Cấp sắc Ritual - an important ritual in the spiritual life of the Nung ethnic group. The Cấp sắc Ritual of the Nung people is a ritual for people who are capable of becoming shamans. People who are granted the title must meet many different standards (they must have morality, have social knowledge) and be loved, trusted, and recognized by everyone in the community for their maturity. Cấp sắc Ritual is an important, big event in a man's life. People who are granted the title will be allowed to participate in practicing religious ritual activities in the Nung ethnic community. According to the concept of the Nung ethnic group, only people with "roots" can be granted the title. Being granted the title means making the house and oneself proud, so the person granted the title, along with his family and clan, must prepare carefully for months in advance. The first step is to choose a good day, a good month and prepare offerings such as: goat, pig, chicken, rice, wine, white cloth, red cloth, colored paper... Each item has its own regulations on quantity, no shortage, no excess. The main priests performing the ceremony include: Taoist priests, Buddhist priests, sorcerers and assistant priests. The beginning of the ceremony is to report to the ancestors of the family, to report to the saints, and to the heavenly officials about a major event of the family. The Buddhist priest opens the way to heaven to welcome the ancestors and ancestors of the family to attend the ceremony, to pray to dispel conflicts and bad luck for the family through small ceremonies: reporting to the ancestors, reporting to the Jade Emperor, offering gifts, and offering incense. Next are the ceremonies such as: the birth ceremony of the person receiving the ceremony, the ceremony of giving tools to disciples, the ceremony of reading the royal decree, dispelling bad luck, rewarding the army, sending off the saints, the ceremony of thanking the ancestors and the gods for supporting and allowing the priests to perform the ceremony of granting titles and giving gifts to the person receiving the titles. The most important is the birth ceremony of the Huong child (the ceremony for the person receiving the title) which begins at midnight. After the child was born, the monks held a ceremony to worship the ghosts, fed him, cut his hair, combed his hair, and pricked his head with a needle as a warning and instruction to help him understand everything. The Cấp sắc Ritual has great value in the spiritual life of the Nung ethnic group. Because the ceremony has the meaning of educating morality and personality, reminding each person to maintain a respectful and orderly lifestyle in the community and to be grateful to their ancestors and the gods who have protected them. The Cấp sắc Ritual is like a big stage: performing various forms of singing, spirit mediumship, and performances. After receiving the Cấp sắc, the person receiving the Cấp sắc becomes a shaman. With that meaning, the Cấp sắc Ritual of the Nung ethnic group in Thai Nguyen province has been decided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be listed in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“Ay lay” is the ritual of “working together in the village, building the village together”. This is a traditional ritual of the Dao Ho people held to pray for the gods to bless them with favorable weather and good harvests in the place where the people established the village. Every year, the Dao Ho people in Van Ban hold the Village Prayer Ceremony 3 times on the 2nd of February, 6th of June and 12th of December, of which the 6th of June ceremony is the biggest. Because this is the mid-year ceremony, reporting to the gods and the land spirits the results the village has achieved in the first 6 months of the year and the offerings to the gods are also more complete. The offering tray includes: a bowl of rice for the incense burner, three packages of rice, three cups of wine, a bowl of mixed rice and sticky rice, for the shaman to pray for luck for the village. When praying, the shaman calls the names of 7 gods, including the Jade Emperor, the Thunder God, the Village Lord, the God of the Land, the God of Human Souls, and the God of Rice, to witness and bless the whole village. Although the village prayer ceremony is held many times a year, the content and process of the ceremony are relatively consistent. Before the day of the village prayer ceremony, the village head chooses a good day and selects a shaman trusted by the villagers. The shaman must wear traditional costumes and bring a prayer book to perform the ceremony. The ceremony is held at the village head's house. Offerings such as chickens, pigs, white wine, rice, etc. are contributed by families, then gathered at a prestigious household in the community that has been selected in advance to prepare for the ceremonies. It is stipulated that a village prayer ceremony requires at least 3 living objects to be offered to the gods. However, families usually offer to the gods about 6 living objects, including 1 pig and 5 chickens. The offerings in the ceremony are all produced by the local people. From early morning, the villagers gathered at the village chief's house to prepare offerings to invite the shaman to perform the ceremony. Depending on the occasion, the shaman will have a prayer in the Dao language. The prayers must express gratitude to the above and pray for the protection and blessing of the gods for the village. After the village prayer ceremony ends, the villagers together organize a feast at the village chief's house to connect with each other and strengthen community sentiment. The Village Praying Ritual shows the attitude of the Dao people towards nature, not cutting down forests but respecting and protecting nature, so it has value in protecting nature and the environment. In 2018, the Áy lay Village Praying Ritual of the Ho Dao was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea In this performance, an exorcist disguised as an ox prays for a good harvest, good commercial business, and success for children. It is presumed that the performance started during the Joseon Period (1392 – 1910). This performance is preceded by Jeseokgeori (Ritual Song for the Deity Jeseok) that is said to control things relating to longevity, grains, clothes and fortune/misfortune. It used to be held in Giho and Haeseo, Hwanghae-do. The performance starts around sunset and continues until the daybreak of the following day. Six female exorcists play janggo (hourglass-shaped drum), jing (large gong), jeo (bamboo flute), and piri (flute). Eight fabric straps are hung from above indicating the path through which Eight Heavenly Maids will descend. At the bottom of the fabrics are placed eight tubs, where the fairies will take a bath. An exorcist disguised as Sambuljeseok (Three Heavenly Deities) in a white robe and a hat sings a song about how he arranged the foundation of Joseon as instructed by the Jade Emperor of Heaven. By this time, a cowman appears, leading a cow. The performance ends with a scene of the deity Jeseok taking a trip to Seocheon Seoyeokguk (ancient India), while patrolling officers engage in a round of dance. Buddhist deities appearing in the performance, including Sambuljeseok Buddha, are a unique sight that cannot be found in any other exorcism performances. Pyeongsan Sonoreumgut (Shamanic Ox Performance of Pyeongsan, Hwanghae-do) was able to be maintained thanks to Jang Bo-bae, an exorcist from Pyeongsan, who continued the performance after the country’s liberation. As an event strongly influenced by Buddhism, the performance also combines elements of entertainment and high artistic quality. It serves as an occasion to pray for the happiness of local people and to strengthen the ties among them.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Yeonjukjang refers to the skill of making a long smoking pipe, or to an artisan with such a skill. It is said that yeonjuk (a long smoking pipe) was first made after the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592 – 1598), when tobacco was introduced to Korea through Japan. Dongnae, Busan, which used to be the country’s center for trade with Japan, was a leading place for production of yeonjuk. Yeonjuk consists of the mouthpiece, the bowl, and the long, thin stem. The bowl that contains the tobacco has to withstand heat. It is made of copper, tin, nickel-copper or very rarely, china. The mouthpiece is made of jade, ivory or ox horn. When making the nickel-copper used in the production of a smoking pipe, an alloy of copper (58%), nickel (37%) and zinc (5%) is made. If the nickel content is high, it appears to be white. The alloy is beaten to make a very thin piece, and the parts are soldered. The work requires an exquisite level of workmanship. Pipes with blue embellishments made in Dongnae and those made in Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Yeonghae, Ulsan, and Yecheon are famous. The workmanship is still handed down in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do and Anseong, Gyeonggi-do.