Origins of the Belief in the 12 Bà Mụ
The belief in the 12 Bà Mụ, also known as the Twelve Midwife Goddesses or Twelve Fairy Attendants, is a popular folk belief in Vietnamese culture, rooted in influence from Chinese folk religion but adapted and localized by the Vietnamese over many centuries. According to folk belief, a newborn child's body, features, and temperament do not simply arise on their own, they are the product of careful "shaping" and teaching by twelve celestial goddesses, each responsible for a specific part or skill of the child. This is a mystical, spiritual explanation that people of earlier generations used to make sense of the wonder of a new life coming into being.
The Role of Each Bà Mụ
According to folk legend, passed down in several variant versions, each of the twelve Bà Mụ takes on a specific task in shaping and nurturing the child: one shapes the eyes so they are bright and sharp, another shapes the ears so hearing is clear, another shapes the limbs for strength, another teaches the infant to roll over and crawl, another teaches it to smile and speak, and yet another oversees pregnancy and ensures childbirth goes smoothly, with both mother and child safe. Because each goddess handles a different task, folk belief holds that a child born healthy, beautiful, intelligent, and well-behaved owes this to the combined, careful work of all twelve Mụ Bà. Alongside the twelve, folk belief also speaks of Bà Chúa Thai Sinh (the Goddess of Childbirth), who presides over the group and oversees childbirth overall, sometimes joined by thirteen Đức Ông (male guardian spirits) who assist and watch over matters of childbearing more broadly.
Why Perform the Cúng Mụ Rite?
Rooted in the belief that the Bà Mụ directly contributed to shaping the child, Vietnamese parents have long regarded offering thanks to the 12 Bà Mụ as an indispensable duty after a child is born. This is far from a mere formality, it expresses profound gratitude to the sacred beings who "shaped" the child's complete form, and it is also a prayer asking the goddesses to continue watching over and blessing the child so that it grows up healthy, intelligent, and fortunate in life. This belief runs so deep in the folk consciousness that many families continue to practice the cúng Mụ rite even without knowing the full origin or details of each goddess, simply because it is a tradition passed down through generations.
Offerings for the 12 Bà Mụ
When performing the cúng Mụ rite, families typically prepare offerings in quantities symbolizing completeness for all twelve goddesses: twelve small bowls of sweet soup (chè, varying by region) plus one larger bowl for Bà Chúa Thai Sinh, twelve small plates of sticky rice plus one larger plate, along with boiled chicken, betel and areca, fruit, incense and candles, and votive paper offerings shaped like human figures. Arranging twelve equal small portions before the altar is a way of showing equal reverence to every one of the twelve goddesses, reflecting the folk belief's spirit of fairness and completeness.
Distinguishing It From the Đầy Tháng and Thôi Nôi Ceremonies
It is worth noting that the belief in the 12 Bà Mụ is the underlying spiritual foundation, while the đầy tháng (one-month) and thôi nôi (first-birthday) ceremonies are the specific occasions on which the cúng Mụ rite is actually performed, alongside other customs such as the "object-choosing" ritual at thôi nôi. In other words, cúng Mụ is the enduring spiritual core, while đầy tháng and thôi nôi are the specific time markers at which that belief is put into practice. Though modern society has changed a great deal, the belief in the 12 Bà Mụ remains a distinctive piece of Vietnam's spiritual cultural heritage, reflecting how earlier generations of Vietnamese people regarded a newborn life as a sacred gift, deserving of reverence and gratitude.
