(CLO) On the morning of February 22, in Hanoi, Nha Nam coordinated with the French Institute in Hanoi and the Library Information Center - Hanoi University of Culture to organize an event to introduce the book "Symbols, emblems and worship objects of the Annamese people".
The author of the book, Gustave Dumoutier, is one of the most knowledgeable scholars on Indochina, a respected associate of the French École Française d'Extrême-Orient with outstanding research in archaeology, historical geography, ethnology and folk traditions.
To understand a nation, nothing is more important than learning about their cultural, spiritual and religious values. Among the Vietnamese, ancestor worship is a living proof of this. Every Vietnamese family, regardless of the circumstances, reserves the most solemn space in the house to worship their ancestors.
Scene of the book launch "Symbols, insignia and worship objects of the Annamese people".
Therefore, a book recording and researching traditional worship customs such as “Symbols, emblems and worship objects of the Annamese people” is not only a valuable academic document, but also a key to help us open the door to a deeper understanding of the soul, character and identity of the Vietnamese people.
On the altar, each worship item, from incense bowls, candles to offerings, all carry profound spiritual meanings. Accordingly, common symbols on worship items such as the characters for happiness, longevity, the image of yin and yang, the river map, the lac thu and many other images have been carefully recorded by scholar Gustave Dumoutier in his book. What is special is that the author does not stop at describing the appearance, but also delves into the cultural and spiritual values hidden behind each item.
The research work records and interprets many symbols from familiar to ancient such as: Happiness and longevity, yin and yang, dragon, river map, lac thu, long ma, crane on turtle's back, phoenix, happiness, eight trigrams, dragon and tiger fighting... and many other images.
Researchers and guests shared at the book launch "Symbols, insignia and worship objects of the Annamese people".
Along with the explanation of the meaning, French scholar Gustave Dumoutier also recorded the applications of these symbols in the religious and worship life of the Vietnamese people, their beliefs and taboos. The origins of these symbols were also carefully researched, compared with historical books and annotated in detail for readers to easily look up during the reading process.
The value of the book also lies in the rich and detailed system of illustrated documents about the worship items of the Vietnamese people in the late 19th century, helping future generations to visualize in a specific way the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people more than a century ago. These illustrations are important historical documents in the study of Vietnamese religious culture.
For each symbol, scholar Gustave Dumoutier carefully included one or two accompanying images to preserve the image of that symbol from hundreds of years ago, helping readers of many generations, in many periods, to compare and contrast with their own period.
The book "Symbols, insignia and worship objects of the Annamese people".
It is easy to see that many symbols have been kept intact through many generations, and still carry profound meanings as recorded in Dumoutier's book.
The illustrations in the book are printed sharply, reproducing the best images of objects and symbols from hundreds of years ago, helping today's readers to compare and contrast the images of those symbols in a modern context. Along with the illustrations are Nom script annotations in the images, contributing to explaining to readers more about the symbols being studied.
In the context of modernization and globalization as today, many traditional cultural values are gradually being lost. A valuable source of documents such as "Symbols, insignia and worship objects of the Vietnamese people" is a necessary part to preserve the traditional cultural values of the Vietnamese people.
Gustave Dumoutier (1850-1904) was one of the most knowledgeable scholars on Indochina, a respected associate of the French École Française d'Extrême-Orient with outstanding research in archaeology, historical geography, ethnology and folklore.
Born on June 3, 1850 in Courpalay, France, he studied at the Seine-et-Marne Archaeological Society. In 1886, after taking a course in Vietnamese and Chinese at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Dumoutier went to Indochina to work as an interpreter for Paul Bert, then Resident General of North and Central Vietnam.
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/net-doc-dao-trong-bieu-tuong-phu-hieu-va-do-tho-cua-nguoi-an-nam-post335627.html
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