Thầnism — Vietnamese Folk and Shaman Religion

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God of Farming

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Thần Nông (Shénnóng/神農) was a mythical prehistoric divine ruler in Chinese and Vietnamese folk religion said to have lived from around 3220 BC — 3080 BC. Thần Nông simply means Divine Farmer or God of agriculture. He is known by various other names. Specifically, in Vietnamese literature, he is often known as Viêm Đế.

Thần Nông is credited for teaching the ancient Chinese and Vietnamese people how to farm, harvest, and preserve crops. He is also credited for inventing farming tools, teaching herbal medicine/traditional Eastern therapeutic medicinal practice (such as acupuncture and taking pulses), and many more. Legend said he personally consumed hundreds of plants to study their medicinal properties.

Specifically in Vietnamese culture, he is considered the 5th generation grandfather of Lạc Long Quân (Dragon Lord of Lạc) according to "Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư" (Complete Records of Đại Việt). Lạc Long Quân was seen as the prehistoric divine father and ruler of the Vietnamese people. Thần Nông is depicted in various form — a grandfatherly figure, a scholar, an exceptionally strong young man, to rather strange looking with buffalo horns, a bronze forehead, scorpion tail, and legs of a centipede

Thân Nông is still worshipped by farmers for favorable season and harvest. A grand ceremony is often held in early spring to honor him.

Though there are other shrines dedicated to him throughout Vietnam, a large shrine dedicated to Thần Nông was officially established in 2019 in Northern Vietnam, Bắc Giang province.

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Đông Sơn Bronze Drums

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Đông Sơn bronze drums are artifacts of a Bronze Age Đông Sơn culture that lived along the Hồng River Delta of Northern Vietnam from 1000 BC to the first century AD. About 200 of these drums were found. They are beautiful metalworking with intricate carvings of patterns, animals, birds, and human activities. A depiction of the sun is always at the center of the drum which is believed due to Đông Sơn culture worshipping a form of a sun deity. The drums were used for various purposes ranging from religious ceremonies, musical performances, and even war. The following are some of the known uses:

-Funeral ceremonies and festivals of the Mường people -Offering rites to the Thunder deity -According to a folk song of the Hmong people, the drums somehow saved their ancestors from a great flood. -According to imperial records of the late Lê Dynasty, it was used during court musical performances alongside various other instruments and lutes. -The drums were used by the Trần dynasty military according to a poem by Trần Phú who was an ambassador of the Yuan dynasty. -These drums were also burial objects as found at Đông Sơn burial site in Thanh Hóa province.

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Banana in Vietnamese Shaman Rituals

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A Vietnamese ethnic minority witch doctor performing a ritual involving a banana plant as a form of scapegoat to bear all of the misfortunes of a person's bad star year. 

Banana plants play an important role in Vietnamese shamanism. It grows easily and in a great number given the climate. Banana plants are believed to contain an abundance of yin energy (often associated with the underworld), or energy relating to the spirit world thus it is used in many rituals involving spirits or spirit realm. Banana plants are planted after a specific ritual to be used as a body for a spirit to be contained within, it is also used to take on a person's misfortune during a bad year due to astrological star god. On a more morbid side of things, a banana plant is often planted by a grave of a woman who died while pregnant. It is believed that her spirit will reside within the plant for the time being, and once the banana plant produces banana sprout, the spirit of the child is released, thus both mother and child can move on into the next world in peace. Young banana plants are also often found on either side of the memorial altar of the recently deceased as it believes to absorb "tử khí" (death energy). These are a few of the many use of banana plants in Vietnamese shaman and folk rituals. 

Of course, it is also worth noting that the banana plants are seen as symbolic plants representing family love. The many layers of leaves wrapping each other is a play on the word "đùm bọc" which means something akin to "to cover" or "to support/protect"(?). Banana plants also produce young banana plants from its bulb/corn and feed it until these young plant plants produced their own roots and self sustain themselves. This is seen as that of parental love and support for children.

