ALL
pagoda wood
ICH Elements 5
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Pithi Bon Sob (Funeral Ceremony)
People in the world believe in the incarnation, and in order to be reborn, relatives and friends have to perform many ceremonies dedicated to their beliefs; however, the practice of this tradition varies from nation to nation. Even within Cambodia may vary by region. In the city or town, the body is usually cremated immediately within a few days after the death and the ashes are collected. This can be explained by the fact that the location and lifestyle required this. In some areas, after death, the body is permanently buried. In other areas, especially the Angkor region, Siem Reap, whether rich or poor, a deceased person must go through two major ceremonies. In the first stage, when death occurs, it is very important to perform a funeral one to two days, after the body is buried in the grave for at least a year. The locals understand that this is to let the earth embrace the body and feed the animals, that is, let the soil and water (adjacent to the soil) dissolve the body one step at a time. When the flesh is rotten, only the bones are left, and then the bones are burned and the air finally dissolves. This is because the human body is made up of four elements: water, earth, fire and air, and when dissolved it is made up of these four elements. According to the locals, the feeding of animals does not refer to vultures or other animals, but to earthworms. When a Chinese diplomat named Chiv Takwan arrived in Angkor in the 13th century, he wrote “a human corpse is placed in the wood to be eaten by animals”, it is believed that the soul will be incarnated faster”. Whatever the tradition, the main reason is how to get the dead person to reincarnate. The second stage is the cremation. Before the ceremony, the priest must do the ritual of "Yorng Sob" which is to remove the bones from the pit, wash them, pack them in rags, and wrap them in another mat, then place them on a tree trunk. After that, they arrange a joint cremation on the field. Because the burial was made long ago before the cremation and it is a joint cremation, so they could choose the day and the month as they wish. Cremation is usually held during the month of Phalkun, and although the ceremony lasts for several days, the day of the cremation has to be on "Ronoch". In general, this cremation is very solemn because it is held together by many families with about 10 to 100 corpses. In the case of any family with sufficient resources or the corpse of the former chief priest of the pagoda, it can be done separately, but it is very rare. The funeral lasts for 3 nights and 3 days. On the first night, they started a ritual called “stealing the corps” by taking the corpse (the package of bones from the Yorng Sob task) and hanging it on a tree or putting it in Saley cart until the evening of the third day before the corpse procession to the funeral hall or crematorium or "Phnom Yorng " or called "Meru") in the Khmer language. In the morning, on the first day, elders, priests and relatives of all the corpses prepare according to their respective duties and affordability. Achar (Priest) Yogi draws 12 soul flags, Achar organizes Buddha altars and an eight-story pavilion. Grandmas prepare Bay Betabor, Bay Sey and Sla Tor and men Jak Jek, making sand mountain, making Rean Nim Reach or Rean Puth Kun and Phnom Yong. Whereas, young women prepare spices, fish, meat for cooking and baking. On the same day, the initiator of the festival brings “Kroeung Bonlong” to a nun who has a role of "Keas Junh Jean Tbong". A priest ordains a man who will “Buos Mok Plerng”. Another priest performed the ritual of calming the coffin by measuring a banana vine and sprinkling water on the coffin. In the afternoon (around 3 PM), Acha Yogi performs Krong Pali. The next ritual is to raise the Aphitorm flag and the crocodile flag. The work is solemn as there is "Chark Ho." Later, seven monks recite prayers and performed sermons, and the next work is “Apisek” on Buddha statue. The ritual ends with a performance on the scene which “Socheata took honey “Mathubayeas” to give to the Buddha. In the early morning of the second day, arriving at the funeral hall, they piled up the sand, from a nearby pond to build a mountain with perfect decoration. According to the elders, the sand mountains represent the stupas in the Trinity. After that, the priests and elders performed the ordination ceremony of the sand mountain. On the second day, from about 3 to 4 pm, they prepare a reception. Traditionally, they often make Num Banjok “Khmer noodles” for the reception. It was about 4:30 when the corpse procession leaves the place where it was kept and enter the festival hall. The procession was followed by ritual items. The nun wears a gem ring, sitting in the front row, while the relatives of the corpse carry pole of Balong, and there is a monk sitting on a wheelless cart carried by men. Next, relatives were strapped by Sbov Pleang knot to a Somley cart, and four monks sit on the cart. If it is a procession of the body of the King or the body of the high priest, chariot is decorated and designed as a dragon or phoenix. Upon entering the Pnum Yorng, they process three rounds around the mountain. Then, Achar Yogi and Achar Phluk, they perform prayers and prayers in front of the Rean Puth Kun. Relatives of the corpses placed fragrant vines under the coffin. They make gods to come down and offer fire, and firecrackers were set on fire to run and set the coffin on fire. While worshiping, the Acha-yogi sits chanting dharma on the east side. As for the four Achar Pluk, they sit and chant dharma in the halls of each direction. The Keas Jun Jean Tbong nun meditates next to the funeral hall. This meditation session is to see which corpses have been received Balong and which corpses have not yet been received. After the cremation, Achar Yogi and Achar Phluk take banana leaves and a krama to cover the bones mixed with charcoal and rotate the Popil for the corpse. Later, the "transformation" ritual is the most important, Achar Yogi draw a human form and start a ritual for the corpse. Then Popil rotation ritual will be started, the relatives of the corpse collect the ashes, wash them with coconut water and put the ashes in a Krama hammock, and sing a lullaby to put the ashes to sleep as if putting the baby to sleep too. All ashes will be taken by relatives to keep at home for a while. The main rituals can be said to be over now, but the cremation ceremony will be completed on the morning of the third day, Rorb Bart ceremony and unrope sand mountain. So far, it is believed that the souls are not in peace yet, it is required to have one more ritual called interment of ashes. However, some families could not afford to keep the ashes at the stupa or under the temple grounds, they only do minor ritual. But if the family of the deceased has a prosperous life, they will hold another burial ceremony.
