The Worship of the Mother Goddesses in the Three Palaces and Four Palaces
The worship of the Mother Goddess is a native Vietnamese folk religion, widespread and with a long history, evolving and adapting to the changes in Vietnamese society. Over its formation and development, the Mother Goddess Worship religion in our country, along with the influence of Taoism, has evolved into the worship of the Three Palaces (Heaven Palace, Mountain Palace, Water Palace), and the Four Palaces (including the aforementioned three and the Earth Palace) with a vast system of deities. At the highest level is the Jade Emperor, the Triad of Mother Goddesses, followed by Venerable Mandarins, Court Dames, the Princes, Mistresses and Masters, the Five Tigers, and Ông Lốt (the two divine serpents)… as well as local deities like various Ladies, Little Courtiers… Among the Venerable Mandarins, the most renowned is the Third Venerable Mandarin. Almost all priests, after having venerated the Venerable Mandarins at the Four Palaces, are required to venerate the Third Venerable Mandarin. He is worshiped in temples in many places and the first one to be mentioned is Lanh Giang Temple in Moc Nam, Duy Tien, Ha Nam.
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
On December 1, 2016, the cultural heritage “The Practice of Worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces by the Vietnamese” was officially recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The practice of Mother Goddesses Worship, a distinctive feature of the Three Palaces and Four Palaces Rituals
The Worship of the Mother Goddesses in the Three Palaces and Four Palaces
At Lanh Giang Temple, there is a deity's session almost every week, and during peak time, there can be multiple deity's sessions in one day in different palaces. Besides the private ceremonies of the priests, there are also serving-the-reflections ceremonies organized annually for the larger community, especially during festivals.
Lanh Giang Temple is most renowned as the main worship hall of the Third Venerable Mandarin. It is folk-belief that he is the eldest brother among the three Grand Princes who, after ascending to the realm of the divine, returned to the Dragon Palace to become the Supervisor of All Priests, deciding the rooted fate of humans. Priests say that only those who are “serving the reflection” (receiving blessings or are closing to the spirits) of the Third Venerable Mandarin have the ability to divine the fate of others. Therefore, participants in the serving-the-reflections rituals at Lanh Giang Temple include not only the temple's devotees (those involved in ceremonies like raising the incenses of fate or opening the palace, as well as the priest's disciples) but also a multitude of priests and shamans from across the country.
Chau Van Singing
Chau Van singing, also known as Van singing, is a Vietnamese traditional art form. It is a type of ritual music associated with the serving-the-reflections rituals of the Mother Goddess Worship religion (the Three Palaces and Four Palaces beliefs) and the worship of Venerable Saint Tran (Venerable Saint King Tran Hung Dao). Using spiritual music with solemnly refined lyrics, Chau Van is considered a form of singing to venerate the deities.
Origin
Chau Van singing originated in the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. Lanh Giang Temple is one of the venues dedicated to preserving and promoting the artistic value of Chau Van, holding regular monthly activities. Although there are few recorded documents about Chau Van singing, the existing documents consistently show that: Chau Van has a long history, predating other forms of folk singing.
Participants
The elements serving Chau Van in a serving-the-reflections ceremony include: the court musician – the Chau Van singer – and the accompanying music ensemble. The music ensemble in Chau Van usually consists of a moon-shaped lute, a Vietnamese two-chord fiddle, a small drum (known as “trống con”), a pair of small cymbals (cảnh đôi), and a piece of wood or bamboo which is struck (phách).
Performance Sequence
Fundamentally, the sequence of performing Chau Van ritual singing in serving-the-reflections ceremonies can be divided into four main parts: inviting the Saint to possess, narrating the Saint’s legends and virtues, praying for the Saint’s blessing, and sending off. The song typically ends with the line: “Xe loan thánh giá hồi cung!” (Imperial carriage returns to Palace!).
Meaning
Chau Van singing plays a particularly important role in supporting and stimulating the transcendental and empathetic communication between devotees and the spiritual world. Listening to the verses, one can easily recognize the legends of the Saints as well as the landscapes of their divine presence and manifestations. Therefore, Chau Van singing is indispensable in the serving-the-reflections ceremonies.