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Statue of Lady of the Realm

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This specific statue of the Vietnamese prestigious goddess Bà Chúa Xứ (Lady of the realm) is from Sam Mountain of An Giang Province, Vietnam. It is pretty clear the head is not part of the original statue which is male in form and is not a representative of the goddess. There are a few explanations. in 1941, a French archeologist believes the body was originally a statue of the Hindu god Vishnu. Others believed it was a Khmer statue of the Buddha that was left behind. Personally, I don't think the body of this statue looks like a typical depiction of either Vishnu or the Buddha in any era that I could think of. In fact, this typical depiction seems to resemble strongly that of a Hindu demi-god Kubera which was most likely of the ancient Khmer people. The posture, the round belly, the hand position, and the lack of ornated body jewelry (which is generally more common for the higher Hindu gods) all seem to indicate this was originally a statue of Kubera. In fact, there are other Hindu statues unearthed of Kubera in Vietnam which shared almost identical depictions. Bà Chúa Xứ is a goddess protector of a nation/realm as well as the patron goddess of health and prosperity.  If indeed the body is that of the Hindu demi-god Kubera, then the coincidence is rather appropriate since Kubera is a Hindu demi-god of wealth and a protector of the world. This is not to say that Bà Chúa Xứ is of Hindu origin. I don't believe that to be the case here. The myths and legends attributed to Bà Chúa Xứ seem to have no connection or tie to that of Hinduism. It appears to be a completely independent goddess who was originally worshipped by the locals before gaining national recognition and worshipped across the country.

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Sacred Trees

Facebook Group The veneration of trees can be found in many different cultures. It stems from a very ancient and primitive animistic belief in which all things, especially that of nature, all possess some form of spiritual essence. Humanity, especially in our infancy, lived side by side with nature. We depended on much of our survival at the mercy of nature. It is then no surprise that the earlier form of religious belief is hugely nature-based.

Throughout Vietnam, one can find small altars or shrines dedicated to very old trees, especially the banyan trees. Most of these trees are usually some form of Ficus trees. In places that are tropical, these Ficus trees grow to a great height and put out a great number of aerial roots that thicken significantly over the decades and centuries to look quite majestic. The appearance conjures a sense of reverence and awe-inspiring. Many Vietnamese believe that these trees either possess a spirit or some form of nature-based god resided within the tree itself. Thus respect is given and the tree is protected as no one would wish to risk angering a god.

In my childhood, there was a great old tree at the end of the street. It grew to a great height and had an impressive canopy of leaves. Many strange tales were dedicated to this tree including the many people who had gone mad attempting to cut it down. There was also another tree closer to the market and every day, there were offerings made at the base of the trees.

Regardless of how one feels about this subject, these trees are quite magnificent and it certainly stirs a sense of reverence for nature on some level. This is also true for those who love the outdoor or those who spent a good amount of time gardening and tending to our own plants and trees. They do seem to have a mind, and perhaps even spirit, of their own. I think the greatest and the most wonderful thing about animistic respect for nature is that we generally wish to preserve and protect it.

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Way of the Mothers - Đạo Mẫu

Facebook Group  Đạo Mẫu (Way of the Mother) is among the more well-known form of Vietnamese folk religion in which pantheon of various goddesses are worshipped. While Đạo Mẫu had become more systematic and organized in recent decades, it is still a disparate belief for the most part and can vary from regions to regions. 

The worship of goddesses has ancient roots in Vietnamese spiritual culture. In early days of Đạo Mẫu, various goddesses from origin myth such as Goddess Âu Cơ or even indigenous goddess such as Thiên Y A Na (Which is also the Lady Po Nagar who was a deity of the ancient Cham civilization) were worshipped. These goddesses represent the nurturing nature of a mother who is always watching over her children.  

These days, Đạo Mẫu had grown into a more complex system of belief and included a great number of goddesses. Sacred Mother Liễu Hạnh is generally believed to reign supreme among the goddesses. Some of the goddesses are grouped together to form specific sects within Đạo Mẫu such as Goddesses Of the Three Palaces or Goddesses of the Four Palaces. Other Mother Goddesses such as Bà Chúa Xứ (Lady of the Realm) could be found worshipped independently. 

