TL;DR: Soul-calling and spirit-calling rituals are folk rites that invite the soul or vía, believed to have left the body, to return. They are usually performed when a child falls, when someone is ill or frightened, or when someone has just returned from a long trip. The person conducting the rite may be a family member (mother or grandmother) or a ritual master or medium, depending on the ethnic group and situation. Offerings are simple, such as boiled eggs, rice balls, betel and areca, chicken, or sticky rice, but the names used, the number of offerings, and the ritual steps differ between the Kinh (Vietnamese) and ethnic minority groups such as the Tày, Nùng, Dao, and Mông.
What the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite is and why people perform it
The soul-calling and spirit-calling rite is a folk ritual that invites the soul or the vía (spirit essence) believed to have left the body to return to the living person. Folk belief holds that each person has a soul and vía; when someone falls, falls ill, suffers a fright or has been away from home for a long time, the vía may "wander off" and needs to be called back so that the person stops being dazed, stops being easily startled, or recovers from illness more quickly.
The custom exists among many ethnic groups, but the name, the timing and the way it is done differ. The Vietnamese (Kinh) usually call it gọi hồn, gọi vía or hót vía; some ethnic minorities have their own rites presided over by a ritual master.
When do people perform the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite?
People perform the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite when someone in the family has fallen, fallen ill, suffered a fright, or has just returned from a long journey. In addition, small children who are easily startled and sleep poorly are also believed to have lost their vía and have their vía called.
According to the book Phong tục thờ cúng của người Việt (compiled by Song Mai and Quỳnh Trang, 2006), when a child falls, the family performs the hót vía rite to return the vía to the child[1]. The book also records the method in detail: use one boiled egg cut into 7 or 9 pieces (7 for a girl, 9 for a boy), together with 7 or 9 small handfuls of rice, take them to the place where the child fell, call out to the vía, swap the rice and egg 7 or 9 times, then bring them home for the child to eat[1].
For adults, the soul-calling rite is usually tied to funerals or serious illness. The custom of calling the soul of the dead is recorded: when a household has a death, however poor they are, they still try to invite a cô hồn (soul-caller) to come and call the soul[2]. However, this custom relates mainly to funerals, not to calling the vía of the living.
Who performs the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite?
The person who performs the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite may be a family member or a ritual master, depending on the ethnic group and the scale of the rite. For a small child who has fallen, the mother or grandmother usually performs the simple hót vía rite at home herself[1]. For serious illness or a larger rite, people invite a ritual master or a medium.
In the old Vietnamese custom of calling the soul of the dead, the practitioner is called a cô hồn. The cô hồn worships ông Chiều bà Di, and any household with a death usually invites a cô hồn to the house to call the soul[2]. However, the author also expresses doubt about the authenticity of this custom, calling it "a trick by frauds to make money"[2].
Among ethnic minorities, the ritual master is usually the one who presides. However, detailed source material on the vía-calling rites of each ethnic group is limited within the scope of this article.
What offerings are included in the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite?
The offerings in the soul-calling and spirit-calling rite are usually simple, consisting of boiled eggs, handfuls of rice, betel and areca, and possibly chicken, glutinous rice and wine depending on the scale. For the hót vía rite for a child, the main offerings are boiled egg and handfuls of rice, in a number of 7 or 9 depending on sex[1].
For the rite of calling the soul of the dead, the offerings may include betel and areca and money to invite the cô hồn. Phan Kế Bính records that first one must ask a relative who is "lành vía" (of good vía) to set out a tray, present a betel tray and a sum of money for the cô hồn to pray[2].
Compared with other offerings in folk belief, the offerings for vía calling are usually less elaborate than those for communal-house or pagoda worship. This reflects the intimate, family nature of the rite.
How to perform the vía-calling rite for a child who has fallen
The method of performing the vía-calling rite for a child who has fallen is described specifically in the book Phong tục thờ cúng của người Việt. Below are the steps as recorded by Song Mai and Quỳnh Trang (2006)[1]:
- Preparing the offerings: one boiled egg cut into 7 pieces (for a girl) or 9 pieces (for a boy); 7 or 9 small handfuls of rice.
- Going to the place where the child fell: take the offerings to the exact place where the child fell and call out to the child's vía.
- Swapping the rice and egg: swap 7 or 9 times, that is, turn the offerings over and over.
- Feeding the child: bring the rice and egg home for the child who fell to eat. If the child is still too small to chew, the parents chew it and feed it mouth to mouth[1].
People in the past believed that after eating this rice and egg, the child would regain the vía and return to normal[1].
Differences between ethnic groups in the soul-calling and spirit-calling custom
The soul-calling and spirit-calling custom exists among many ethnic groups, but the method and the name differ. The Vietnamese (Kinh) have the custom of hót vía for children and calling the soul of the dead. Ethnic minorities such as the Tày, Nùng, Dao and Mông also have vía-calling rites, usually presided over by a ritual master with their own offerings and prayer texts.
However, within the scope of the source material for this article, detailed records of the vía-calling rites of each ethnic minority are not fully covered. The article notes the differences in name and in who presides, but does not go into each specific ethnic group in order to avoid speculation.
Comparing viewpoints on the soul-calling custom
The soul-calling custom attracts different viewpoints. The soul-calling custom has been criticised as a trick by frauds to make money[2]. However, this is the view of one intellectual in the context of the reform movement and the campaign against superstition.
Today, the custom of calling the vía for children still survives in many rural areas, but it is usually understood as a folk custom rather than a strict belief. Folk culture researchers regard it as one of the life-cycle rites, reflecting the Vietnamese conception of soul and vía.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestions
When learning about the soul-calling and spirit-calling custom, readers should place the rite in its folk-cultural context and should not regard it as a substitute for medical treatment. For a child who has fallen or is ill, seeing a doctor remains the priority. The vía-calling custom may be practised as a ritual of spiritual comfort, but medical treatment should not be delayed because of it.
If you want to learn more about the vía-calling rites of each ethnic group, you should consult specialised ethnographic works, since this article only summarises the available sources.
