Local
Peculiarities of the Ramuwan Festival Among the Vietnamese Cham Bany Religious
Group
Abstract: The Cham people in Vietnam inherited the
cultural history of the ancient country of Champa, which had developed
brilliantly in the past. In the 13th century, the Cham people adopted Islam
during the maritime trade with Malaysia and Indonesia. However, after the
collapse of Champa, the Cham people no longer had contact with international
Islam. Through the historical process of acculturation, Muslim elements
gradually localized and turned into a local religion called Bani. Ramuwan is
the largest festival of the Bani Cham people (called Awal by the Cham people).
They not only practice Islam, but are also influenced by local culture, which
is reflected in the mosques, worship, the name and timing of the Ramuwan
festival, its rituals, costumes and ritual objects.
Keywords: Vietnam, Islam, Cham Bani, Champa,
localization, Ramuwan, Quran, Bani Mosque, fasting month
For citation: Phan Quoc Anh. Local Elements of the Ramu
Van Festival Celebration among the Vietnamese Cham Banh Religious Group. Modern
Oriental Studies. 2023;
1.
Bani Cham people in Vietnam
1.1. Population and place of residence
The Cham
people in Vietnam are also known as Chiêm, Chiêm Thành, Hời, Cam, Champa, Chàm.
The Cham people belong to the Austronesian race, one of the five ethnic races
in Vietnam belonging to the Malayo - Polynesian language family (Malayo -
Polinésien) (Phan 2019).
According to the results of the 2019 population and housing census,
167,729 Cham people are living in central Vietnam. In which, there are 67,274
people in Ninh Thuan province, 34,690 people in Binh Thuan province. The
remaining Cham people inhabit in the South of Vietnam. Among them, Ho Chi Minh
City has 10,000 people, An Giang has the largest number of Cham people, more
than 14,200 (Population and Housing Census of the year of 2019).
The Cham people who follow Balamon have always called themselves
Cham Ahier, while the Bani Cham call themselves Awal Cham (Phan 2006, 11).
Amongst the 67,000 Cham people in Ninh Thuan, the Cham community following Bani
consists of nearly 30,000 people, living in 10 villages, most populous in Xuan
Hai commune, Ninh Hai district and Phuoc Nam commune, Ninh Phuoc district[1].
These 10 Cham Bani villages conduct religious activities in 7 mosque (Thang -
Mwgik). Moreover, in 1962, more than 2,000 Islam people immigrated to Ninh
Thuan[2].
1.2. Origin of the Bani religion
The Cham people in central Vietnam follow two main religions:
Balamonism and Bani. They have adopted Balamonism since establishment of the
country in the first centuries AD. For a long time, the Cham Balamon did not
come into contact with international Balamon, which localised the religon with
many indigenous elements. During the existent period of Champa country, in the
13th century, the Cham people expanded their trade with
Malaysian and Indonesian. As a result, they also adopted Islam. A large number
of Cham Balamon community converted to Islam. After the country of Champa
disbanded, even though Muslim society is patriarchal, with many religious
dignitaries being men, the Cham Bani society as well as the Cham Brahmans in
Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan remained matriarchal.
1.3. Bani mosque
Different from the world mosques which require decorating,
displaying of pictures and statues, keeping empty, high, wide, airy and clean
space, Bani mosques are built in the traditional house style of the Cham
people. Inside the mosque, in addition to the sanctuary (Kanraong) placed
in the center of the western wall, is the place for the Acars to recite the
Kuru-ưn (Qu'ran) during the fasting month of Ramuwan or the
Friday Masses (Harei Jamư-at ).
1.4. Dignitaries Baths
The team of Cham Bani dignitaries (only men) is the Acar system,
including: Mudin, Katip, Imam, Po Gru (the Great monk) (Phan, Phan, Nguyen,
113-114). In which, the highest person is the Grand Master, who has the
ultimate decision-making power in the religious life of each mosque. This team
of dignitaries is in charge of reciting the Kura-un in honor of Po Awloah (God)
and Nabi Mohamah (the angel Mohammed), administering the rituals in the mosque
and taking care of the worship for the followers. Bani dignitaries are
well-educated people who learn to write and read ancient Arabic script to read
the Kura-un and ritual ceremonies.
