Of all of the 56 ethnic groups spread throughout China, the Va people are perhaps some of the least understood. The Va have lived in the mountainous and inhospitable areas on the borders of Burma and Yunnan province, between the Mekong and Salween Rivers since time immemorial.

So little is known of the Va that in the time of British rule in Burma, during the second half of the 19th century, the British felt the Va’s territory so remote that it left it administered.

A part of Wa culture which has been discovered and explored is its fiercely religious nature, with the people dedicating some 60 days a year in tribute and ritual to various gods.

One such ritual is that of paying worship to the grain spirit once a year in autumn, as the weather begins to change and the hopes and expectations for bountiful crops grow and grow.

The Va way of life is dependent on agriculture with the majority of their food coming from cultivating rice, peas, beans, poppies and walnuts.

The grain festival, to ensure a good harvest of these crops, involves the performing of a ceremony whereby villagers don traditional clothes and costume, and perform ritualistic dances and sing prayers paying homage to the grain spirit.

Due to living in isolated mountain ranges, the Va people are at the mercy of nature, with their very survival dependent on favorable conditions to grow their crops. And the festival of the grain spirit is key to making sure the gods are happy and that the crops will be fruitful.

Another part of the festival is the sacrifice of animals. Selected on the fineness of their feathers and smoothness of their fur, roosters, hens, and boars are brought before a Moba, or wizard in the local language. The Moba will cast a spell blessing the animals to the god Muyiji, the most important of all the gods in Va culture.

Out of respect to Muyiji, the wings, legs and heads of the animals are removed and placed on an altar dedicated the god.

The Moba then instructs the villagers to pay their respects to Muyiji as he performs the religious rites.

The chief of the village is then called to sit on a throne beside a flaming hearth constructed in the village square, while a selected hostess solemnly bangs upon a gong. Villagers then approach carrying cereals, grains, and vegetables which they cast into the fire – while at the same time blowing on a Binuo, or whistle fashioned from wet rice stalk.

The whole process is aimed at casting away the grain into the fire and then blowing on the Binuo to invite it to come back.

Once every villager has paid a tribute, in unison they call again for the grain to return and that it should be baptized with wine. The wine is immediately produced, and one last prayer is said by the Moba, after which the chief instructs the whole village to drink wine, dance, and since until the dawn breaks.

Va women sing at the ceremony inviting the grain spirit back for a good harvest on Oct 3. [Photo/ynci.cn]

Ox skulls hang aloft on sticks -- previous sacrificial offerings. [Photo/ynci.cn]

Edited by Owen Fishwick