Before the ceremony, villagers cut bamboo and, under the guidance of Shaman Y Blieh Ayun from Ea Knuec Commune, raise a symbolic stilt house and a bamboo granary in the field. The granary represents the season’s stored harvest and the hope for abundance.

The ritual’s offerings are elaborate: two pigs, one of them a white pig, five roosters, three jars of ruou can (fermented rice wine), bronze bracelets, wooden figures of spirits, and other objects such as shields, knives and wooden clappers used to scare birds.

During the ceremony, Shaman Y Blieh Ayun chants prayers to Yang, asking for timely rain, gentle winds, fertile rice fields and heavy fruit orchards. The prayers are timed with the durian harvest, so both rice granaries and fruit trees are included.

After the prayers, a bracelet ceremony follows. The shaman places bronze bracelets on participants’ wrists while invoking health, peace and family harmony. The celebration then moves to a lively xoang dance, where villagers join hands around jars of ruou can, linking the community through music and movement.

Y Nem Krieng, a village elder and respected community figure in Brieng Village, Ea Knuec Commune, said the ritual not only seeks prosperity but also strengthens the bonds among the Ede. He added that the ceremony teaches younger people the customs of their ancestors, reminding them to respect the land and each other.

The Kam Hmah Kam Hwa ceremony shows how a shared ritual can preserve cultural identity, pass values across generations, and create solidarity that supports both agricultural life and community wellbeing.