Tradition : The Ordain ceremony

To be ordained (Gwatung). “Gwatung” in Mien means hanging a lamp. This is a way to give a merit to have a bright and the Mien people t have respects for who pass this ceremonial will have 3 lamps.  This ceremony was influenced by the Taoist ancestry. This ceremonial for a man and it is a make a prestige for the person who to be ordained, give a merit to the ancestor.

The ceremony has a history of about 2361 years, when “FarmChingHung” who commanded the Mien people to have this ceremony because FarmChingHung was the person who created the spirit and the human world. FarmChingHung told the Mien people to hold the Gwatung ceremony to help the people who had died, to go to heaven or to stay with the ancestors and not to go to hell. This ceremony is the first ordain for the Mien man and do not specific the age. In the Mien ceremony especially the man want to become successful in making a living must pass this ceremony.          The Gwangtung ceremony involves hanging the 3 lamps and is very important because this is to devolve upon the heir and give merits to the ancestor. In this ceremony, the people will hang up pictures of gods for worship, and all of the people who ordained can go to heaven when they die. The importance of this ceremony is to pass the influence from the teacher who conducts the ceremony to the person who wants to be ordained. Whoever went through this ceremony will call the person who influenced him teacher as long life. For the person who will be the teacher is not the same person who give the ceremonial but pass the Gwatung ceremonial or the pas the first of the ordain ceremonial.          After a man who goes through this ceremony, he will be successful in his life, will have a new name and will put this name together the ancestor directory. If they do not put his name in ancestor directory, they can not receive the blessings or offerings of food.

In other the people who pass the Gwatung ceremonial will have a little position in the spirit world.  They conduct the ceremony over 3 days, in which the people dedicate themselves to the Taoist god, such that when they die, their spirits will stay in the same place as their ancestors and be protected by a god.

When he becomes an adult, he can join all the ceremonies that the Mien people have. During the ceremonies, the people who participate must have a vegetarian diet and have sexual abstention. For a man who passed the Gwatung ceremony can accompany the person going through the ceremony and also show respect for others. As for a married man, when he participates in the ordain ceremony, his wife will join this ceremony with him, will have a lot of people have a ceremonial the same time but must be a relative or have the same lineage.   The ordain ceremony has 3 levels. GwaFarmToyTung, this ceremony is the first step for the ordain ceremony and takes place over 3 days. GwaCheatFitTung, this ceremony is the second step, and takes place over 7 days. TowChai or GwaLorTung, this is a big ceremony, and takes 7 days to complete.

For the ordained ceremonial, sometime ceremony one step or together to other step also.

Preparing the ceremony. - The women must be dressed in a newly sewn clothes. - Clothes: A square white calico for the person who will be ordained.  - A chair for the person who will be ordained in the ceremony. This chair must be made from new wood. - A pillar to put the lamps, which are made from banana trey and make it like a body, put to arms and put the lamps on the top of the tree. - Paper for the ceremony, have 2 patterns are JueyKong and Jueyma, paper made from the paper mulberry and other plants. Use a from that made from the steel thump on the paper until has a spoor and put a black ink in to the paper. - The salt cover used for inviting the leader who will lead the ceremony. Put the salt on the banana leaf, cover and tie with a white and black ribbon.  - Rice bag for the worship the teacher. Put around 400 grams of rice in a bag made from calico, together with a coin and tie the bag.   - Boat and the evil model. Boats made from the corn or rice leaves and weave it into a boat. As for the evil model, it is made from straw. - The lamps, in the past made from a big bowl like put the milled rice around ? of bowl, for the lamp wick made from a string put into the milled rice and put sesame oil. Nowadays, a white candle is used instead and is put into the milled rice.   - Food for offerings and for the guests, which usually include chicken, pork, rice, tea and Mien sweets.

The equipment 1. Three star picture this is to be like a shirt of god when invoke to the ceremonial, the god will stay in this picture. 2. Jaw is a 2 lumber to put together, for consult the oracles of god who satisfied the food that the people give offering. 3. A knife for a black magician, the character is a short, the end of a knife have a cluster of coins, this cluster for drive out the wicked and to bring the good to them self.  4. A sacred walking stick, which has a piece of metal at the end of the stick. 5. Buffalo horn to invite the Sun god.

6. The handbook for the ceremony consisting of the note of chant, the directory book about the ancestor lineage when they have to invite the ancestors to the ceremony.
7. A marker made from wood with carvings of Chinese alphabet. Paper, Chinese ink, a paintbrush to be used for writing messages to the Sun god.
8. A container made from bamboo for the joss sticks.      
9. Ngagen made from a flat bamboo.
10. Mat and strings.
11. A bell.
12. The three musical instruments for this ceremony: Drum, a gong and cymbals.  
13. A suits for the ceremony leader has a black hat and decorate with a red knitting wool, shirt do not have sleeves and long until the hips. Tung Jun like a women skirt but do not sew from waist till the ankle and lie on top of the pant. The leader ceremonies wear the clothes up to the ceremony.

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