There are also other goddesses who were historical figures that were deified such as the Trưng Sisters or even Bà Chúa Kho (Lady of the Storehouse). In addition, there are local goddesses who are significant to specific region. The number of deities within Đạo Mẫu is quite large. Hundreds of shrines are dedicated to different goddesses from South, Central, and North Vietnam. There are also deities worshipped within Đạo Mẫu who aren't goddesses such as the various Princes of Heavenly Palaces or celestial magistrates/Mandarins who assist the Mother Goddesses in governing over the various realms such as the Heavenly realm, realm of the woodlands, or the water palaces. However, shrines are generally not dedicated to these minor deities and they are generally not worshipped independently. 

Đạo Mẫu is also known for its medium ritual in which the priestesses/priests (shamans) would perform a trance-like dance in various costumes that could be graceful or fierce before settling down and covering their head and face with a piece of cloth as the goddesses speak through them, offering guidance and blessings.

Đạo Mẫu is a distinctly unique Vietnamese folk religion and contains within it centuries of Vietnamese history and culture. Yet the goddesses themselves are not specific to Vietnam. They are celestial mothers embodying nurturing love and kindness toward humanity as well as deities who govern various aspects/phenomena of the world.

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“Then” Indigenous Shamans

Facebook Group   Vietnam is made up of fifty-four recognized ethnic groups. The Kinh ethnic group made up of eighty-seven percent of the population. The Tày and Nùng people comprise a little over three percent of the population. Tày and Nùng population live primarily in Northern Vietnam within mountainous provinces such as Lạng Sơn. Their homes are within the valley, among the lower slopes of the mountains, and along the rivers. Because they live side by side with nature, it is no surprise that the natural landscape of their homeland has a profound effect on their spiritual life and belief.Among some of the religious practice, the Tày and Nùng people are best known for a form of shamanism known as Then. I am a member of the Tày ethnic group so this form shamanism is very personal and close to heart. 

To define Then is difficult for a multitude of reasons. As with most forms of shamanism or animistic religion, there is no concrete dogma. It is worth noting that there is also no official religious text – though there are indeed commentary writings in recent history.  "Then" is practiced by several minority ethnic groups who live across northern and northeastern provinces of Vietnam. Thus, it is no surprise that there would also be a slight difference in beliefs from one group to another which brought about some discrepancies. These indigenous communities also experienced influenced by the three major eastern religions –Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism– which further added layers of confusion. Prior to 1945, there appears to be no academic study of Then among the scholars. Of the studies conducted after 1945, most were general and placed primary focus on music and art of Then rather than the beliefs and practice. In addition, Then is still very much a mystery to the majority of the Vietnamese population even at to this day.

The difficulty in defining and understanding Then from an academic point of view or as outsiders is not to say that it lacks substance or a comprehensive system of belief. Then is a rich and profound spiritual practice that is not at all completely apart from the daily lives of these indigenous minority groups. One can say that Then is culturally significant to these populations due to the fact that it goes beyond just religion. Then has a place in almost all aspects of a person’s life from birth until death and is deeply interwoven with the culture, folklore traditions, and the very land of the Tày and Nùng people. A common saying is “If there is no Then, then the mountains and the forests seem to lack their spirit”. 

The most essential of Then ritual is a form of trance-like singing, often in praise of gods and spirits, of mountains and rivers, of daily activities and farming, and of the aesthetic beauty of the world. In this way, perhaps we could imagine that Then is not really viewed as a separate matter from the daily lives of the Tày and Nùng people, and therefore the need to define it in a religious context as a comparative religion to other religions is simply not a thing until recent history. However, for the sake of understanding Then, it is necessary to break it down and attempt to make sense of it in ways that we could generally agree upon is the overall beliefs and practice.

