Culture and Customs Gia Rai Ethnic Group
Food
Rice is the main food; corn is a supplementary food. Meals include vegetables, salt, chili, vegetable soup, and occasionally meat and fish. Festive meals revolve around a jar of rice wine, accompanied by dishes served on bowls, plates, or banana leaves. When tipsy, they sing, dance, and play gongs.
Clothing
Men wear white loincloths with multi-colored stripes (toai). For festivals, they wear a 4-meter long, 0.30-meter wide indigo loincloth with decorative patterns and colorful fringes. They also wear black short-sleeved shirts with decorative borders. Chiefs or village leaders wear indigo shirts that cover the hips, with long sleeves and a red patch as a sign of distinction. Women wear long indigo skirts with decorative borders and fringes. Both men and women often go shirtless due to the year-round heat.
Housing
The Gia Rai live in stilt houses with two types:
Long houses: Average dimensions are 13.5m x 3.5m, divided into two sections. The north-facing section is for women. The house has two stoves.
Small houses: Dimensions are 9m x 3m, with a height of 4.5m. The main door faces north. Inside, there is one stove.
Funeral Practices
All members of the same maternal line are buried in a communal grave. Men are buried in their mother's grave. Coffins are arranged horizontally and vertically until they reach the grave's mouth. After several layers, a major ceremony called "abandoning the grave" is performed.
Worship
The Gia Rai practice animism, believing in various spirits (Yang):
House spirit (Yang sang): Protects the home and is worshiped during housewarming ceremonies.
Village spirit (yang ala bôn) and water spirit (yang ia): Protect the village and are worshiped at the water source and mountain foot.
King spirit (Yang pó tao): Kings perform ceremonies to pray for good weather and harvests.
They also believe that souls become ghosts after death and that some people possess harmful magic.
Arts and Culture
The Gia Rai have many epic poems like Đăm San, Xinh Nhã, and Đăm Di, performed with Tưng nưng musical accompaniment. Their traditional dances include war simulations between tribes. Popular musical instruments include the Tơ rưng, Krông put, and Tưng nưng.
