Preserving and promoting the value of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship Belief

The Vietnamese belief in worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms is not only a unique spiritual and cultural beauty but also demonstrates the nation's tradition of patriotism and gratitude.

The practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship Belief recognized by the United NationsEducational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity further affirms the meaning and importance of heritage in the cultural life of the people.

The beauty of Vietnamese cultural beliefs

The Vietnamese belief in worshiping the Mother of the Three Realms is a form of worship of the Mother incarnated in the sky, rivers, and mountains, formed on the foundation of the ancient belief in worshiping goddesses; in which, the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh is the central figure of the belief.

The practice of the Mother Goddess Worship includes rituals, offerings, costumes, props, sacred dances, music ...; in which, singing and festivals are the main elements.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thu, Executive Committee of the Association for the Protection and Promotion of the Heritage of “Practicing the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship” in Nam Dinh Province, said that the Mother Goddess Worship is not only a spiritual life but also a unique cultural identity, expressing ethnic and religious harmony through folk cultural elements such as costumes, music, Chau Van singing, and festivals. Beliefs are playing an important role in creating a link between communities practicing the heritage.

From the perspective of a long-time cultural researcher in Nam Dinh, Mr. Nguyen Van Thu believes that the worship of goddesses and Holy Mothers has promoted the value and role of women in social life.

Practicing and performing spirit mediumship at Cong Dong Temple in Phu Day Historical and Cultural Relic Site (Vu Ban, Nam Dinh). (Photo: Cong Luat/VNA)

In addition, the core value of the Mother Goddess Worship of the Three Realms is the Chau Van ritual. This is a synthesis of many religious activities created and directly practiced by the community in a sacred space to praise the contributions of historical figures who have contributed to the country and the people; at the same time, these are the core factors that make up the lasting vitality of the Mother Goddess religion.

Chau Van ritual is a close combination of music and folk beliefs, with strict regulations on melodies, lyrics, dance movements, costumes, and props. From this ritual, the price (hau) mediums and the art of singing van were born.

Each bronze statue has a song about the background, personality, and achievements of the Saints or national heroes who have contributed to the country, such as: the song "Duc Thanh Tran," "Mau Thuong Ngan," Mr. Hoang Bo, Mr. Hoang Muoi... Through the lyrics of the song, many people can understand more about the achievements of national heroes.

Artisan Dang Ngoc Anh, Deputy Director of the Center for Research and Preservation of Vietnamese Cultural Beliefs, said that Mother Goddess Worship shows respect for ancestors, promotes national pride and community cohesion.

Since the practice of the Mother Goddess Worship was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it has further affirmed the importance of belief in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people.

Promoting the value of Mother Goddess worship

Nam Dinh is the place where the Vietnamese practice of worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms arose, converged, and spread. The whole province currently has more than 350 historical-cultural relics worshipping and co-worshiping the Mother Goddesses; of which, Kim Thai commune (Vu Ban district) alone - where the legend of the birth of the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh is said to have occurred - has more than 20 relics.

To preserve, maintain and promote the core values ​​of Mother Goddess Worship, every year, Phu Day Festival regularly organizes the Chau Van Singing Art Festival at Tien Huong and Van Cat Palaces with the participation of hundreds of musicians and artists.

Prepare new costumes for the mediums in each stage of the ceremony. (Photo: Cong Luat/VNA)

During the festival, contestants wearing Ao Dai and Turbans competed with songs praising the great achievements of their ancestors, combined with unique music performed in a sacred space, attracting a large number of people and tourists to enjoy and admire.

Artisan Tran Thi Hue, Head of Tien Huong Temple, said that for many years, Chau Van melodies have been preserved and developed by many generations of people in Phu Day land.

The Chau Van singing festival held at the festival is an opportunity for artists to practice and exchange lyrics and singing to serve the community. This is also an opportunity to promote and spread the beauty of Chau Van art to domestic and foreign tourists.

In Nam Dinh, the art of singing Chau Van is developing strongly with more than 500 people practicing, including mediums, musicians, and musicians.

Many singing clubs have been effectively maintained, such as: Huong Que Folk Art Troupe, Nam Dinh City; Hanh Thien Village Singing Club, Xuan Truong District; Hai Hau District Traditional Poetry and Art Club... Each club has from 20 to 50 members, including artists and singers. This is the core force contributing to the preservation and development of this unique art form.

The Hau Dong ritual at Phu Day attracts a large number of followers of the Mother Goddess religion, local people and tourists. (Photo: Cong Luat/VNA)

To preserve the beauty of the rituals associated with the original Mother Goddess Worship, Nam Dinh Provincial Museum has been collecting and consolidating many sources of documents and artifacts.

To date, the museum has over 350 artifacts including costumes, props, and musical instruments related to religious practices. Over the years, the education sector of Nam Dinh province has organized extracurricular activities at the provincial museum, organizing performances of intangible cultural heritages such as ca tru singing, van singing, and dong singing to promote and spread the beauty of the heritage.

Mr. Do Van Ky, Vice Chairman of Vu Ban District People's Committee, said that in addition to promoting and propagating the beauty of Mother Goddess Worship, the district will focus on mobilizing resources to invest in building and developing infrastructure for tourist destinations; at the same time, building spiritual tours and routes to develop a variety of traditional cultural tourism products typical of the homeland to create an impression and attract tourists./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bao-ton-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-tin-nguong-tho-mau-tam-phu-cua-nguoi-viet-post1024938.vnp