Phu day festival in the community culture today

me of the theoretical issues of the Phu Day festival in community cultural life, viewed from a cultural perspective. 6.2. Practical contribution - Through the analysis and evaluation of changes in the Phu Day festival, the dissertation identifies the interaction between this festival and the cultural life of the Delta inhabitants. - Based on the positive and limited features of Phu Day festival, the thesis proposes to promote the value of this festival in the cultural life of the current Delta region. - The dissertation will become a reference for scholars at home and abroad about a typical spiritual culture of the Vietnamese people in the Delta in particular and Vietnam in general. In particular, scholars are studying the festival in general and Phu Day festival in particular. 7. Structure of the thesis In addition to the introduction, conclusion, list of publications of the thesis author related to the thesis topic, list of references and appendix, the thesis consists of 4 chapters, 13 sections, as followed: Chapter 1: Overview of research situation and theoretical basis of the topic Chapter 2: General overview of the Phu Day festival Chapter 3: Impact - the interaction between the Phu Day festival and community cultural life Chapter 4: Issues for the Folklore Festival in Community Cultural Life 8 Chapter 1 OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION AND THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE THESIS 1.1. Research situation on Phu Day festival and its impacts on the community culture 1.1.1. Research refering to the general theory of festivals The general theoretical works on religious beliefs have been published quite well. However, works referring to the general theoretical issues of religious belief in Vietnam are not much. The research mentioned are books, typical science articles directly related to the work of the thesis. 1.1.2. Studies on the worship of the Mau Tu shrine and Phu Day festival The researches directly refering to the festival worshiping the Mau Tu shrine in general and Phu Day festival in particular are not much. However, in religious studies of Vietnam, about the mother goddess worship in general, ceremonial activities related to festivals are mentioned indirectly. + The study of the worship of the Mau Tu shrine Works written about the worship of the Mau Tu shrine in general have a large volume in the form of monographs and scientific articles. However, there are no monographs (in form of books) dedicated to the worshiping of the Mau Tu shrine; in stead they are incorporated into monasteries as a whole. + Research works on Phu Day festival The studies of the Phu Day festival also have a modest volume, mostly written in scientific journals, or in the compilations of many authors. At times, the Phu Day festival is only structured as a chapter or part of monographs related to religious faith or religious belief in Vietnam. + The study of the worship of the Mau Tu shrine in the community cultural life The study of worship festival of the Mau Tu shrine in the community life is not much. The books or essays mainly refer to festivals in general in community life, but there are no separate monographs for the festival of worshiping the Mau Tu shrine in general and Phu Day festival in particular to community cultural life. 9 1.1.3. A general assessment of the research related to the topic of the thesis The major works go into the study of the formation, existence and development of the Mau Tu shrine worship in Vietnam on the basis of convergence with other indigenous and foreign religions. In addition, there are a number of works (in the form of research articles in the specialized journals) that deal with the interaction / impact of the worship of the Mau Tu shrine in general and the Mau Tu shrine festival in particular on community life, but from a generalized point of theoretical view and not yet into the analysis, evaluation on the basis of data. The works of the leading scholars have not gone into the study to evaluate the effects of worshiping the Mau Tu in general and the festivals of Mau Tu in particular (particularly the festival of Phu Day) to the social culture of the resident community as a specialized system. This is a gap for the thesis to study deeper, to research and evaluate of the effects of the Phu Day festival on community cultural life. 1.2. Theoretical basis 1.2.1. Basic definitions 1.2.1.1. Definitions of: festival, festival worshiping Mau Tu shrine, Phu Day festival According to the current common understanding, the concept of traditional festival consists of two parts: the tradition and fun. However, as understood by professionals, the festival is conceived as a general cultural phenomenon in which the celebration includes both the tradition and the fun within in each other. Not only that, the festival is also considered a form of folk spirituality. + Mau Tu festival is a kind of traditional folk festival in Vietnam, so it also guarantees the cultural elements of the whole and folk spirituality. + On the basis of the above, we temporarily understand: Phu Day festival is a folk spiritual culture; A form of Vietnamese folk spiritual performance in Phu area, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province. These are holistic activities, associated with the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh, one of the immortals of the Vietnamese in the Red River delta in particular and Vietnam in general. Not only that, Phu Day festival also associated with a complex system of traditional religious beliefs and traditional Vietnamese Buddhist teaching: Buddhist - Confucianism. 10 1.2.1.2. Definitions of: Cultural life, Community cultural life + Cultural life is understood as all the activities of human life are created, accumulated and manifested in two forms of material and spiritual, to behave and interact with the natural environment and the communal environment. + Community cultural life is understood as: all living activities of a community in a certain cultural space. It includes aspects such as politics, religion, creed, labor (agricultural production, business, etc.), education, arts, health care, family - social relationship, entertainment.The aspects of this activity of the community are interrelated, intimate, interactive. From there, it shapes the cultural values that characterize the human community in a given cultural setting. 