Mysterious beliefs surrounding the 12-lamp initiation ceremony of Red Dao men.

For the Red Dao people, the coming-of-age ceremony is a mandatory custom for men. Only those who have received the ceremony are considered mature men, capable of participating in important village affairs. If they have not received the ceremony, they are considered immature even if they live to old age. Those who have received the ceremony, even at a young age, are allowed to participate in important family and community rituals.

The Red Dao initiation ceremony has many levels, each reflecting a different meaning and level of attainment. Among them, the 12-lamp initiation is the highest level, requiring a process of self-study, training, and mastery of the rituals, procedures, and prayers recorded in the Red Dao Nôm script.

The person who has received the twelve-lamp initiation is the most respected in the community and becomes a high-ranking shaman, with enough prestige to organize important ceremonies for the village. The Dao people's initiation ceremony has humanistic value, expressed in the teachings inscribed on the initiation, which absolutely forbid the recipient from doing evil or bad things.

The Twelve-Lamp Initiation Ceremony, with its elaborate cultural ritual performances, takes place over 3-4 consecutive days. This ceremony is held only once a year, usually in November, December, or January. The ceremony typically takes place in two main locations: inside the house for evening rituals and at the ceremonial altar for daytime outdoor rituals.

Mysteries in the beliefs of the Red Dao people

As someone who directly witnessed the ceremonies during the 4-day 12-lamp initiation ritual in Van Ho village, Phin Ngan commune, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, photographer Duong Quoc Hieu (currently living and working in Sapa) shared: "Through some senior photographers who had gone before me, I found the photos to be very distinctive and full of vibrant colors, so I was captivated from the first glance."

“During the initiation ceremony, I had to be present to closely monitor the important rituals of the 12-lamp initiation ceremony of the Red Dao people. Because there were so many couples participating in the 12-lamp initiation ceremony this time, it was a rare occasion to be able to organize it again on such a grand scale and with so many couples – up to 43 couples,” the photographer said.

The ceremony begins with an opening ritual to inform the ancestors of the reason for the ceremony, followed by the offering of lamps and the announcement of the names and positions of those being ordained, the departure of troops, the fasting ceremony (from the beginning to the end of the ceremony, all those being ordained and those attending must fast), the apprenticeship to become a master, and the turtle dance. These rituals are performed sequentially, in harmony with the rhythm of drums, gongs, and trumpets… Afterwards, the masters carry the offerings outside to the courtyard, calling upon the Jade Emperor with a horn to announce the start of the main ordination ceremony with 12 lamps, and inviting the Jade Emperor to witness it. Next, the master imparts the teachings of mastery to his apprentices, emphasizing that a master must possess a virtuous heart and character so that their descendants will have blessings and good fortune.

An indispensable item in the ordination ceremony is the lamp. The lamps used in the ordination ceremony represent the different levels of status of those being ordained after the ceremony. The lamps are used with the intention of illuminating the soul and cleansing all sins, so that the ordained person may be pure.

A sacred ritual of the ceremony is the "leading" of the disciples to the underworld to receive their attendant troops. Accordingly, those seeking 3 lamps will be granted 36 troops, 7 lamps 72 troops, and the highest level, 12 lamps, will be granted 120 troops by the Jade Emperor. After the ceremony is completed and the divination is successfully performed, the masters will lead the disciples to lie down neatly, then place a mask and a pair of chopsticks on their faces. The masters walk three times around the disciples, chanting prayers as they go, and simultaneously remove the masks.

Decoding the origins of the initiation ritual

Legend has it that, long ago, the Dao people lived peacefully on the mountain slopes. Suddenly, one day, evil spirits appeared from nowhere, causing chaos. They not only devoured livestock and destroyed crops, but also murdered people. This plunged the Dao people into misery.

To prevent the demons from running rampant in the mortal world, the Jade Emperor sent heavenly soldiers down to eliminate the threat to the Dao people. Unfortunately, the battle lasted for three months but they could not drive them all away. Seeing this, the Jade Emperor then ordered the gods to pass on their magical powers to the men of the village, granting them a decree to join the heavenly army in eliminating the demons.

Thanks to the unity between the heavenly army and mortals, the demons were completely annihilated. To prevent the demons from returning, the Jade Emperor issued a decree granting titles to the heads of households so they could protect their families and clans. It was from this moment that the Dao people's title-granting ceremony was born and has been preserved and passed down through generations to this day.

The 12-lamp initiation ceremony of the Red Dao people is sacred and deeply rooted in their ethnic cultural identity, and it needs to be preserved and promoted. Therefore, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the ceremony in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 27, 2012.

Phuong Mai is a reporter for Travellive Magazine in Hanoi.

Phuong Mai