Although Islam society is a patriarchal and the religious
dignitaries are men, the Cham Bani society as well as the Cham Brahmins in Ninh
Thuan and Binh Thuan today still maintain the matrilineal system.
2.
An overview of Ramưvan Festival of the Cham Bani
2.1. Festival time
Ramưvan
festival is celebrated in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, called the
fasting month. Every year, in the second half of August in the lunar calendar,
all Bani villages eagerly prepare for the festival. Dignitaries prepare
scriptures, costumes and ritual tools, whilst women buy ingredients and fruits
to make cakes, gifts, creating new clothes for children.
According
to the rules of Islamic globally, the fasting month of Ramadan is a quiet
month, focusing only on praying in the mosque, without leisure activities.
However, as for the Cham Bani people, in recent decades, at the end of August
Islamic calendar, cultural and sports activities are organised for the Ramưvan
festival, creating a joyful, jubilant and bustling atmosphere in Cham Bani
villages. If the Kate festival is considered by the Cham Ahier as the
"Tet" of the Brahmin-influenced Cham community, the Ramưvan festival
might be considered as the "Tet" by the Cham Bani.
Ramuwan festival of the Bani Muslim Cham is held in the ninth
month of Islamic calendar. The ceremony consists of two parts: Ancestor
Worship - Pambang Muk Kei, taking place in families (at the end of the
eighth month of Islamic calendar) and Lent - Ramưwan in the mosque (the
ninth month of Islamic calendar).
2.2. Ancestor Worship (Pambăng Muk Kei)
In Cham Bani villages, in the last days of Sha'a ban (the Eighth
month of Islamic calendar)[3],
Ancestor Worshiping Ceremony includes 3 ceremonies: Grave Tending Ceremony
(Kabur rak); Unofficial Ceremony (Da-a laba) and Official Offering Ceremony
(Pambăng Muk Kei).
2.2.1. Grave Tending Ceremony (Kabur rak)
Different
from the Islamic doctrine that only worships the supreme being, Allah (the Cham
people call it Po Âwloah) and his angel, Mohammed, the Cham Bani in Ninh Thuan
still worship polytheists according to the belief in animism. In which, there
are natural gods, gos with meritorious services in history, gods who follow
folk beliefs and especially still uphold the tradition of ancestor worship.
When a Cham Bani pass, they are buried in a cemetery called
Kaburrak. The cemetery of the Cham Bani has its own unique characteristics. The
grave is not protruded, but flat. There are large, round stones put on each
grave and aligned with each other. Cemeteries are usually very wide and flat
land, with big and round rocks painted white, arranged in many long, straight
rows. In the days before Ramưwan, family members perform tend the graves,
cleaning and decorating their relatives' graves, inviting the spirits coming
home to enjoy offerings during the holidays. On the day of the grave tending,
people dressed in the most beautiful costumes gather at the cemetery. Whilst
men carry hoes, water cans and ceremonial items, women wear trays of betel nut
(Thon Hala), made of bamboo, and rattan (Nđôn Ganhaong, also known as Nđôn
Sula) and other kinds of offerings, holding a papyrus mat (ciew bang) for Acar
dignitaries. They pull weeds, clean graves, and paint the stones white. The
Acar dignitaries sat in a long line along the rows of grave stones, carry out
self-baptism rituals and prayed to the saints for permission to perform the
ceremony. After completing the baptism ritual, wearing costumes, wrapping
towels, they perform the ritual of cleansing the graves, by pouring holy water
(ia gar)[4] on
the tomb stone and reciting prayers. Next is the ceremony of applying a mixture
of water and orange bark powder onto the stone slab (luk ia kalik spray kruơc).
In the smoke of fragrant incense, the Acar dignitaries and the deacons of the
clan sit in rows along the tombs, chanting long prayers drawn from the Kuru-ưn (Qu’ran)
in Arabic language. People in the clans kneel, put their hands on their heads
and bow in front of the graves of their ancestors and families.