1.2.2. Theoretical framework of the thesis 11 Conclusion of chapter 1 The studies of leading scholars have become the cornerstone of both theoretical and practical science. These studies provide not only theoretical foundations, research methods but also provide a wealth of knowledge and perspectives for our research. On the basis of the problems have been resolved, resolved insufficiently or even abandoned, the author of the thesis exploit, inherit and find the gaps needed to be researched furthermore. This research knowledge foundation has become an important platform for us to effectively implement the dissertation with the following content: evaluation of the impact of the worshiping ceremony of the Mau Tu (through the case of Phu Day festival) to community cultural life, and the effects of community life on the values of worshiping the Mau Tu in the present context. Through the study of the preceding scholars, we find that there are not many works (very few, even not yet) mentioned, studied the impact of community cultural life, especially the values of the worshiping of the Four Temples (especially the Phu Day festival on the cultural life of the resident community groups (local community groups, group of local officials). Therefore, we have turned our research into this issue. The basic concepts of the festival, the worship of the Mau Tu and the worship of the Mau Tu in Phu Day are built together with the theories of festivals, community cultural life. On the basis of this conceptual and theoretical framework, the analytical framework of the impact, the influence of the Mau Tu worship on community cultural life, is established. It is a dialectical relationship, the interaction between economic - political - social life with the festival of Mau Tu worship and the cultural life of the community. Chapter 2 GENERAL OVERVIEW OF PHU DAY FESTIVAL 2.1. Mother goddess worship and Mau Tu shrine worship in Vietnam 2.1.1. Mother goddess worship and matriarchal system Vietnamese culture derives from the fundamentals of rice farming and the matriarchal social consciousness (which emphasizes the role of women). 12 According to the process of national history, Vietnamese society has "clashed" with Chinese civilization, and then adopted the elements of Confucianism gradually, and moved to patriarchal society. However, Vietnamese women still have a certain influence on social life, especially in family activities. 2.1.2. Mau Tu worship system In the process of development, the conversion of mother goddess worship, in the XVI century, we see the appearance of Mau Lieu Hanh. Folk often regarded her as an incarnation, even identified with the goddess Thien, made her a god in Mau Tam / Tu Phu belief. The god in the mother goddess belief does not only distinguish themselves in relative positions, but also in different shrines. The four shrines (Tu Phu means four shrines) correspond to the different regions in the universe: the heavens, the land, the water, mountain forest, each one covered by a Holy Mother. 2.2. An overview of the formation and development of the Phu Day festival Commemorate father's death in August, mother's death in March, is a common saying of the Vietnamese folk expressing their respect for two people: Holy Father - Holy Mother and Holy Mother Lieu Hanh. On the anniversary of the death of Father and Mother, folk hold a festival honoring the merits of Holy Father Tran Hung Dao and Holy Mother Lieu Hanh. Phu Day festival, Nam Dinh is a typical case for worshiping Mau Tu in Vietnam in general. 2.2.1. Space of Phu Day festival At present, Phu Day is in Kim Thai commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province. This is a complex of relics including Tien Huong, Van Cat shrine and Mausoleum of Lieu Hanh. Besides, there are temples worshiping Ly Nam De, Linh Son pagoda and many other monuments. 2.2.2. Holy Mother Lieu Hanh in the Phu Day festival The Vietnamese people have always believed that Lieu Hanh was the daughter of the Emperor God; because of the breaking a cup she was banished to earth, reborned in the Le family (of Le Thai Cong) thus was named Giang Tien (Fairy Decendance). Giang Tien married her husband named Dao Lang and gave birth to a son and a daughter. Three years later, on March 3, Giang Tien died without cause (at 21 years old), returned to heaven. Later, Lieu Hanh came back to 13 meet her relatives, then married with a student in Nghe An, helped him became a royal oficial. At that moment, Lieu Hanh were ordered to return to heaven. Against the Emperor, again, Lieu Hanh did not stay still but travelled all the earth with two female servants. 2.2.3. The events of the Phu Day festival Legend has it that the Phu Day festival lasts 10 days from February 30th to the end of the 10th of March in lunar calendar. 2.2.4. Going into trance tradition in Phu Day festival This can be considered as one of the most important activities in the worship of the Mau Tu in general and Phu Day festival in particular. The going into trance tradition of Phu Day festival is an indispensable activity. It is the ritual where the Holy Spirit takes over the body of a mortal, reproducing the image of the gods, in order to propagate, heal and bless the followers. Before the oracle, the mortal in question had to go through rituals of “living beings and gods” held by the temple owner. 2.3. The unique values of Phu Day festival 2.3.1. Values of belief, spirituality First of all, we have to assert and agree together that the festival worshiping the Mau Tu is an important part of Vietnamese folk beliefs in general and the worship of Mau Tu in particular. Through the rituals and festivals of the Mau Tu, the mother goddess worship has created a unique character and vitality in the cultural life of the community. 