Blog Review!

Phong Thao

Upcoming Weekend!

This coming weekend I’m going to be busy.  My fiancé and I are planning to do a ceremony for my two sons.  We called it Hu Plig (Calling of the spirit to be in good health).  Hu Plig has been in the Hmong culture as long as I know.  Hu Plig dates back when in the old days when my parents were living in Laos.  Hu Plig is used when one spirit is not in good health, loss, happy, and many more.  This tradition has been with the Hmong for ages. The shaman does the calling. He or she will perform a traditional calling of the spirit.  Shaman will need a certain knife, drum, and finger rings to perform the Hu Plig.  Shamans are the one who really does the calling of the spirit.  In my case of my ceremony I had, my grandpa did the calling for my new born. For some Hu Plig you might have to butcher a pig or a cow depending on the situation or calling.  Since our Hu Plig wasn’t as big, we butchered a pig.  So the whole event started in the morning like 5 a.m. since we had to get everything prepared for the feast.  My mom got up around 4 a.m. and cooked rice.  As we arrived at my mom house; we went right to work with getting the food prepared.  As aunts and uncles arrived in the morning, they all helped with the cooking.  My dad and mom had set a time for the feast at 11.  So, that even made us worked hard to get all things prepared.  As the day went on, time came closer to get all the food on the table (which we had connected 3 tables together).  The table is set up with food all over the table.  In the middle of the table, where my grandpa will be sitting, we place a platter with flowers in the center of it.  Fruits, candy, cookies, and eggs are placed around the flower.  Also, we will have two boiled chicken in a platter next to it.  We had the pig tail with the chicken platter. A lighten candle and cup of water is placed on the table.  When everyone is seated in their place on the table, my grandpa brushed our hands (my two sons, fiancé, and I) with white strings.  The brushing of the strings meant as a brush all the bad thing away.  Then he took two strings and burned it (mean getting rid of the bad things) and then placed it in the cup water.  After that is done, we have two people to check the chicken if it shows any sign of good or bad.  Signs are consists of checking the inner mouth piece, feet (the way it curves), and the whole chicken it’s self.  They will pass out the strings around to everyone.  Then they came up and tied it around ours wrists.  The strings are meant for good health, luck.  After that was over, they all pass out the strings, came up to us to, and tied the strings around our wrists.  As we stand there, they will say words as they are tying. The word that was said is for good health and luck.  The strings represent of the good in health, soul, and luck. After all that was over with, we all ate.  At the end of the day, when everyone leaves, we have to clean up the whole house.  Finally that was all over.  It is time to sit and relax of a second.  Over all the ceremony (Hu Plig) went as planned.  The ceremony (Hu Plig) cost us about thousand dollars.