The offerings in the ceremony of the tending grave ceremony are
pieces of betel nut Dam-Dara, areca and lime are embedded on half
of a betel leaf. These pieces of betel nut were prepared by women in the
families from midnight until morning. At the end of the recitation, the Acar
dignitaries hand over to the clans, and everyone to pray and bow.
2.2.2. Unofficial ancestor worship (Da-a laba)
While the
people perform the burial ceremony in the cemetery, some of the women who
prepare offerings to the spirits of their ancestors invite the gods to enjoy
the holiday at their home. Depending on the economic conditions of each family,
offerings of the unofficial ancestor worship are simple or numerous. In the
villages in the area of the ancient cemetery - Darak Anaih (the villages of An
Nhon, Phuoc Nhon, Luong Tri), the offerings in the temporary worship ceremony
are richer, including foods, fruit cakes, and wine. In the area of Bani people
in the villages of Ninh Phuoc district in the area of Dil ancient cemetery (Son
Hai), temporary offerings are quite simple, only 2 plates of salad (laba),
grilled rice paper and a little wine.
The
person performing the ceremony is an elderly man in the family. Unlike the Acar
dignitaries who worship the Qu’ran in Arabic, in the ceremony in their families
and clans, the worshipers pray in Cham language.
2.2.3. Official Ancestor Worship (Pambăng Muk Kei)
The
official ancestor worshiping ceremony is held after the unofficial. The
celebrant, who is an Acar dignitary chosen from the family line, must be
familiar with the Koran (Qu’ran) and in the manner of the ceremony. Acar's
vestment is a long robe (Aw lah or aw loak), dressed underneath in a white
skirt, and a red tasseled white scarf on his head (Akhan mbrăm taibi), he sits
cross-legged on a mat (ciêw bang) to worship.
In the
official worshiping ceremony, each turn of offerings to an ancestral spirit
consists of two trays of offerings: a salty tray and a sweet one which stand
for the two elements yin and yang in the culinary concept of the Cham people.
The sweet tray is offered first, consists of 2 cups of tea, traditional cakes
of the Cham people such as tet don cake (paynung), it cake, gan tay cake
(sakaya), ginger root cake (ganraong laya). The salty tray includes plain rice,
dishes such as vegetable soup, fish, meat, eggs, wine and beer. Offerings are
served on a high-legged offering tray (salaw takai) lined with banana leaves.
After each turn of offerings to each spirit, the celebrant burns a piece of
incense and chants a sutra, then continues to make offerings to other spirits
so that relatives in heaven are invited to enjoy the offerings on Ramuwan's
day.
2.2.3. The fasting month of Ramưwan
After Kabur rak is the fasting month of Ramưvan. This lasts the
entire ninth month of the Islamic calendar (also the Muslim month of Ramadan),
the Cham call it the month of Ramưvan. During the month, the Acar monks confile
themselves in the mosque, celebrate five times a day and were only allowed to
eat two meals per day, brought by their families. The women bringing food to
the mosque always wear high-legged trays (salaw takai) on their heads. Acar monks
are only allowed to only at times when there is no sunshine (before sunrise and
after sunset). In folklore, the Cham people call it the month of Balan
ơk (the month of fasting).
During
the month of Ramuwan, all believers in the village are not allowed to kill for
15 days before the month (the first half of the month until the day of the Muk
trun Mass - 15 days after the opening night). After that, the Awal and Ahiêr
believers were also allowed to make offerings in the mosque. Every night, at
the time of the Eâsha (at 19:00), the villagers come to the mosque to pray and
make offerings (the main offering is betel nut (Dăm-Dara).
Masses in a day at the mosque
The Acar
monks during the month of fasting at the mosque must perform five Masses per
day in the following order:
- Subahik
at 4 am.
- Wahrik
at 12 noon.
- Ơssarik
at 3 pm.
-
Garipbak at 17 pm
- Eâsha
at 19 pm.