Cambodia -
Đồng Kỵ Festival Village
Đồng Kỵ village festival, also known as the firecracker festival, held from the 3rd to the 7th of January, is a famous festival throughout the country because it maintains its unique traditions. The most common Festival custom is the firecracker procession. This ceremony seeks to reenact and remember the events of the day that troops were instructed to combat the enemy known as Xích Quỷ by Saint Thiên Cương, the general who was thereafter revered by the villagers as their tutelary god. On the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year, the worship team performs a naturalization worship ceremony. On the 4th day, the villagers process the Saint: Emperor Thiên Cương, Bà Chính cung (Empress Thuần Nhã), and Concubine (Princess Nguyệt Loan), from the temple (Sinh từ quán) to the communal house to hold the festival. The most prominent is the procession of two "cannon men" around the village. The two "firecrackers" are made from wood, and lacquered with gold, each firecracker is 6m long, 0.6m in diameter, attached with dragon - unicorn - turtle - phoenix symbols and decorative firecrackers around. The procession returns to the communal house, the Saint's palanquin, two "cannons" are placed in the communal house's yard, the internal mandarins and the altar committee perform the ritual. After the 4 Quan Đám đỏ (those who reached the age of 51 in 4 different "Giáp" - symbolizing the 4 generals of the Saint), representing the 4 armors who had just finished the ceremony, were crowned by the boys with their bare bodies and red loincloths. Help carry the palanquin to the communal house yard. Hundreds of armored men cheered, lifted Mr. Đám up high, and ran around, counterclockwise, in the yard between the communal house, pagoda, and spring tower. The shirtless men are responsible for keeping Mr. Đám from falling while moving around the courtyard. Mr. Đám wears red clothes and a red scarf like a brilliant flower dancing high above. During the festival, a number of folk games and arts such as Quan Họ singing, wrestling, chess, and cockfighting are participated and cheered by many people.
