The Craft of Bronze Casting for Worship: A Century-Old Flame in Lộng Thượng, Y Yen, and Đại Bái
Bronze casting for worship in Lộng Thượng, Y Yen and Đại Bái: how three villages keep a centuries-old craft alive against industrial pressure.
Results for "ritual objects"
How early 20th century Vietnamese consulted fortune tellers, picked auspicious days, and practiced mediumship: rereading Phan Kế Bính, Diguet, and Nguyễn Văn Huyên
Three early 20th century recorders found fortune telling, day selection and mediumship widespread in northern Vietnam, each seeing them differently.
Pơ Thi (Grave-Leaving Ceremony) and the Art of Tomb Houses of the Gia Rai People
The Pơ Thi grave-leaving ceremony of the Gia Rai marks the end of the bond between the living and the dead, with tomb-house statues rich in culture.
Star-Offering Rituals for Averting Misfortune: Why Do Hanoians Attend, and What Do They Believe?
Hanoi field research shows sao giai han attendees span many ages and jobs, drawn by belief in inauspicious stars and peace of mind.
The Thánh sư altar (patron of the trade): who is worshipped, where is it placed, and on which days are offerings made?
The Thánh sư altar honours a craft's patron. Learn the three names, altar placement, ritual objects, and offering days per custom books.
Fire Jumping Ritual of the Red Dao People in Yên Bái
The fire jumping ritual of the Red Dao people in Yên Bái is held during maturity or exorcism ceremonies, with dancing on embers and prayers for peace.
Gầu Tào Festival: The Hmong's Thanksgiving Ritual for Blessings of Children
The Gầu Tào Festival of the Hmong in Lào Cai gives thanks once prayers for children are fulfilled, with the Neu pole ritual and khen dancing.
Fire Jumping Festival - Sacred Shamanic Ritual of the Pà Thẻn People
The Fire Jumping Festival of the Pà Thẻn people is a sacred shamanic ritual seeking the fire god's protection, with barefoot jumps on glowing embers.
Cau Mua Ceremony - Agricultural Ritual of the Sán Chay People in Ba Chẽ
The Cau Mua ceremony of the Sán Chay people in Ba Chẽ, Quảng Ninh, prays for good weather and harvests and reflects animist belief and community ties.
Rain Prayer Ceremony and Village Cleansing Ritual in the Lô Lô Cultural Festival
The Lô Lô people of Mèo Vạc, Hà Giang reenacted their Rain Prayer and Village Cleansing rituals at the 2024 Lô Lô Cultural Festival.
The Placebo Effect: Why Feeling Lighter After a Ceremony Is Real, Even When the Ritual Changes Nothing About the Condition
The placebo effect explains why feeling lighter after a ritual can be real, though it changes only subjective experience, not the disease itself.
Medium Masters and Ban Hoi: How the Hau Dong Community Keeps Its Rules After UNESCO Recognition, from Gia Dong to the Fire Dance Ritual
After UNESCO recognition in 2016, medium masters and ban hoi still teach and uphold hau dong norms while adjusting practice to heritage conservation demands.
The custom of asking for divination sticks, drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the beginning of the year: A guide to the ritual and its cultural significance
Drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the start of the year: offerings, ritual steps, cultural meaning, and notes for a respectful visit.
Mother Âu Cơ Temple Festival in Phú Thọ: the 7th day of the first lunar month as the day of the Fairy's descent, the female officiants' ritual, and why the offerings are one hundred cakes
The Mother Âu Cơ Temple Festival in Phú Thọ runs on the 6th and 7th of the first lunar month, when female officiants lead rituals.
Trấn yểm in Vietnamese Folklore and Historical Records through the Story of Cao Biền
Trấn yểm in Vietnamese folklore through the Cao Biền story: legends of suppressing royal graves, burial charms, and the perspective of historical research.
Year-end altar cleansing (bao sái bàn thờ): which day, who does it, and what is the sequence?
Year-end altar cleaning in Vietnam is usually done after the Kitchen Gods rite and before New Year's Eve, by the householder, in three steps.
How to Arrange the Family Altar According to Feng Shui and Customs
A detailed guide to arranging the family altar by feng shui and custom, covering placement, offerings, and steps for Tet and regular days.
The Hà Nhì custom of reading pig liver to predict fortune at the beginning of the year
The Hà Nhì read pig liver at the start of the year to predict fortune, harvest and health, a spiritual custom tied to farming life.
Ancient Leaf Books of the May People, a Chut Ethnic Subgroup
Ancient leaf books of the May people, a Chut subgroup, held incantations and ritual texts, and the artisans who can read them have nearly vanished.
Rain Praying Festival of the Thai Ethnic People: Agricultural Beliefs and Cultural Identity
Explore the rain praying festival of the Thai people in Northwest Vietnam: origins, rituals, spiritual meanings, and its role in agricultural community life.
What Is a Thần Chủ Tablet, and Why Is It Buried at the Fifth Generation?
Thần chủ, a jujube wood tablet with name, title and dates, sits on the altar; custom keeps four generations, then the cao tổ tablet is buried at the fifth.