To perform these, nine Acars must follow the following rites:
rites of purification (Mưk ia), rituals of beating drums to open the ceremony,
calling for ceremonies, and Masses. Before performing any ritual, the Acars
must perform a rite of cleansing to purify the body and purify the soul. When
performing the ceremony, each Acar monk hold a copper cup or kettle in their
hand, scarves over shoulders, performs actions such as washing the body, then
tying the scarf, adjusts their suites, and enters the hall to perform
identification operations in the sanctuary (Kanraong). When the teachers were
seated, they beat the drums to open the ceremony. After the drum beat, Acar,
the celebrant, stand in the middle of the mosque to perform the calling
ceremony. Everyone loudly chant long prayers and after finishing, each
person returns to their place of worship. Next is Mass (Kakuh). The celebrant
(Ba kakuh) instructs the monks to perform prostrations and recite prayers for
others to join in. During the ceremony, the Acar monks keep holding rosary
beeds (yap anhuk) with their hands until the Praying Mass ended.
2.3. Feasts in the month of Lent Ramưvan
Beside
the first day of the festival, in the month of Ramưvan there are the following
festivals:
2.3.1. Muk trun (ceremony of the
Grandma coming to Earth) held on the 15th night, after Mass,
believers offer sweet offerings, gum, sticky rice, and bananas. After this
ritual, Awal and Ahier relatives are allowed to kill and sacrifice in the
house.
2.3.2. Oâng trun ceramony (ceremony of Oâng coming to
Earth) is held on the 20th night, after Mass, parishioners make sweet offerings
like the 15th night. In this festival, they also organise
"Ikak dadô" for the children who are usually vulnerable and sick.
After this ceremony, devotees perform Bu Allahâm ceremony, for the children who
have passed the Katat ritual at the age of 15, the offerings are chicken
porridge, baked rice paper, fruits and cakes.
2.2.3. Tuh brah (Rice offering
ceremony) is held on the 27th day, parishioners bring rice to
offer with the meaning of offering rice to deceased relatives. This rice is
distributed to the families of the monks who cook rice to invite their
relatives, the elders in the temple village to eat at dawn on the 1st day
of the 10th month Muslim calendar.
2.3.4. Talaih (The Ending Ceremony of Ramuwan) is held
on the morning of the 1st of October in the Muslim calendar, to
thank Po Aâwloah and the gods for helping the Bani Muslims completing the
fasting month of Ramưwan. Devotees offer two sweet and salty trays alike the
Ancestor Worshiping ceremony.
3.
The first step of learning the indigenous
elements of the Ramưvan festival
Through trade relations with the island countries Southeast Asian
countries, a part of the Cham adopted Islam around the 13th century,
much later than the time of embracing Brahmanism and forming the Islam
community in Cham group. After a long time of being separated from the global
Islam community, the indigenous cultural elements in the Southeast Asian
wet-rice agricultural culture of the Cham people arose, mixed and transformed
into religious life, dominating the teachings and canon of Islam, forming a
separate religion called Bani (Cham Awal community). Bani is a form of religion
that embodies both Islamic elements and indigenous cultural elements in
Southeast Asia. Ramưvan festival is the main and most important festival of an
Islamic year. In this festival, it also showcases indigenous cultural elements.
In the process of studying and comparing, there can be seen the indigenous
elements in the Ramưvan festival of the Cham Bani with the Islamic festival of
Ramadan (Islam).
The influence of the matriarchy: Islam is a
patriarchal religion with quite clear gender discrimination. But for the Cham
Bani, the matrilineal system is still maintained today. This influences quite a
lot in religious activities. Unlike orthodox international Islam, women are not
allowed to enter mosques but for the Cham Bani during the festival season,
women play an important role. Women prepare the trays of offerings, wear the
most beautiful traditional costumes, do not have to cover their faces, and put
on very beautiful trays for the dignitaries to perform the ceremonies.
About Bani mosques: Bani mosques are
built in the style of traditional houses of the Cham people. The form is much
different from international mosques. However, a common feature is that the
inside and outside of the mosque must be very clean. The inside of the mosuqes
are not decorated with pictures; it is a spacious and vented area. The
sanctuary (Kanraong) placed in the center of the western wall is a decorated
place for the Acars to recite the Kuru-ưn (Qu’ran) during the fasting month of
Ramưwan or the Friday Masses (Harei Jamư-at). The rest of the mosque is not
decorated or displayed with images or idols. The atmosphere inside the mosque
is always quiet, creating a sense of sanctity and holiness. Unlike Islamic
mosques where women are not allowed to enter, in Bani mosques, women and
children are allowed to. During the Ramưvan festival, women wear very large and
beautiful trays into the mosque for the Cars monks to perform the ceremony.
