A priestess holding a "hầu bóng" () ritual in a shrine. Đạo Mẫu (, ) is the worship of mother goddesses which was established in Vietnam in the 16th century.Asian Ethnology, Volumes 67-68 2008 p.305 "mother goddess religion (Đạo Mẫu)" While scholars like Ngô Đức Thịnh propose that it represents a systematic mother goddess, Đạo Mẫu draws together fairly disparate beliefs and practices.Ngô Đức Thịnh,"The Cult of the Female Spirits and the Mother Goddesses 'Mẫu'," Vietnamese Studies 121, no.3 (1996):83-96"Đạo Mẫu ở Việt Nam" [The Mother Goddess Religion in Vietnam] (Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Văn Hóa Thông Tin, 1996)"The Pantheon for the Cult of Holy Mothers," Vietnamese Studies 131, no.1 (1999): 20-35"The Mother Goddess Religion: Its History, Pantheon, and Practices," in Possessed by the Spirits: Mediumship in Contemporary Vietnamese Communities, ed. Karen Fjelstad and Nguyen Thi Hien. (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell Southeast Asia Program, 2006), 19-30. These include the worship of goddesses such as Thiên Y A Na, The Lady of the Realm ( Bà Chúa Xứ), The Lady of the Storehouse (Bà Chúa Kho) and Princess Liễu Hạnh,. legendary figures like Âu Cơ, the Trưng Sisters (Hai Bà Trưng), and Lady Triệu (Bà Triệu), as well as the branch Four Palaces. Many people mistake that Đạo Mẫu is commonly associated with spirit mediumship rituals—known in Vietnam as lên đồng— much as practiced in other parts of Asia, such as Southern China, Myanmar (Mon people ) and some community in India , however, that is not correct. Even though some of the priests and priestesses of Đạo Mẫu have the ability of spirit mediumship, that is not the main ritual. The most prominent ritual of Đạo Mẫu is the ceremony of " Hầu Bóng " (), in which a priest or priestess would mimic the deities by dressing and acting like them. The priest is in full control of their body. A successful ceremony is one in which the priest feels the deities' essences but it does not mean the deities' spirits enter the priest's mortal body. As a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities, the " thanh đồng " in Đạo Mẫu is more of the equivalent of a priest rather than a medium or a shaman. The worshipping of the Mother Goddesses contributes to the appreciation of women in society. Recognized by UNESCO, this Vietnamese ritual was inscribed on Representative List in December 2016.
A priestess holding a "hầu bóng" () ritual in a shrine. Đạo Mẫu (, ) is the worship of mother goddesses which was established in Vietnam in the 16th century.Asian Ethnology, Volumes 67-68 2008 p.305 "mother goddess religion (Đạo Mẫu)" While scholars like Ngô Đức Thịnh propose that it represents a systematic mother goddess, Đạo Mẫu draws together fairly disparate beliefs and practices.Ngô Đức Thịnh,"The Cult of the Female Spirits and the Mother Goddesses 'Mẫu'," Vietnamese Studies 121, no.3 (1996):83-96"Đạo Mẫu ở Việt Nam" [The Mother Goddess Religion in Vietnam] (Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Văn Hóa Thông Tin, 1996)"The Pantheon for the Cult of Holy Mothers," Vietnamese Studies 131, no.1 (1999): 20-35"The Mother Goddess Religion: Its History, Pantheon, and Practices," by Ngô Đức Thịnh, in These include the worship of goddesses such as Thiên Y A Na, Bà Chúa Xứ " Lady of the Realm ", Bà Chúa Kho " Lady of the Storehouse ", and Princess Liễu Hạnh,. legendary figures like Âu Cơ, the Trưng Sisters (Hai Bà Trưng), and Lady Triệu (Bà Triệu), as well as the branch Four Palaces. Many people mistake that Đạo Mẫu is commonly associated with mediumship rituals—known in Vietnam as lên đồng— much as practiced in other parts of Asia, such as South China, among the Mon people of Myanmar, and some community in India ; however, that is not correct. Even though some of the priests and priestesses of Đạo Mẫu have the ability of spirit mediumship, that is not the main ritual. The most prominent ritual of Đạo Mẫu is the ceremony of Hầu Bóng (), in which a priest or priestess would mimic the deities by dressing and acting like them. The priest is in full control of their body. A successful ceremony is one in which the priest feels the deities' essences but it does not mean the deities' spirits enter the priest's mortal body. As a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities, the thanh đồng in Đạo Mẫu is more of the equivalent of a priest rather than a medium or a shaman. The worshiping of the Mother Goddesses contributes to the appreciation of women in society. Recognized by UNESCO, this Vietnamese ritual was inscribed on Representative List in December 2016.
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