Saints have eyes, money has thorns

(Baonghean) - The event of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship practice being recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 1, 2016 has great significance for the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values. However, with the characteristic of being closely linked to religious beliefs, the practice of Mother Goddess worship (the core of which is Chau Van singing and Hau Dong) is facing the risk of being transformed, more or less superstitious, and exploited for personal purposes.

On the basis of the goddess worship, the practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship was formed and developed strongly. Since the 16th century, the practice of this belief has become a cultural and religious activity with a profound influence on social life and people's consciousness.

Holy Mother Lieu Hanh is worshiped together with other Holy Mothers who govern the sky, mountains, forests, rivers, and historical or legendary figures who have contributed to the country and the common people and are worshiped together in temples following the Mother religion.

The practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship - the core of which is the ritual of singing and dancing, is a mixture of the indigenous religion of the Vietnamese and some elements imported from foreign religions such as Taoism and Buddhism.

The Holy Mothers and deities in the Three Palaces Temple originate not only from the Kinh people, but also from ethnic minorities such as Muong, Tay, Nung, Dao... demonstrating cultural exchange, equal relationships, and close ties between ethnic groups in Vietnam.

The ritual of spirit mediumship at Ong Hoang Muoi temple. Illustration: Thanh Son

Through the artistic combination of folk cultural elements such as costumes, music, Chau Van singing, dance, folk performances in spirit mediumship and festivals, the practice of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Realms is like a "living museum" preserving the history, heritage and cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.

Therefore, once officially recognized as a national and international intangible heritage, the practice of worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms will have the opportunity to be recognized and evaluated for its true value.

However, the concerns of scientists, researchers, cultural managers and public opinion about the transformation of this type of religious practice are not unreasonable, when recently, the activities of spirit mediumship and offering sacrifices have been widespread in large temples with signs of commercialization and superstition.

Special performance of Hau Dong at the temple festival.

Even people who have nothing but want to show off how much money they have, or how good they are at dancing, also attend large temples and shrines to borrow the hands of the gods to spend money and gain fortune in a moment of wandering around in the incense smoke amidst the sometimes bustling, sometimes gentle music and lyrics of the musicians.

That is what people call "co-racing". That is, seeing others going to serve, having money, also going to serve, simply to release the pressure in life, to show that you know how to play.

No belief or religion teaches people to do bad things. Only people use it for evil purposes.

Therefore, the recognition of the practice of Mother Goddess worship as an intangible cultural heritage raises many issues regarding the management and promotion of traditional culture, and citizens' freedom of belief.

The fine line between the ritual practice of Mother Goddess worship (singing and performing spirit mediumship) and superstitious activities, encouraging the masses to indulge in a surreal belief in gods and goddesses can turn a large number of people into ignorant people, not believing in reality but only praying for favors and bribes from gods and goddesses.

Therefore, honoring folk cultural values ​​related to religious beliefs, if not handled appropriately, can easily be exploited to become superstitious.

"Money has thorns, but the Saints have eyes." Is the ritual of spirit mediumship really a practice of Mother Goddess worship or has it been transformed into a superstitious activity, where male and female mediums use the power of the gods to deceive people in order to harm others and benefit themselves? It all starts from the heart of each person.

Van Thieng