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TL;DR: Hầu đồng (hầu bóng, lên đồng) is the central ritual of Đạo Mẫu, in which the thanh đồng, a person chosen by the saints of Tứ Phủ, performs a ceremony consisting of multiple giá đồng (each a descent of a particular saint), each accompanied by its own costume, dance, and chầu văn song performed by the cung văn. This is the core artistic and spiritual content inscribed by UNESCO in 2016 within the dossier of the Practice of Worship of the Mother Goddesses of Three Palaces. After inscription, đồng thầy and bản hội are regarded as the core force transmitting, organizing, and adjusting the practice, while the ritual is also most easily misunderstood or distorted if separated from its original belief context.
What is Hầu đồng? The central ritual of Đạo Mẫu
What is Hầu đồng?
Hầu đồng, also called hầu bóng or lên đồng, is the most characteristic and important ritual practice of Đạo Mẫu Tứ Phủ (the Mother Goddess religion of the Four Palaces). In this ritual, a person known as a thanh đồng (also "đồng", "ông đồng", "bà đồng") performs a sequence of consecutive "giá đồng", each corresponding to the temporary "descent" of a saint in the Four Palaces system into the body of the thanh đồng. In folk belief, the thanh đồng at this moment is no longer themselves but becomes the "vehicle" for the saint to "take seat", bestow blessings, give pronouncements, and share offerings with those attending (known as con nhang, đệ tử, followers and disciples)[1].
A hầu đồng session can last for many hours; the whole system has 36 giá, and a session usually features 8 to 15 giá[1], typically beginning with the saints of highest rank (opening with the giá of the Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu[1], performed with the face covered by a veil, without unveiling and without dancing) and ending with the more cheerful, youthful giá of the Cô and the Cậu.
A summary table of the types of giá đồng, their performance characteristics and costume colours by palace.
| Type of giá đồng | Performance characteristics | Costume colour | Corresponding palace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giá Quan | Solemn costume, flag dance, sword dance | ||
| Giá Chầu | Tied to each region | ||
| Giá Ông Hoàng | Reciting poetry, drinking wine, smoking, mimicking a refined and romantic manner | ||
| Giá Cô, giá Cậu | Youthful, playful, flower dance, boat rowing | ||
| Thiên phủ costume | Red | Thiên phủ | |
| Địa phủ costume | Yellow | Địa phủ | |
| Thoải phủ costume | White | Thoải phủ | |
| Nhạc phủ costume | Green | Nhạc phủ |
How do the sequence and the "giá đồng" unfold?
Each giá đồng follows a strict ritual sequence: the thanh đồng covers their face with a veil and waits for the saint to descend; when the saint enters, the veil is lifted and the thanh đồng is dressed by assistants in the costume of that saint, while the cung văn (the music and chầu văn singing troupe) plays music and sings verses praising the merits and the story of that saint[1]; the thanh đồng performs the characteristic sacred movements (sword dance, flag dance, fan dance, fire torch dance, boat rowing... depending on the saint), then "khai lộc", distributing money, offerings and betel and areca to those attending the ceremony as a form of blessing[1]. Each giá ends with the movement of "thăng" (the saint returning to heaven), and the thanh đồng covers their head with a red cloth for a moment before the next "giá" begins[1].
Common giá đồng include: giá Quan (the great Quan, with solemn costume, flag dance, sword dance), giá Chầu (the Chầu Bà, tied to each region, such as Chầu Đệ Nhị Thượng Ngàn, Chầu Bé...), giá Ông Hoàng (the Hoàng tử, often with a scene of reciting poetry, drinking wine and smoking that mimics a refined and romantic manner), and giá Cô, giá Cậu (youthful, playful, flower dance, boat rowing, often loved for their cheerful atmosphere).
What role does chầu văn music play in a hầu đồng session?
Hầu đồng cannot be separated from hát chầu văn (also hát văn), a distinctive form of folk music used specifically to serve this ritual. The traditional chầu văn ensemble consists of đàn nguyệt, trống ban, phách, cảnh, thanh la (nhị, sáo and đàn thập lục are instruments added later)[1]... with lyrics carefully composed, recounting the story and merits of each saint, with tempo and melody shifting flexibly according to the character and "manner" of the giá đồng being performed, now solemn and majestic, now urgent and lively, now gentle and tender. It is thanks to this distinctive artistic value of music, dance and costume that hầu đồng is regarded not only as a religious ritual but also as a unique composite performing art of Vietnam.
What is the meaning of hầu đồng costume?
Each giá đồng has its own separate set of costumes, elaborately tailored and embroidered in the colour symbolising the palace to which that saint belongs (red, Thiên phủ; yellow, Địa phủ; white, Thoải phủ; green, Nhạc phủ), together with khăn chầu, áo ngự, belts, swords, flags, fans and many other props. In a single ceremony, the thanh đồng may change costume several dozen times, requiring a team of assistants (called "nhị trụ", "tứ trụ hầu dâng") to help change robes and present offerings quickly and smoothly; this process itself is also part of the performance that the audience watches and enjoys.
Cultural meaning and the value recognised by UNESCO
When UNESCO inscribed "The practice of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016[2], hầu đồng together with chầu văn music was precisely the core ritual and artistic practice considered and assessed[2]. The value recognised lies in its composite artistic creativity (music, dance, costume, performance), its role in binding the community, and the safeguarding of a long-standing form of cultural and spiritual expression reflecting people's aspirations for health, prosperity and peace.
How can genuine practice be distinguished from distortion?
Along with the resurgence of Đạo Mẫu from the early 1990s after a period of quiet[5], hầu đồng in recent years has also faced the risk of commercialisation and distortion: some sessions are organised too ostentatiously and expensively, tending towards outward display rather than serious spiritual practice, or are exploited for profit[1][4], creating the misunderstanding that hầu đồng is synonymous with superstition. Cultural researchers and the practising community alike stress the need to clearly distinguish genuine hầu đồng practice that follows traditional ritual and carries deep spiritual and artistic meaning from deviant forms and excessive display; this is also the spirit of the UNESCO dossier's requirement that safeguarding accompany practice true to its essence[3].
Overview article on the topic: What does Vietnamese folk belief include?