Viet Nam -
Lkhon Sbaek Thom (Large Shadow Theatre)
There are three types of "shadow theater: large shadow theater, small shadow theater, and colored shadow theatre. "Large Shadow Puppet or Lkhon Sbaek Thom" is one of the oldest and most revered theaters in the country. It is interesting that in the inscription of Wat Baseth (K, 78) written in AD. 668 and 677 with the word "tokkatak" and the inscription of Kork Chak temple (K. 155) in the 7th century CE, there was the word "tokk tor", which are now called "tokkaktar". A picture that can be held up or down or a drawing that plays a story. Although it is not possible to confirm that this word is an ancient Khmer word called for "shadow theater", but it is also a proof or idea for consideration. The Lkhon Sbaek Thom only plays the story of Reamker, which is an ancient epic, and because the story of Reamker is too long, the whole story is never performed. Therefore, it is only excerpted the scene only. Traditionally, Lkhon Sbaek Thom is performed only in large ceremonies that are characterized by faith, devotion, prayer, and so on. Major ceremonies with large shadows include the Royal Cremation Ceremony and the Royal Family, Samdech Preah Sangkhareach, Chao Athikar Wat, Coronation Ceremony, and Birthday Celebration of the King, Chao Athikar Wat .... As for the ceremonies in the villages and districts, there are burial ceremonies in Khan Seima, the Inauguration Ceremony of the Buddha Statue, the ceremony for various achievements in the pagoda, Bon Phum, and so on. Lkhon Sbaek Thom is performed with a white canvas, about 2-3 meters wide, about 8-10 meters long, stretching about 1 meter above the ground. Behind the white cloth, there is a fireplace about 1 meter above the ground for lighting to illuminate the skin on the white cloth. Before the performance, they have to hold a ceremony to offer and pray to the masters and the souls. In that ceremony, a puppet shadow is put in front of the stage, and the most important image is Ey Sei, which is placed in the center and accompanied by the main characters, such as Noreay Pleng Sor, Preah Ream, Krong Reap, Hanuman, etc. In front of the skin, they prepare offerings of Bay Sei, Sla Thor, bananas, Mlu Sla, flowers, candles, incense, and rice ... as well as a bowl of blessing water. During the ceremony, all the performers must come and light candles and incense, with a teacher leading the prayer ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, the performance begins with the performer (also known as the "Neak Jert Sbaek") picking up a piece of Sbaek that is already arranged according to the story, places it next to the white cloth to reflect the shadows, and move it up and down with the rhythm of the music, accompanied by a narrative voice. In a fighting scene, the Sbaek are placed one on top of the other, or sometimes the two Sbaek are pressed against each other, slightly apart from the canvas, in order to make the fighting scene more realistic, leaving the two skins behind the performers to turn to a fight, pretend that the Sbaek is fighting like that. The audience can easily understand the story of the large shadow drama because of the narrator. That is why the narrator has a very important role. The narrators are usually old people who know the story well, although sometimes they have to look to the Sastra for help. Narrators sometimes have one and sometimes two to correspond. The words that are said are a collection of words, a poem and a list of words. The best narrator is one who uses humorous words to make the audience laugh. The fire that accompanies the large shadow theater is the music of Pin Peat ensemble. Usually, the skins for the large shadow theatre are made of cow skin, but according to some opinions, the main characters such as Ey Sei, Eyso and Noreay in ancient times were made from the skins of big tigers or bears, because these characters have higher power than the other characters. Freshly peeled skin is first cleaned and "killed" by staining the ashes and soaking in boiling water. The type of wood that is used to soak the leather is mixed with a strong sour and bitter wood so that it gives the leather color, lasts a long time and prevents insects from eating. Then the leather is carved into pictures according to the desired story. When carved, the bark is boiled to make ink to turn the leather brown, and the most important bark is the middle bark. Finally, a bamboo stick is used to tie the leather vertically, using one or two bamboo strips the size of the figure to hold the skin so that the leather can be held for the performance. According to research reports, between the 1960s-70s, there are large shadow theater groups in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang. In 1965, the large shadow theater troupe was formed in the traditional dance troupe under the "National Preservation of Performance" and later become the "Department of Performing Arts", now under the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In addition to the large shadow theater group of the Department of Performing Arts, there are also large shadow groups of the Arts Associations and Communities such as large shadow group, Sovannaphum Arts Association (Phnom Penh), Kork Thlok Arts Association (Phnom Penh), Wat Reach Bo (Siem Reap), Large shadow troupe Lok Ta Ty Chien (Siem Reap), large shadow group Lok Ta Hing (Siem Reap) and Banteay Meanchey Provincial Department of Culture.
