On April 25, at the Plei Oi National Historical and Cultural Relic Site, the People's Committee of Chu A Thai commune (Gia Lai province) organized a rain praying ceremony with many rich and diverse cultural activities.
The Yang Pơtao Apui rain praying ceremony takes place on the top of the god mountain Chu Tao Yang. Due to the limited number of people going up the mountain to ensure sacredness, the entire ceremony is livestreamed by the Organizing Committee on a large screen, helping people and tourists to watch from afar.
The worshiping ceremony is performed by 2 assistants of the Last Dynasty Fire King, Siu Pho and Ro Lan Hieo, to pray for favorable weather, good harvests, and people having a prosperous and happy life.
Offerings included a 70 kg black pig carried up the mountain for slaughter on the spot, a jar of wine, a candle made of beeswax, and a plate of rice.
In a sacred atmosphere, 2 assistants of the Fire King sit opposite each other, starting the ritual. When Mr. Siu Pho read the prayer and scooped water into the jar, Mr. Ro Lan Hieo slowly stood up, performing the xoang movement like an eagle taking off. The sound of gongs and drums echoed throughout the mountains and forests, sending prayers to the gods.
Along with the rain praying ceremony is a cultural and sports competition with many rich contents: gong performances, weaving performances, brocade weaving, statue carving and sports competitions such as crossbow shooting, stilt walking...
Coming to the festival, visitors have the opportunity to visit and shop at the agricultural product fair with 13 booths of villages, hamlets, associations, and unions in the commune and neighboring communes.
Mr. Pham Van Luong - Chairman of Chu A Thai Commune People's Committee said: "Through the worshiping ceremony, the locality wishes to promote the image, people, and introduce the tourism development potential of the commune to promote investment attraction, cooperation, and links with localities inside and outside the province.
