoa Thuan village Accordingly, Cam Luong commune includes fourvillages: Xu Xuyen, Kim Mam, Luong Ngoc, and HoaThuan
Muong people come from different clans such as Cao, Truong, Pham,Bui Each clan gathers around foothills or rivers and streams Those clans usuallymeet officially once a year However, there is hardly any population structurerecently with the same bloodline in a village
From the socio-political organization, Muong community in Cam Luongcommune is managed by the State administrative system; each village is under aParty Cell’s leadership; the village head is in charge of its administration; otherorganizations/unions are responsible for various aspects/activities inthecommunity
1.3.3.3 Culturalfeatures
Material cultureincludes food, clothing, housing.
Spiritual culture/beliefs: Muong people’s cultural activities/beliefs are
diverse, including folk music, rituals of a year, beliefs (such as ancestor
Trang 10worship, worship of Earth God, Snake God, and Fish God), and their customs(such as weddings and funerals)
Summary of Chapter 1
In the section, having discussed the literature review, the author indicatesthat those studies have clarified the Muong ethnic group’s material culture (food,stilt houses, costumes) and their spiritual practices (beliefs, marriage, funerals).Nonetheless, most of them have focused on Muong people in Hoa Binh and PhuTho Little research on Muong group in Cam Luong commune, Cam Thuydistrict, Thanh Hoa is known, and few studies of this kind have been attempted
to conduct Hence, more research on the Muong in the region isneeded
At this juncture, the thesis has defined key terminology mentioned in thethesis Besides, the author employs theories and research methodologies inaccordance with the thesis content to reach the expected objectives
In Cam Luong commune, Muong people, who had originated fromvarious ancestors, have resettled in the region and developed into villages for along time Their critical livelihood is wet-rice agriculture and shifting cultivation(also known as slash-and-burn agriculture) in the uplands Since 2004, ThanhHoa Provincial People’s Committee has approved the detailed planning for theconstruction and development of Cam Luong sacred fish stream for tourism,which has attracted tens of thousands of tourists every year As a result, Muongpeople’s lives have significantly improved due to tourism services in the region
In addition, the Muong’s have rich and diverse spiritual and materialculturalactivities
Chapter 2 RITES OF PASSAGE 2.1 Birthritual
2.1.1 Perspectives on childbirth andchildren
Under Muong people’s perspectives, a happy family has many children,especially many sons Therefore, they want their children to get married early tohave many descendants in the future Besides, they believe that having manychildren boosts their family’s status among their clans and other people in theregion In addition, the more children in a family, the more adult earners/workersthe family is likely to have Moreover, the more kids a family has, the morepeople there are to take care of their parents in their old age On top of that, theMuong always wish to give birth to sons since they consider sons to be a refugefor their parents to lean on when they are old and the peopletoworshiptheirparentswhentheydie.Additionally,familieswithmanysons
Trang 11will be asked for their ideas in resolving critical issues in the village such asbuilding a new house, being matchmakers, and collaborative work The notionthat has long existed in the Muong community has pushed women into amiserable situation when they could not give birth to a son As a result, familieswithout a son have to request their son-in-law to live with them Also, they tend
to choose their son-in-law in families with many sons
2.1.2 Taboos during pregnancy andchildbirth
Muong people believe that a woman has to abstain from numerous thingssuch as food, drinks, and her daily activities during her pregnancy During herpregnancy, a woman should/should not do various things such as be alwayshappy, avoid anger, not eat dead animals, abstain from eating snails so that herbabies will have teeth Besides, she should avoid eating bamboo shoots so thather babies will have limbs; not drink water from a pipe that is cut beveled itsedges so that her babies will be born with a cleft lip; avoid eating male goats(bucks) and drakes so that her babies will be not adulterous or will not commitsexual immorality Moreover, a pregnant woman should not jump over a waterhole to avoid miscarriage; not chop and pull rattan and forest plants so that herbabies will not be born with convulsions She also shoud not sit on steps to a stilthouse, not participate in festivals and rituals in her village, avoid attendingweddings so that her babies will not be unlucky in her love, and not attendfunerals to avoid cold air from the dead, affecting thefetus
If the pregnant woman is healthy, her family does not perform anyrituals In case she is not healthy (such as getting sick, fetal growth restriction),the family will invite a shaman/exorcist to perform an exorcismritual
2.1.3 Birthrituals
Muong women usually give birth in various positions such as sitting, sitting with their backs against the wall, or kitchen post Right after hergiving birth, her family will perform a ritual to worship and show their gratitude
half-to “Bà Mụ”3for her help and protection so that both mom and her baby are safe.After the ritual, the mother mus drink a sip of cold water and eat a bit cold rice,and then she will chew little rice and feed the baby The midwife will put a smallred thread around the baby’s neck Besides, a red square cloth will be hung infront of the kitchen door For those women that have difficulties in delivery,Muong people will invite a shaman to worship their ancestors and “Bà Mụ” toask for their protection so that the mother and her baby will be safe Those ritualsare usually performed simply In addition, they will invite an experiencedmidwife to help the mother in her givingbirth