Cambodia -
Bon Om Tok (The water festival)
“The Royal Water Festival” is a major national festival that Cambodians across the country celebrate every year. Because this is a national festival organized by the Royal Government, the main center for the ceremony is in Phnom Penh, Chaktomuk river in front of the Royal Palace. In the provinces, villages, districts and pagodas, this ceremony is also held according to their ability and resources. Every year, the Water Festival is held on the 14th Kert, 15th Kert and 1st Roach day of the Kadeuk month (lunar calendar), and people from everywhere come to participate in this festival in large numbers. In this festival, there are 3 big events: boat racing, lantern floating ceremony, and Ok Ambok ceremony to worship the moon god. Boat Race: Boats that are used for racing are called “Tuk Ngor” which consist of two types of boats: Tuk Ngor and Tuk Chev. Today, most pagodas have Tuk Ngor. Some pagodas have only Tuk Om or Tuk Chev and some pagodas have both types of boats. Touk Ngor is a village or a community’s property. Since it is a communal ‘s property, the Touk is placed and taken care of by monks and the pagoda. Villagers will train and join the race. Before the Water Festival arrives, villages are gathered to train because the racers are not professional athletes. They usually do work for a living and come to train only when the race is approaching. During the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, they have to do the selection from their own village. Some pagodas or villages in the district hold this boat race during Pchum Ben and some race on the day of Chenh Preah Vossa for people to watch and celebrate the festival. On the day of the Water Festival, only the winning boats for each village and district representative will be taken to join the race in Phnom Penh. The boat race lasts for 3 days. In general, the number of boats participating in the race each year is about 400 to 600 boats, and each boat is drawn to select a competitor organized by the race organizing committee. Each boat requires to race twice, once in the outer stream and against the inner stream. The race starts from Chroy Changvar Bridge and runs along the water in front of the Royal Palace at Dum Nak Pear (royal port), which is the final and the place where the King and his entourage sit and watch. The winning boats from the first day and the second day must go to the race on the third day, which is the final day. At the end of the race, there is an important task called“Cut Proit" celebrated by the Baku Brahmins at the Royal Palace. The sword for the cut consists of the swords kept in the Royal Palace and four other swords kept by the Brahmin family in Baray District, Kampong Thom Province. Each day the king came to be the preside and watch the boat race at the port pavilion in front of the royal palace. Besides, there is also the royal Family, prime ministers, the president of the national assembly, diplomats, and many more dignitaries. Lantern Floating Ceremony: Every night of the Royal Water Festival, there is always Pror Tip Jvea Lea floating on the water for people to visit and enjoy. The figure decorated with lights are usually arranged on boats or large ships, designed as symbols of ministries or institutions or of private companies, and decorated with colorful light bulbs. In some rural areas, people also float lanterns along rivers, lakes or ponds in pagodas, etc. The small lanterns are made of banana trees or banana leaves decorated with flowers and candles. Ork Ombok Sompeah Preah Khae ceremony: On the night of the middle of the Royal Water Festival, which falls on the full moon day, there is another important ceremony, "Ok Ambok Sompeah Preah Khae”. Whether it is a house, a pagoda or a royal palace, offerings are always prepared for the ceremony. The main offerings were Ambok (pounding rice grain), banana, coconut, and sugar cane, as well as candles, incense, and flowers. In the countryside, many villagers Dal (pounding) the Ambok by themselves. In addition to preparing offerings at home, the villagers bring bananas and young coconuts to the abbot in the temple, and the abbot also arranges the Ambok on a pedestal dish and five young coconuts for the monks. Then the monk began to pray and spread the Ambok to young and old Buddhists is a sign that the fruits are abundant. When the monks finished chanting, the Buddhists came out to celebrate the Ok Ambok ceremony. Traditionally, the Ok Ambok ceremony begins at midnight, when the full moon rotates above the head. But today, in pagodas, people often start the Ok Ambok ceremony late at night, as Buddhists will soon return home. Before the Ok Ambok ceremony begins, one of the most important tasks is to "drain the candles." This is done at the Royal Palace and in the pagodas across the country. The main purpose of the candle draining is to predict the rain and agriculture harvesting in the coming season. The way to drain a candle is to insert a row of candles, about one inch apart, on a long candle holder made of bamboo or wood, and at the northern end, there are often carved dragon heads. The candles in the Royal Palace depend on the number of provinces. There can be 24 or 25 candles, that is, after the Brahmins have finished praying, they light them. The candles are turned upside down. If the candles representing the province burn the most, it is predicted that the province will have lots of rain. But in some areas of the countryside, there may be many candles, all of them 108, which is a very lucky number in the ancient Khmer tradition. At other pagodas, for example at Wat Taing Krasang (Brorsam village, Kampong Cham province), there are five candles, but only three are considered important, as the other two candles are smaller. The three candles represent the beginning, middle, and end of the year. After the end of the candle draining ceremony, the Ok Ambok ceremony began. At that time, young and old, men and women, took the Ambok and gave it to each other happily. Therefore, the Ak Ambok Sompeah Preah Khae ceremony refers to the same idea, that is, to have abundant harvests, and only until there is enough rain, the fruits can be reaped.
Cambodia -
Mokjogakjang (Wood Sculpture)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Mokjogakjang refers to the skill of wood sculpture or to an artisan with such a skill. Among the woods commonly used for this skill is paulownia, pine, fir, gingko, zelkova and pagoda wood. It is presumed that wood sculpture started on the Korean Peninsula, mostly on temples and Buddha images, with the introduction of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms Period (circa 57 BC – 668 AD). Many of these wood sculpture works were destroyed during the frequent foreign invasions suffered by Korea. As for the process of wood sculpture production, first a sketch is made on well-dried wood and the remaining parts are cut off. When a rough form is made, the inside is gouged out to prevent cracks or to make a space for inserting ancillary objects according to the custom. Lacquer is applied to the completed object.
South Korea