2.3.2. Values of traditional education of history The nature of culture carries in it historicity and represents a certain people. Thus, folk festivals in general and Phu Day festival in particular are a fundamental element of culture, so it also carries in its historical and representative to a certain people. Historicity is expressed differently through different stages. 2.3.3. Values of artistic aesthetic The worship of the Mau Tu in general and the Phu Day festival in particular is a grand folklore phenomenon, a form of spiritual performance. Consequently, the beliefs of worshiping Mau Tu and Phu Day festival are full of traditional folk art forms, from traditional costumes, make-up art, music, lyrics, choreography, to the visual arts, sculptures. 14 2.3.4. Socio-economic values Socio-economic values are an extremely important part to ensure the operation and development of not only the Phu Day festival but also the worship of Mau Tu in general. Through spiritual activities, people turn to the source (education of historical tradition), aware of the aesthetic values, from which they make donations in terms of land, money, labor to repair, rebuild, organize spiritual activities (offerering, going into trance, festivals and related rites and activities). 2.4. The role of the Phu Day festival 2.4.1. Role of meeting community spiritual needs Every form of religious belief has its own role in meeting the spiritual needs of the human community. The belief in worshiping the Mau Tu in general and the Phu Day festival in particular is no exception. 2.4.2. Role of community cohesion The nature of the festivals in general, traditional festivals in particular (including Phu Day festival) all have the role of creating cohesion in the community. A compulsory rule in festivals is to bring in a large number of people. The amount is more or less often depends on the scale, the influence of the festival and the spirituality of the god worshiped. 2.4.3. The role of community traditional education Traditional festivals in Vietnam in general and in the Red River delta in particular bring in the values of the past - history. It is the most vivid incarnation of the values of tradition, passed down in space and time to this day. The Phu Day festival is no exception. Conclusion of chapter 2 The belief of worshiping Mau Tu is shaped on the basis of mother goddess worship beliefs of traditional Vietnamese folk. Over time with the development of society, the worship of the goddess has integrated religious ideas (contemporary, Buddhist, Confucianism) and formed the worship of Mau Tu. By the sixteenth century, the spirit of worshiping the Mau Tu and the god Lieu Hanh has become more systematic and strict. Phu Day festival is the crystallization, the most prominent expression of belief this pattern of worship to the community spiritual life in Vietnam today. Phu Day festival is organized in grand scale and converge the basic steps of a traditional Vietnamese folk festival. During the festival, the general steps in 15 particular of the worshiping of Mau Tu are clear. Particularly, the rituals of worshiping in the field are regarded as the souls, the center, the special manifestation of the worshiping of the Mau Tu. From that, the system of role and characteristics of the worshiping of the Mau Tu in general and the festival of Phu Day in particular have affected the cultural life of the Vietnamese community in the Red River delta as well as the whole country. Festivals are born of the needs of the community, meeting the needs of the community, and since then it has an impact on the cultural life of the community. Festivals in general and Phu Day festival in particular always create values or a system of values for the cultural life of the community. During the festival of thick cover, the values of this type of spiritual activity are clearly indicated. In particular, highlights are the basic values such as the value of spiritual beliefs, values of traditional education history, artistic aesthetic value, socio-economic values. Each value plays a different role in the cultural life of the community. But in the end, the values of Phu Day festival were created by crystallization from the needs, desires and perceptions of the Vietnamese community in general and people in the Red River Delta in particular. Chapter 3 IMPACT - EFFECTS BETWEEN PHU DAY FESTIVAL AND THE COMMUNITY CULTURAL LIFE 3.1. Impact on community cultural life 3.1.1. Impact on local community cultural life Phu Day festival has the most direct impact on the lives of local people living in Kim Thai and Van Cat communes, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh. Not only that, the festival also indirectly affect the cultural and social life of the neighboring communes in Vu Ban district. For local community groups engaged in festive activities, they are both the subjects who maintain, express and create spiritual values of the festival, but at the same time they are the guests who enjoy the spiritual values of the festival. The spiritual values of the festival have strongly influenced the perception and cultural life of the local community. People who choose to become part of the festival are often honored and proud. 3.1.2. Impact on visitors’ community cultural life In addition to affecting the local community, Phu Giay festival also affects the tourists’ community. The visitor is a key factor in determining the 16 size and nature of worship of the Mau Tu in general and the festival in particular. Unlike traditional folk festivals in other Vietnamese villages that only happen within the local community, the festival of Phu Day has reached the regional-level (even national) scale, so it is organized not only for local people, but also for the community of the people of all the lands. 