| Description |
The Ceremonial Drums is a musical instrument and a sacred object in the cultural life of the Mong people in Lao Cai and is only used when someone dies - to send off the soul of the deceased. People call this drum a Ceremonial Drums or a ghost drum. The Mong people in Muong Khuong explain the origin of the drum through ancient stories such as: The drum saved the lives of two Mong brothers in the great flood, or the legend of the Drum and the Khen girl.
Ceremonial Drums are made by the people themselves for the purpose of serving the religious needs of the family and the community, not for sale or exchange. Each family in the village has the obligation to contribute money to buy materials to make the drum. The "care and maintenance" of the Ceremonial Drums is mainly carried out in the form of father to son. The Drums owner must perform a worship ceremony before carrying the drum home, then worship the drum on the first day of the month, along with the occasion of worshiping ancestors. When lending a drum for a funeral, all the borrowing and lending rituals must be followed: regulations for the borrower, returner, pouring wine, presentation, the drum owner talking to the drum before handing it over...
The Drums was born and exists in close association with the Khèn Mông. The Khèn is the instrument of life, of love, and the drum is the instrument of death. The Drums and Khèn pair are indispensable in funeral music. For the Mong people, the sound of the drum is chosen as the music of the underworld. The elderly choose the drum to be used in their funeral. The Drums has become a sacred object, helping to send the soul of the deceased back to their ancestors.
The Drums in the Mong people's rituals is closely associated with folk beliefs, carrying many historical and musical values, reflecting the relationship between the living and the dead. The Ceremonial Drums of the Mong people is still closely associated with their lives and beliefs. |
