What Is Đạo Mẫu (Đạo Mẫu), Vietnam's Mother Goddess Worship?
Đạo Mẫu is an indigenous folk belief of the Vietnamese people, worshipping Holy Mothers and female deities who govern the realms of the universe according to the Three Palaces or Four Palaces system.
Also called: Mother Goddess worship · Tam Phủ (Three Palaces) · four palaces
What is Đạo Mẫu?
Đạo Mẫu (also called the Mother Goddess worship) is a system of indigenous folk beliefs of the Vietnamese people, honouring female deities and Holy Mothers. These deities are believed to govern the realms of the universe according to traditional cosmology: Thiên phủ (the realm of Heaven), Địa phủ (the realm of Earth) and Thoải phủ (the realm of Water). When Nhạc phủ (the realm of Forests and Mountains) is added, the system is called Tứ phủ (the Four Palaces). Đạo Mẫu is closely bound to spiritual life, guiding people toward the aspirations of health, peace and good fortune in the present.
Origin and formation
Đạo Mẫu originates from the goddess worship of wet-rice farming communities, which emphasised the role of fertility and nature. Over time, this belief absorbed further elements from Buddhism, Daoism and the worship of national heroes. The typical Holy Mothers include Thánh Mẫu Liễu Hạnh, Mẫu Thượng Thiên, Mẫu Thượng Ngàn and Mẫu Thoải. Among them, Thánh Mẫu Liễu Hạnh is the only female saint in the Tứ Bất Tử (the Four Immortals) of the Vietnamese people, worshipped principally at Phủ Dầy (Nam Định).
The system of deities and rituals
The system of deities in Đạo Mẫu includes the Tam Tòa Thánh Mẫu (the Three Holy Mothers), the Ngũ Vị Tôn Ông (the Five Great Lords), the Quan Lớn (the Great Mandarins), the Chầu Bà (the Lady Courtiers), the Ông Hoàng (the Princes), the Cô (the Ladies) and the Cậu (the Young Lords). The central ritual is hầu đồng (also called hầu bóng or lên đồng), in which the medium performs các giá đồng so that the saints descend and enter them. There are also offering rituals and festivals such as the Phủ Dầy festival and the Bà Đen temple festival. Đạo Mẫu has been inscribed by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Distinction from easily confused terms
Đạo Mẫu differs from ancestor worship (which is directed toward family forebears) and from the worship of Thành Hoàng (which is directed toward the village's guardian deity). Đạo Mẫu is also not identical with Buddhism or Daoism, though it has been influenced by them. "Tam phủ" and "Tứ phủ" refer to the scope of the cosmic realms that are governed, not to alternative names for Đạo Mẫu. "Hầu đồng" is one specific ritual, not the whole of the belief system.
Note
Đạo Mẫu is traditional knowledge of a referential nature, not yet verified by science. Content relating to deities, rituals and legends should be approached as part of folk belief culture.
How do different schools understand it?
- The understanding of Tam phủ: Tam phủ consists of Thiên phủ, Địa phủ and Thoải phủ, corresponding to the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Water. This system reflects the traditional cosmology of the Vietnamese agricultural people.
- The understanding of Tứ phủ: Tứ phủ adds Nhạc phủ (the realm of Forests and Mountains) to Tam phủ, reflecting the diverse living environment of the Vietnamese people, including plains, rivers and water, and forests and mountains.
- The folk culture perspective: Đạo Mẫu is regarded as a cultural and belief phenomenon reflecting the role of women in traditional Vietnamese society, with the Holy Mothers as symbols of protection and fertility.
A table distinguishing the concepts and scopes within Đạo Mẫu according to the content of the article.
| Concept | Content | Scope or object |
|---|---|---|
| Tam phủ | Comprises Thiên phủ, Địa phủ and Thoải phủ | The three realms of Heaven, Earth and Water |
| Tứ phủ | Adds Nhạc phủ to Tam phủ | The four realms of Heaven, Earth, Water and Forests and Mountains |
| Ancestor worship | Directed toward family forebears | Family forebears |
| Worship of Thành Hoàng | Directed toward the village's guardian deity | The village's guardian deity |
| Hầu đồng | The central ritual of Đạo Mẫu, in which the medium performs các giá đồng | One specific ritual |
Related articles
- What does Vietnamese folk belief consist of?
- Thánh Mẫu Liễu Hạnh: The only female saint in the Tứ Bất Tử and the worship of the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces
- The legend of Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu and the Bà Đen mountain festival
- The worship of the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces and the hầu đồng ritual in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people
- The Nàng Hai festival (Mother Moon) - the fertility belief of the Tày people of Cao Bằng
- What is hầu đồng? The central ritual of Đạo Mẫu
- The Phủ Dầy festival: the centre of the worship of Mẫu Liễu Hạnh
