Religion and Holidays
The Hmong have a triple faceted religion. It revolves around the cult of spirits, the shaman and ancestor worship. Hmong culture believe that spirits reside in all things and are in two worlds. The two worlds are known as "Yeeb – Ceeb, which is the land of the spirits and the Yaj – Ceeb, that is the world of human beings, material objects and nature." (Owens, 2007) The shaman is important as they can make contact with the spirit world and often call upon a certain spirits. These are usually ancestors that serve as allies in the spirit world. There are shamans and soul callers. Soul callers are not always shamans. They are thought to have a Neng within them. A Neng is considered a healing spirit.
Another practice of …show more content…
In Laos traditionally three shots are fired into the air to frighten away evil spirits. This in not often done in the U.S. because of laws prohibiting it heavily populated areas as well as general gun laws in any area. "The body is washed and dressed in new clothes. Mourners bring gifts to the deceased family members and are in return fed by the family. The Shaman plays an important role in death as they are the ones to make an offering of alcohol and tell the spirit that the body has died. They also tell the soul the route to take to their ancestors as well as how to avoid dangers during the journey." (Bankston III, 2016) Colorful bits of paper are burned for the spirit to take as money in the spirit world as well. The body is kept for five days in the home in order for family to come and pay respects. It also is not unheard of for terminally ill patients to return to their homeland so that once they pass their souls may be at rest and not wander. The Hmong people also traditionally will refuse autopsy as they believe that all of the person 's body parts will be needed for reincarnation or their next …show more content…
It "begins with the crowing of the first rooster on the first day of the new moon in the twelfth month and lasts for seven days." Bankston III, 2016) This is the only holiday that is celebrated by all Hmong people. The ceremonies that are performed are done to rid evil influences from the year before and bring about good fortunes in the New Year. "A small tree is brought in from the forest, though a green stick or other symbolic tree can be used. It is placed in the ground at the celebration site. One end of a rope is tied to the top of the tree and the other end is held by a participant or to a rock. And elder than stands near the tree holding a live chicken. The elder then chants while the people circle the tree three times clockwise and four times counterclockwise. The chant is intended to call out good fortune. The evil fortune is believed to gather in the chicken. After the circling of the tree the chicken is taken into the forest by the elder and killed, believing to take away evil influences with it." (Blankston III, 2016) This tradition is not done a lot in the U.S. because of current laws as well as many turning to new traditions. Home Life Hmong social structure is typically clan, sub-clan, ceremonial households, extended families and nuclear families. In the U.S. the traditional family is not as traditional as it is in Laos or other homelands. Traditionally the son and his wife
The Hmong have a triple faceted religion. It revolves around the cult of spirits, the shaman and ancestor worship. Hmong culture believe that spirits reside in all things and are in two worlds. The two worlds are known as "Yeeb – Ceeb, which is the land of the spirits and the Yaj – Ceeb, that is the world of human beings, material objects and nature." (Owens, 2007) The shaman is important as they can make contact with the spirit world and often call upon a certain spirits. These are usually ancestors that serve as allies in the spirit world. There are shamans and soul callers. Soul callers are not always shamans. They are thought to have a Neng within them. A Neng is considered a healing spirit.
Another practice of …show more content…
In Laos traditionally three shots are fired into the air to frighten away evil spirits. This in not often done in the U.S. because of laws prohibiting it heavily populated areas as well as general gun laws in any area. "The body is washed and dressed in new clothes. Mourners bring gifts to the deceased family members and are in return fed by the family. The Shaman plays an important role in death as they are the ones to make an offering of alcohol and tell the spirit that the body has died. They also tell the soul the route to take to their ancestors as well as how to avoid dangers during the journey." (Bankston III, 2016) Colorful bits of paper are burned for the spirit to take as money in the spirit world as well. The body is kept for five days in the home in order for family to come and pay respects. It also is not unheard of for terminally ill patients to return to their homeland so that once they pass their souls may be at rest and not wander. The Hmong people also traditionally will refuse autopsy as they believe that all of the person 's body parts will be needed for reincarnation or their next …show more content…
It "begins with the crowing of the first rooster on the first day of the new moon in the twelfth month and lasts for seven days." Bankston III, 2016) This is the only holiday that is celebrated by all Hmong people. The ceremonies that are performed are done to rid evil influences from the year before and bring about good fortunes in the New Year. "A small tree is brought in from the forest, though a green stick or other symbolic tree can be used. It is placed in the ground at the celebration site. One end of a rope is tied to the top of the tree and the other end is held by a participant or to a rock. And elder than stands near the tree holding a live chicken. The elder then chants while the people circle the tree three times clockwise and four times counterclockwise. The chant is intended to call out good fortune. The evil fortune is believed to gather in the chicken. After the circling of the tree the chicken is taken into the forest by the elder and killed, believing to take away evil influences with it." (Blankston III, 2016) This tradition is not done a lot in the U.S. because of current laws as well as many turning to new traditions. Home Life Hmong social structure is typically clan, sub-clan, ceremonial households, extended families and nuclear families. In the U.S. the traditional family is not as traditional as it is in Laos or other homelands. Traditionally the son and his wife