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A Dong House Raising by Teacher Chen
"C hen Laoshi!” some village men yelled. “Teacher Chen! Come!”
they called again as I walked by a group of men surrounded by
logs, hammers, axes and other building tools. These Dong men were raising a house, and invited me to help with some of the labor. I wandered over and happily agreed to give them a hand holding logs or swinging the massive wooden mallet while they put the house together. It was basic mortise and trestle style; each piece fit perfectly with the other, and it was fascinating to me how everyone was working together to create such an intricate home. Not a single screw or nail would be used! The men were excited to have a ‘tall guy’ help them out by holding the beams, and they laughed and joked with me as we worked.
Rabbit
Dong men raising a house.

Rabbit
The house owner asks the ancestors to bless his house.

Once the frames were put together, all the members of the community arrived for the big celebration. Firecrackers were exploding for nearly half an hour to ward off any bad spirits that might bring the family harm. The owner of the home knelt before an altar dedicated to his ancestors. On the small table before him was a pig’s head with the pig’s tail in its mouth, bowls of rice wine, incense, sticky rice and money. The owner was asking for the home to be blessed by his ancestors. The head carpenter, from the beams high above, recited traditional blessings as he poured rice wine into a bowl held by the owner below. After drinking the entire bowl in one go, the owner caught rice cakes thrown down into his work apron, symbolizing blessing of food from above. Lastly, the carpenter threw down handfuls of candy to everyone gathered below, causing a rugby-style scrum as women, children, and village elders scrambled to pick up the tasty treats. I watched as they laughed, joked, and chattered during the deeply significant celebration.

Next was the meal— for the entire village! Under the village drum tower, several men cooked food in massive woks, scooping cupfuls of chili pepper into simmering stews and sizzling stir-fry, and then stored the cooked food in round wooden tubs until it was time to serve. People sat around tables, low to the ground, gleefully eating sour fish, tofu, potatoes, leeks, and other dishes. As the meal drew to a close, the drinking games began. Everyone, including women, played the games. The new homeowner’s family competed against everyone else in the village. The competition was fierce and relatives were beckoned to play even if they had ‘had enough’. It was late. Weary muscles and rice wine were coercing my eyelids to stay closed for a fraction of a second longer at each blink. Through the cacophony of laughter, singing, yelling, and banging glasses that would long outlast my presence, I could clearly hear my pillow pleading, “Teacher Chen, come!”