Muong’s ancestor worship
In the far North West, the Muong follows animism like some other ethnic groups. The native residences create their unique customs with their own ideas. It is believed that many kinds of gods, deities and spirits support them in their daily life, especially after death, the soul turns into immortalities – the ancestral ghosts are able to asisst their descendants. On the other hands, the ancestral worship is considered as the top activity in local spiritual life.
Unlike the neibouring ethnic Viet people, the Muong pray for the ancestors on their mother side as well. According to Muong culture, their ancestral altar is much simpler , an incense bowl and several cups of clean water. They believed that the anniversary of an ancestor’s death must be the burial day rather than the date of passing away. On daily life, the Muong arranges ceremonial offerings towards their ancestors during traditional festival or holidays , in moving – house ceremonies or in other family ceremonies. Their offerings are usual stuff such as steamed rice, grilled fish, soup or boiled meat consist of chicken or pork.
The Muong also worship holy rocks, pumkins ( in the moving ceremony), water sources, family totems, god’s chicken and legendary heros ( Saint Tan Vien,Mr. Tung,...)
In this agricultual community, they follow their unique calendar with 12 months ( which is called as Bamboo calender) to serve agricultual rites such as to begin production of a new crop still organized in Lac Son and Kim Boi between the 7th and the 10th days of the first lunar month, the rain praying festival . In some localities, people worship the Goddesses of Birth( bà mụ) as a baby is seven days.