Belief, Superstition, and Pseudoscience Are Three Different Things, but They Are Often Lumped Together
Folk belief, harmful superstition and pseudoscience differ in nature. Definitions and examples show how to tell cultural faith from fraud.
Xíp Xí Festival - the Children's Tet of the White Thai People
The Xíp Xí Tet of the White Thai people in Vietnam's Northwest is a festival for children, with rituals to worship spirits and ward off disease.
What Beliefs Do Vietnamese People Follow? A Map of Major Folk Beliefs and How They Differ from Religion
Vietnamese people rarely follow one religion; they layer ancestor worship, Thành hoàng, Mother Goddess, Hùng Vương and farming rites in daily life.
Replacing the incense bowl: when to do it, who may do it, the sequence, and why practices differ between households
What replacing an incense bowl involves, when it should be renewed, who in the family may do it, and why the customs vary across regions and households.
What Does Vietnamese Folk Belief Encompass?
Vietnamese folk belief includes ancestor worship, deity worship, Mother Goddess religion, agricultural beliefs, and rituals of many ethnic groups.
Folk taboos when opening a business: What you need to know
Vietnamese folk taboos for opening a business include choosing auspicious dates, avoiding the ghost month and holding opening rituals.
H'Mông Beliefs and Festivals: Animism, Khèn Masters, and the Gầu Tào Festival
H'Mông (Mông) animist beliefs in highland Vietnam, where khèn masters guide souls in funeral rites and the Gầu Tào festival honours children.
Choosing departure dates, blessing a new vehicle, hanging safety amulets: how do Vietnamese seek road safety through spirituality?
Vietnamese travellers use departure dates, vehicle blessings and safety amulets to manage risk on uncertain roads, an anthropologist finds.
The Mông People's Nào Pê Chầu New Year: Why They Celebrate a Month Early and the Main Rituals
Nào Pê Chầu, the Mông New Year, falls a month before Tết Nguyên Đán: sweeping the soot, the Xử Ka offering, the year-end meal and fetching new water.
La Hầu Star in the Nine Luminaries: Meaning and Folk Perspectives
Explore the La Hầu star in the Nine Luminaries: characteristics, inauspicious meanings, ritual practices, and an objective view from folk beliefs.
What Is Trùng Tang, and Why Do Vietnamese Choose the Hour of Coffining and Avoid Certain Burial Days: Funerals Seen from Anthropology
Trùng tang, the hour of coffining and avoided burial days are folk beliefs from Bắc Kỳ; anthropology reads them as easing unease when someone dies.
Matrilineal Marriage Customs of the Ê Đê: When the Woman Proposes
Discover the unique husband-proposing rituals of the Ê Đê people in the Central Highlands, where women take the lead in marriage.
The Luban Rule: Three Rules, How to Read Them, and Why Certain Sizes Recur
The three Luban rules measure 52.2cm, 42.9cm and 38.8cm. Each divides into auspicious and inauspicious sections that repeat in cycles.
The Ngái People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Ngái are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, with a very small population living scattered across Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Bắc Giang, Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng.
Why Drawing Your Own Hexagram or Picking Your Own Numbers Feels More Trustworthy: The Illusion of Control
The illusion of control explains why choosing your own lottery numbers or casting your own hexagram makes a random result feel more trustworthy.
The Giẻ Triêng People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Giẻ Triêng live around the Ngọc Linh massif, speak a Môn Khơ Me language, worship many spirits and keep farming rites tied to the swidden cycle.
Nghinh Ông Lại Sơn Festival (Nghinh Ông Hòn Sơn, Nghinh Ông Kiên Hải): 15th and 16th days of the 10th lunar month, the whale worship custom of fishermen
Nghinh Ông Lại Sơn Festival falls on the 15th and 16th days of the 10th lunar month at Lăng Ông Nam Hải, Hòn Sơn Island, Kiên Hải, An Giang.
Công Đồng Bắc Lệ Temple Festival (Bắc Lệ Temple), Tân Thành Commune, Lạng Sơn: 18th to 20th of the 9th lunar month, palanquin bathing rite and the main Mother banquet
The Công Đồng Bắc Lệ Temple Festival in Tân Thành Commune, Lạng Sơn runs from the 18th to 20th of the 9th lunar month, with the palanquin bathing rite.
What goes on the first death anniversary (tiểu tường) offering tray and how does it differ from an ordinary death anniversary?
Giỗ đầu (tiểu tường) is the first death anniversary, with a tray of cơm úp, boiled egg, chicken, xôi and vàng mã, more solemn than an ordinary giỗ.
Vietnamese ritual offerings
A catalogue of 232 Vietnamese ritual offerings, from incense, flowers, betel, sticky rice and cakes to meat dishes, votive paper and objects, gathered from the offering names in the procedure rows: names in three languages, other names, group, vegetarian or not, the components of combined trays, and the number of procedure rows and rites using each item. It is the key table for the ma_le_vat column of the nghi-thuc-cung-viet-nam dataset.