About the name of the Ramưvan festival: In
addition to saying from Ramadan to Ramưvan, the month of fasting is
called Pambăng muk kei or Pandih ơh. In the Cham
language, the word pambăng muk kei means the ceremony of
worshipping ancestors, or pandih ơk (fasting). Since the month
of Ramadan, fasting and worshiping Allah and Mohammed, the Cham people have
combined with the ancestry worshiping ceremony, giving an opportunity to tend
graves, commemorate their ancestors and celebrate family members’ meetings.
Therefore, it is gradually considered as the "Tet" of the Cham Bani
community.
About the festival time: the ninth month
(Islam calendar) is the period of Ramadan, also the pilgrimage to Mecca for
Islams around the world. But the Cham Bani do not perform the pilgrimage like
the Muslim Cham people in Ninh Thuan. It is noteworthy that three days before
the period, the Cham Bani people carry out the ceremony of grave tending (rao
ghun) and then ceremony of ancestor worshipping (ew muk kei).
Moreover, the ceremony of grave tending and worshipping the ancestors are
organised like a real festival. Throughout the Cham Bani villages, cultural,
art, and sports activities are held, which are taboo for people of Islam
(Islam).
About rituals: Beside the ancestry worshipping ceremony,
during the fasting month of Ramưvan, the Cham Bani also hold Muk trun and Ong
trun (ceremony of Gandpa and Grandmom coming the earth) which is
absent in the Islamic month of Ramadan Cham. Furthermore, Bani people are
allowed to kill animals to make sacrifices in traditional rituals.
Unlike the ceremony of giving alms (jakhat) to the poor in
the Muslim month of Ramadam, the Cham Bani have a rice offering ceremony (Tuh
Brah). This is a rice offering ceremony for deceased relatives, not indeed
an alms ceremony. The meanings of these two ceremonies are completely
different.
About Costumes: The costumes of the
Bani dignitaries in the Ramuwan ceremony are traditional Cham costumes. They
are much different from the costumes of Islamic monks, such as hats, tai bri,
and scarves. The costumes of the followers and the Bani community during the
festival are also traditional Cham costumes. Men wear white shirts and khan
aban (sarong). Women wear Cham Ao Dai (Aw atah), skirt, and scarf.
Cham Bani women do not wear the Mat'ra scarf like the Cham Muslims in the
southern provinces of Vietnam.
About offerings: offerings in Ramuwan
include a sweet dishe (kaya mun) and a savory dishe (kaya mbak).
These offerings are daily products in the life of the Cham people and according
to the consistent yin and yang concept of the Cham people.
1.
Conclusion
Ramưvan
festival of the Cham Bani people in Vietnam is an intangible cultural heritage,
conserving many of the Cham traditional cultural values, that have been formed
throughout the cultural history of the Cham people. The transformation from the
worldwide Islamic holy month of Ramadan into a national folk festival is an
interesting cultural phenomenon. It firmly confirms the theory of
acculturation. Ramưvan festival holds many layers of culture, the mixing of the
exogenous culture (international Islam culture) with endogenous culture
(indigenous culture of Southeast Asian wet rice agricultural culture) is an
interesting cultural phenomenon, complying with the law of cultural change
according to the natural environment and the social context.
Today, in
terms of strong culture exchange. Unlike Islam, which is a major religion
globally, with an unified organisation, canonical teachings, powerful religious
dignitaries and extensive international relations, Bani religion is still only
folklore, locality, lacks of organisation, lacks of rigor, so making it
vulnerable and easy to be erased by modern cultural trends. Therefore, it is
necessary to take measures to preserve the culture of the Bani religion in Vietnam
- that is also preserving the cultural identities of Vietnam.
Vol. (2). P. 164-173
https://doi.org/10.24412/2686-9675-2-2023-164-173