The custom of worshiping the rice god of the Cho Ro people in Dong Nai.

The Cho Ro people in Dong Nai have a rich and diverse traditional cultural life with many forms such as folk songs, folk dances, and performances of bamboo instruments and mouth pipes. The Cho Ro people believe in animism, so they worship many gods such as the rice god (Yang Va), the house god (Yang Nhi), the forest god (Yang Bri), the stream god (Yang Dal), the field god (Yang Re), the field god (Yang Mo)... Among the above-mentioned gods, they respect the rice god the most. The rice god worshiping festival (Sa Yang Va) is held on the occasion of the harvest and preparation for the new crop season, usually around February to March of the lunar calendar. This is the biggest festival bearing the mark of a unique agricultural ritual, and this is also the New Year of the Cho Ro ethnic group.

The rice god worshiping festival is the most important festival of the year, so the Cho Ro people prepare very carefully. Can wine is an indispensable item in the festival (the wine making process is very elaborate, the yeast is made from many types of trees in the forest, the fermentation time is up to 30 days) to offer to the gods, and for the people and guests to enjoy during the festival. Three days before the festival, the village elders have people make a large pole to erect in the middle of the festival grounds. According to the Cho Ro people's concept, the pole is considered a tree of heaven; a tree that harmonizes heaven, earth and people. The Cho Ro people erect the pole with the intention of sending "news and invitations" to Yang Va and the gods and ancestors to attend the festival with the community.

The pole is made from turmeric or bamboo, and is very elaborate. The Cho Ro people's large pole must be straight, 3-5 meters long, with clean branches and nodes at the joints; the pole trunk is patterned; the top is cut horizontally and split into many pieces. From these bamboo cards a funnel is formed. The mouth of this bamboo funnel is decorated with beams of thinly shaved bamboo strips, forming white, curved bamboo flowers. There are four main bamboo slats, two of which are attached to the wings of the chicken that is slaughtered for the offering, the other two are attached to the wings or feathers of hunted birds. If the swallow is caught, the swallow's wings are preferentially attached to the remaining two rays. This large pole is buried in the yard one day before the rice god worshiping ceremony. The Cho Ro people also make two small poles (some places call them Phang branches or Incense trees) 1 meter long and place them on the altar in the stilt house and in the rice warehouse.

The meticulousness of the Cho Ro people is also seen in the construction of houses, altars, and granaries. The stilt house and granary are the two most important structures. People do not store rice and other food in their houses but build a separate warehouse next to their houses. The granary is built like a stilt house, but on a smaller scale; it always faces East-West to avoid the sun passing through the storm, which would offend the rice god and the crops would not be good. If rice is kept in the house, the rice god and ancestors will be angry and cause crop failure and illness. The altar is always placed facing East, and the back of the altar is always attached to the wall of the stilt house. On the altar, there is a wax lamp and a bowl containing the bark of the hum tree (a type of tree that when burned has a fragrant scent like agarwood). The altar is where many rituals take place, so it is also cleaned before worshiping.

Seven days before the rice god worshiping festival, the village elder will personally invite guests or send a representative to invite them. Invited guests are people from the same clan, representatives of sister villages, and people who have close relationships with the community. In the rice god worship ceremony, the offerings and offerings to guests are also very important; including bamboo-tube rice, sticky rice cakes, grilled bamboo shoots (xieng), pay ploi soup, and grilled kitchen leaves (nhip). On the day of the ceremony, the celebrant asks Yang to let him go and bring the rice spirit from the field to the granary. The elderly woman chosen to receive the rice spirit (may va) will lead the procession and pray for the rice spirit to return home to witness the ceremony and reside in the rice barn. While may va is walking ahead of the rice spirit, the celebrant also offers Yang sacrificial offerings of pigs, chickens, etc. to be slaughtered and processed; the process of offering Yang also takes place in the rice barn.

At the end of the rice god worshiping ceremony, the village elder will invite the elders and distinguished guests to the altar to drink rice wine. The oldest woman will be invited to drink first to show gratitude. Outside the ceremony grounds, offerings and food are also displayed for everyone to enjoy together. The rice offering ceremony of the Cho Ro people of Dong Nai cannot lack attractive festival activities with sports competitions and art performances.