3 Translator’s explanation: A Goddess is the one who is always present to help women when they are giving birth.
Trang 122.1.4 After-birthrituals
2.1.4.1 “Lễ đầy cữ”4(Full moon ceremony of a baby’s 7/9 dayold)
When a baby boy is 07-day old or a baby girl is 9-day old, the family
will perform a ritual called “Cúng ra chờng”, which is called “Pảo cơm đủ” by
Muong people They usually hold a big ceremony for this event with varioustypes of offerings such as chicken, sticky rice, betel leaves and areca fruits, andwine as offerings placed on the ancestor altar to inform and ask them for theirprotection and blessings to the baby There is often two a table of offerings; one
is for worshipping Vua Bếp (Kitchen God); the other one that is placed in themiddle of the house is for praying to “bà Mụ” and performing “lễ đầy cữ” for thebaby (7/9 day ceremony) In this ceremony, the family has to invite “ông Mo” (aritual practitioner in their village) to perform the ritual In case the family is notable to invite “ông Mo”, they have to ask a shaman in other villages instead since
if the family members do not know how to say prayers, their ancestors and Mụbà’s soul/spirit will not hear their prayers/worshipping and not come to theirhouse After the ritual, “ông Mo” prays and invites “bà Mụ” (Goddesses) toenjoy the offerings, witness the baby’s naming ceremony and ask for herprotection for the baby’s soul so that he/she will grow up healthily and safely.Besides, “ông Mo” will perform a rite of putting a red thread around the baby’swrist by placing a red thread on the altar and praying to their ancestors forallowing the baby’s soul to enter the red thread so that his/her soul and formingbody will be the whole Accordingly, he/she will be healthy, safe, and kept awayfrom exorcists/evilspirits
2.1.4.2 “Lễ đầy tháng” (Full-monthcerebration)
When a child turns to one-month-old, his/her family celebrates his/her
full-month celebration, also known as “lễ ăn mừng thôn” (can be interpreted as a
baby blessing ceremony celebrated in the village) On this occasion, the baby’sfamily prepares trays of offerings to their ancestors and “bà Mụ” (Goddesses).The child is taken out in front of the ancestral altar, then a shaman prays to theancestors and the Goddesses as well as inviting them to enjoy the offerings,asking for their blessings to the baby so that he/she will be a good child and grow
up healthily and safely In Hoa Binh, a baby’s grandparents on her/his mother’sside will prepare a lot of blankets and clothes to celebrate their grandchild’s birthand daughter Besides, they will give their grandchild asilver
4 Translator’s explanation: “Cữ” is usually understood as a time needed for a mother to take a rest and recover after long months of being pregnant and giving birth with difficulties, stress, pain, and tiredness For Muong people, “cữ” means a period needed for a baby to be officially introduced to his/her anscestors and asked for their protection The baby is also named on this
occasion Accordingly, “lễ đầy cữ’can be understood asthe full moon ceremony of a baby’s 7/9 dayold.
Trang 13bracelet to keep him/her stay away from bad lucks and sickness Remarkably,his/her grandmother makes him/her clothes and gives him/her lucky money.However, those features are different from those in a baby’s full-monthceremony celebrated by the Muong group in Cam Luong commune since theceremony, a baby’s paternal side will not invite her/his maternal side but thepaternal relatives and neighbors The maternal side will officially celebrate thechild’s birth in “lễ cầu vía”5.
2.1.4.3 Namingceremony
Naming ceremony, also known as “Làm vía đặt tên cho trẻ” UnderMuong people’s view, during a child’s one-year old, he/she is not old enough tobecome an independent individual; hence, he/she will not have a name When he/she is old enough, his/her grandparents on the father’s side will name him/her
In Cam Luong, before naming a baby, his/her parents have to ask thepaternal and maternal side whether anyone has/had the name that will be given tothe child during the three generations In case someone has/had that name, theymust choose another name for the baby After choosing a suitable name for thechild, a shaman will pray to the ancestors, gods, and the Goddesses for namingthe child From now on, the child has an official name In case the baby is theeldest son in his family, his parents will be addressed by the son’s name
2.1.3.3 Nghi lễ cầu vía(see footnote 5below)
In Cam Luong, a child is born and taken care of by his/her paternalfamily Only after his /her maternal family performs “lễ cầu vía”, he/she isallowed to visit the maternal side After the two sides of the families agree on theday of performing “lễ cầu vía”, the maternal side, the matchmaker, and the youngmen/woman carry offerings to the paternal house to visit the child For theMuong group, the ceremony often consists of two trays, one for their ancestorsand the other for the child’s spirit “Ông Mo” (a ritual practitioner), whoperforms the ritual, is believed to be a good and famous one in the region andinvited by the child’s maternal side The ritual normally follows various stages:Addressing the name of the child’s spirit, telling him/her the reason for the rite,inviting and convincing him/her to come to the rite, requesting him/her to enjoyofferings, telling him/her to enter his/her formin body before finishing theofferings, lulling him/her to sleep with sweet dreams, putting a red thread aroundthe child’s wrist, and Grandparents on his/her mother’s side help the child wearclothes and necklace
5 “Lễ cầu vía” is a rite performed to invite a baby’s soul to come and enter the baby’s forming body so that they will be the whole.