1. Origin of Then

The word Then is believed to be related to the word Thiên which is Tiān(天) in Chinese, meaning heaven. Thus, Then is a shamanistic multifaceted practice relating to heaven. This is evident in the Tày and Nùng legend of how Then came to be, or to be more exact, how the shamans of Then came to be.The legend told of ancient times in which the people of these ethnic groups suffered hardship from the lack of necessities. The land didn’t provide fruitful harvests and the people were plagued with diseases. Seeing this, there were three brothers who decided that they would travel to see the king of heaven. As they traveled, they reached a river and rested for the night. Earlier the next morning, the eldest brother left before dawn to see the king of heaven and explained the situation. The king of heaven bestowed him with robe and hat, stallions, and a great number of religious texts to take home in order to help the people. The eldest brother thus became a priest (Thầy Tào). Therefore the priests of Tày and Nùng people would adorn formal religious garments during ceremonies or religious rituals and chant from scriptures. Priests are also generally knowledgeable on history and literature thus they are seen as the highest among the three. The middle brother woke up at dawn to see the king of heaven and was bestowed what left of the texts and a pair of cymbals instruments. He became a witch doctor (Thầy Mò). Once it was bright out, the youngest of the three brothers finally woke up and went to see the king of heaven. At this point, there was not much left to be given so the king of heaven gathered all he could and gave it to the youngest brother. He was given a bamboo broom, a wooden dipper, and a bundle of dried fruits. The youngest brother was exceptionally skilled and made a fan from the bamboo broom, a Đàn Tính (gourde lute with two strings) from the dipper, and the bundle made into a bundle of bells to mimic the sound of a running warhorse. Thus, the youngest brother became a Then shaman (Thầy Then). To this day, all Then shaman utilize Đàn Tính, a fan, and the bundle of bells while performing rituals.

It is probably safe to say the story is a a recent construct in order to explain the various religious practices among the Tày and Nùng people of the present day. The first hint was that the king of heaven in which the brothers went to see was no other than the Jade Emperor of the ritual Daoist pantheon, thus it is no surprise that the priests adorn robes quite similar to ritual Daoist priests and read from Daoist texts in Nho writings (Chinese). In addition, they are also considered the most superior of the three which seems to indicate some bias from the author(s). The story itself doesn’t provide an actual origin of Then but what it does provide is a glimpse into the role of Then shamans in these communities. From the story, the Then shaman was given items that are commonly used on a daily basis of the people such as a broom and a water dipper. The Then shaman then turned these mundane items into items with spiritual significance. The story is symbolic in drawing the connection of Then shaman and their intimate relationship to the everyday life of the people. The shaman was also the only of the three brothers who did not receive any religious text and therefore Then shamans do not chant from texts during rituals. Instead, Then shamans sing songs which were orally passed down from ancient time. Passing down knowledge orally is perhaps considered to be the most primitive form of knowledge exchange. From this, we can conduce that while the Then shaman was seen as the inferior of the three, at least in this story, it is most likely that Then is the earlier religion which is native to these indigenous groups.

The origin of Then is unknown though it is generally believed to have developed over thousands of years along with the indigenous ethnic groups it belongs to. Present-day province of Lạng Sơn,Cao Bàng and surrounding area are among some of the regions with the earliest settlement by people of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Tày and Nùng people live primarily in these provinces. Over the millennia, the people occupying these regions developed a rich culture lasting to this day. These groups resisted cultural assimilation during ancient Chinese domination and many of the Vietnamese dynasties to preserve a cultural identity that is distinctly different from the rest of the country. While there is no written record, the history of these indigenous ethnic groups is remembered through the songs sung by Then shamans passed down through generations. Another vital aspect of Then shamanism is its connection to the natural world and the belief that spirits are found in the landscape itself. Mountains, rivers, and forests all have their own spirits. The people in these regions depended on the natural resources of the land and sea of where they live so it is no surprise that Then places importance on nature and its significance. Then is an ancient religion and developed simultaneously along with the cultural formation of these communities.

2. Cosmology of Then

There are three different realms of existence in Then – Celestial realm earthly realm, and water realm which includes the underworld. A Then shaman is someone believed to be capable of traveling between the realms with ease through a trance. This journey in spirit body across the realms allow the shaman to do what needed to be done by either seeking the aide from the gods, receiving guidance from ancestral spirit, exorcising earthly spirits, or eradicating demons from the world below.The celestial realm is made of multiple planes. The highest of these planes resided the various gods. Among the gods are Then Luông who is the king of the gods, Then Ló the god of blacksmithing, and Then Cả the god of wisdom and beauty. These gods are powerful and have full control over the fate of humanity. They can also create rain and clouds, storms and flood, lightning and thunders. They have full control over all natural phenomena including plagues. Another plane of the celestial realm is called the “Suspending Plane”. Here reside the spirits of all the ancestors. In addition, the Thái ethnic minority believes there is a realm higher and beyond the celestial realm called Nọ Pha. In this realm lives a great serpent along with a plant like that of a banana sprout. They believe those who lived a virtuous life would ascend onto this realm and either drinks a droplet of dew from the banana sprout of a drop of sweat of the serpent and would instantly become immortal.

