Hmong Event of "Calling the Spirit"

          This cultural event is going to be pretty hard to explain. It’s very hard for me to understand as well, that’s why I attended it. This is a Hmong ritual for calling the spirit. My husband is Hmong, but he is Christian and no longer believes in these types of rituals. A friend of mine from work mentioned that his family would be holding a ceremony for his grandparents. His name is Xai Vang, and if anyone has heard of the band New Breed, well he plays the keyboard. The event was held on Saturday, May 3, and started pretty early in the morning in Oroville. The event actually lasts 2 days, to be particular, one night to the next morning. “This ceremony is actually a two day event and the purpose of it all is that the grandfather has been gone for awhile and is hungry and wants to find some refuge to eat and relax. The first night is for the daughter in law to bring the grandfather to begin the ritual” says Xai.

This first picture represents the daughter-in-law and the grandfather (whom has passed). The black one represents the grandfather, and the other is the daughter-in-law. They sacrifice a pig for the ceremony. These 5 plates represent the daughter-in-law, the grandfather, 3 generations of ancestors, the son's, and one is for the spirit of the house. In these pictures, one guy gives the food offerings and the one (in the burgundy shirt) leads and watches over to make sure the event takes place accordingly.  

Next, they kill a cow for their grandfather. They set up two different houses. The first one is called the “new house.” This house represents the place where their grandfather stayed at during and after death. (its in the background) In the pictures you see the “old house”. This is where they lay the cloths and it is a place where the grandfather feats on the cow. After the feast is complete, the two houses are destroyed. This is so the grandfather will be happy and can move on with his journey in the after life. Xai says this ceremony is done only once in a lifetime. It was new and interesting for me, and I am glad I was able to experience this first hand.