Preventing the distortion of Mother Goddess worship

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), public and community awareness of the intangible cultural heritage of the Vietnamese practice of worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms is still limited; the legal corridor guiding and regulating heritage practices is still lacking and not specific.

Heritage of religious practice

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai said that the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms is a typical intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam, recognized by UNESCO in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2016. According to current statistics, in our country, there are about 10,000 Mother Goddess worshiping establishments, 215 temples and palaces; 920 Mother Goddess worshiping palaces and shrines and more than 1,000 private shrines. Ho Chi Minh City alone has about 20 Mother Goddess worshiping temples and shrines and more than 200 private Mother Goddess worshiping establishments.

Not long ago, the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Culture Palace launched the stage program "Colors of Time" and the play "Sacred Temple" directed by People's Artist Hong Van and performed by Artist Huu Nghia after a talk on Mother Goddess religion in today's life by Meritorious Artist Thanh Nhan.

Artisans involved in the Mother Goddess worship ritual always strive to preserve the standards of the world-recognized cultural heritage (Photo: DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE)

Besides the positive aspects, the practice, management, preservation and promotion of the value of the Mother Goddess worship heritage in Ho Chi Minh City, some places where Mother Goddess worship is held still have negative phenomena, distorting the nature of the heritage. Many organizations participate in heritage-related activities but with a heavy commercial nature.

Meritorious Artisan Huy Du confided: "Not only in Ho Chi Minh City, many provinces and cities have seen variations such as organizing spirit mediumship in public areas and spiritual spaces; using a lot of votive paper, money and expensive offerings to share and distribute fortunes during spirit mediumship; there is a phenomenon of taking advantage of spirit mediumship, taking advantage of people's trust for personal gain."

"Allowing Mother Goddess religion to be performed at markets, tea rooms, restaurants, etc. needs to be reviewed. It is necessary to resolutely eliminate superstitious, deviant, and commercial manifestations in the process of practicing Mother Goddess religion" - Meritorious Artist Hoai Anh expressed his opinion.

Promoting heritage values

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai said that in order to rectify the shortcomings in the practice of Mother Goddess worship, it is necessary to organize training courses to improve the state management capacity of heritage for cultural officials at all levels; and provide guidance on how to manage the state in the practice of Mother Goddess worship. "It is necessary to regulate the responsibilities of representatives of Mother Goddess worship establishments and organizations practicing Mother Goddess worship rituals, and at the same time, if there are penalties, there must be rewards. It is necessary to honor, reward, motivate and encourage artisans, heritage practitioners, and those who have contributed to protecting and promoting the value of heritage" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai proposed.

Meritorious Artisan Dang Ngoc Anh, Deputy Director of the Center for Research and Preservation of Vietnamese Cultural Beliefs, expressed: "The strength and meaning of Mother Goddess worship is to demonstrate the tradition of patriotism, remembering the source of water, meeting the needs and aspirations in people's daily lives for health, peace and success."

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Toan, former Director of the Vietnam National Academy of Music and member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, said: "In addition to the dedication of artisans, it is necessary to consider allowing the establishment of associations on Mother Goddess worship to standardize these activities, creating a united strength for the community in preserving and promoting the value of heritage."

The State has awarded the title of People's Artist to 6 individuals and Meritorious Artist to 79 people to honor their contributions in preserving and promoting the value of the Heritage of the Vietnamese people's practice of worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are 3 Meritorious Artists: Thanh Nhan, Hoai Anh, Huy Du. All three actively participate in the work of passing on the profession, guiding the younger generation to practice the Mother Goddess worship ritual in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing the activities into order.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ngan-ngua-bien-tuong-tu-tin-nguong-tho-mau-196240801205058345.htm