In the earthly realm lives human along with plants and animals. Along with physical life forms, there are also earthly deities such as the tutelary deity of the land, guardian deity of a village/town, and other nature deities. There are also various kinds of spirits. Some spirits are benevolent while some are malevolent.

The realm of water is divided among twelve palaces. The chief of the twelve palaces belongs to Long Vương or dragon king. The other palaces are controlled by various water deities. The highest among the deities and second to Long Vương is the god Hà Bá. He governs all of the monsters and demons found within all bodies of water. This realm also functions as a form of the underworld where spirits of those who lived an evil life would be captured and taken to.

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Vietnamese villagers dressed in traditional attires carrying carriage enshrining sacred objects representing the village tutelary deities during a festival procession.

The worship of Thành Hoàng (Tutelary god/goddess of a village/town) has an ancient root as a part of Vietnamese folk religion and culture. Each village would have a shrine dedicated to a specific patron deity. In earlier days, In addition to worship, the shrine was also a place for social gatherings of the village as well as a place where imperial decrees were posted.

Originally, Thành Hoàng deities were usually various gods and goddesses of mountains, rivers, natural phenomena, or from the origin myths and legends of the Vietnamese people. Later on, these deities included national heroes who were deified after their death which includes a number of great emperors or military leaders such as the Trưng Sisters. When the worship of Thành Hoàng was made official by the imperial court, the imperial official record categorized these deities into three different classes.

The highest category of the deities were the ancient gods and goddesses from origin myth as well as various national heroes.

The second categories were of local deities or deified person in which very little background was known of, though they were usually local magistrates who were well-loved by the people.

Lastly, the lowest of the three were deities in which little to none is known of them other than names or titles. This is usually a case in which a local deity or deified person was worshipped for so long after so many generations, the locals no longer knew much about the deity other than his or her role as a Thành Hoàng.

In addition to these three categories, there are also other various minor deities/spirits deemed as unofficial within imperial documents. These deities may have small shrines dedicated to them, usually on the side of the roads to protect and watch over travelers.

In the modern world, this form of worship is more common in small countryside villages and towns and not so much, if at all, in big cities other than for the sake of custom. Every year, the elders and the villagers still hold festivals to honor the Thành Hoàng of the old still watching over the towns and their people.

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The Ghost Red Silk-Cotton trees

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The Red Silk-cotton tree, known as Cây Gạo in Vietnamese, plays a spiritual and cultural significance to the Vietnamese people. The blooms of this tree display vibrant red flowers which are hard to ignore.

The Red Silk-cotton trees are often planted at the entrance or gate of a village or at the ground of temples and shrines.

A Vietnamese saying goes "Cây Đa có Thần, Cây Gạo gó Ma" which translate roughly to mean "Gods among the Banyan tree, and ghosts among the Red Silk-cotton tree".

Why the Red Silk-cotton tree is associate with ghosts and spirits is unclear. Certain Vietnamese indigenous people believe the reason is simply that crows often made their nests among the many branches. Crows are often associated with death or after-life. Thus where crows made their home, surely there are ghosts and spirits. Another explanation has more to do with the name of the tree itself. Gạo means rice in Vietnamese, as most wandering spirits are believed to be hungry ghosts, they are attracted to this tree due to its name being associated with the stable food source of the Vietnamese people. For whatever reason, the Red Silk-cotton tree is seen as a place of shelter for

wandering spirits.

As for people living among the Trường Sơn Mt. range and Central highlands, Red Silk-cotton tree is believed to connect heaven and the earth, or a pillar of the universe, perhaps due to the fact that they could grow to a great height. Prayers are made to the tree in hope that the gods would hear them.

Even though Red Silk-cotton trees are associated with ghosts among some, they are not seen as unholy or in a negative light. In fact, these trees are well-loved by villagers across the country. Red silk-cotton tree is often associated with the beauty of Vietnam, especially in the countryside. It is a tree which provides shades for the village children at play, a tree which brings about nostalgic memories for many, a tree that conjures an uncertain sense of something deeply spiritual or sacred.