3.2. Impact of resident community on Phu Day festival In addition to the effects of the Phu Day festival on the cultural life of the community, the community groups themselves have a definite impact on the Phu Day festival. However, unlike the impact of the Phu Day festival on resident groups, we can investigate questionnaires and quantify different levels of impact, thereby assessing the role of the festival when it comes to the cultural life of the community. The adverse effect of community groups on the Phu Day festival is difficult to quantify, so we conducted in-depth interviews at temples/ shrines in the Phu Day relic complex. 3.2.1. Impact of local community on Phu Day festival To assess the impact of the local community group on the Phu Day festival, we conducted in-depth interviews with the temple volunteers as mentioned above. Based on the content of the interview, we have questioned the impact of local community groups on organizing the festival. Based on the content of the interviewed individuals in qualitative interviews, we provide an assessment of the impact of the people of all the lands to the Phu Day festival. 3.2.2. The impact of the community of visitors from all the lands to the Phu Day festival In addition to the impact of the local community on the Phu Day festival, the impact of the tourist community of all the lands is also felt. In our opinion, the impact of visitors traveling to Phu Day festival is sometimes even stronger than that of local residents. However, in the course of exploration, we also can not do sociological surveys to measure the level of impact by statistics. This is very difficult to do in assessing the adverse effect. However with the results of in-depth interviews with temple workers and local people doing sales service in Phu Day, we have initial qualitative bases for conclusions. 3.3. A general assessment of the impact of the Phu Day festival on the cultural life of the community 3.3.1. For local community groups The impact of the Phu Day festival on the social and cultural life of the local community occurs in both positive and negative terms. However, based on actual 17 figures, it shows that the effects of the Phu Day festival on local communities regarding social life are not strong. Complex problems, bad consequences of a crowded place such as Phu Day festival will directly affect the lives of people. Moreover, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, social wrong doings, etc. will have a significant impact on the lives of individuals, families and local communities. 3.3.2. For community of visitors from all the lands The impact of the Phu Day festival has had a positive and negative effect on the socio-cultural life of the community. However, based on the survey data, the actual positive and negative effects of the Phu Day festival on the cultural life of the lowland community are low. In other words, the effects of the Phu Day festival on the cultural and social life of the community of the visitors of all the lands are not strong. However, the community of the visitors of all the lands is very faithful to the spirit of the Holy Mother. Up to 82% of respondents said that their prayers were witnessed and came true. Therefore, when coming to Phu Day festival, the group of tourists travel with the main focus of seeking peace for themselves and their families, pray for justice, pray for fortune and pray to overcome disasters, sickness. Conclusion of chapter 3 The values of Phu Day festival have influenced the basic aspects of socio- cultural life of resident groups (local residents, cross-resident groups, local officials). Through local statistics in Phu Day, where festivals take place, the impact of festive values on all aspects of the lives of resident communities is varied: For the local community, socioeconomic values have had a very strong impact on their lives. Through the Phu Day festival, local community groups organized activities to provide services to visitors of of all the lands. The provision of this service has created: firstly, employment for the local community, secondly, it generates income for not only households, but also local and district budget. Moreover, the proceeds from this festival are re-invested in local welfare projects such as electricity, roads, schools and stations. The festival also influences the life of the local pupils' groups in various ways, especially learning. However, the number of surveys shows that the impact of the festival on children is almost at a very low level. Meanwhile, the need to understand the history of tradition, recreation, and community cohesion plays a large role in the lives of children. 18 For the community of visitors from all the lands, the values of the Phu Day festival have always played an important role in their social and cultural life. However, in the present context, the minds, perceptions and behavior of this resident community have changed a lot. Therefore, the effects of Phu Day festival values on this community group are also varied. However, based on the data, the values of the Phu Day festival still have a strong impact on the lives of this resident community. Chapter 4 PROBLEMS ARISED FOR PHU DAY FESTIVAL IN COMMUNITY CULTURAL LIFE 4.1. Factors influencing the conversion of Phu Day festival values today 4.1.1. Historical factors Historical factors have had a strong impact on spiritual activities in general and festivals in particular. In that sense, Phu Day festival is no exception. Every single religion, belief, and festival associated with it has its own history, which is the process of development, formation, development, even death, or the rise and fall of the type itself (belief, religion, festival) 4.1.2. Religious factors In addition to the Phu Day festival that is influenced by history, it itself is also influenced by other religious beliefs that coexisted and were developed in a given culture. The interaction between religions and creeds in Vietnam in general and between mother goddess worship and and other religions in particular will create two distinct tendencies: Harmony - development; Conflict - eliminate each other. 4.1.3. Political factors This is an important factor that determines the ups and downs of religions and beliefs in general and the belief in the