contributed by Tran Thi Thuy Binh, 19 May 2021

A 26 year old spirit medium donning a pair of glasses and a disposable mask knocked on the main gate of an ancient temple in a suburb of Hanoi. The temple is dedicated to deities of Dao Mau - the Vietnamese beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms. A few minutes later, the large, thick wooden gate still remained closed. The medium, wearing a plum red handmade Vietnamese jacket quickly moved to another gate after calling someone with his mobile phone. The gate was opened with just enough space for him to come in and then closed immediately behind him. A group of young handsome guards welcomed him inside the large yard. He nodded his head and walked to the main area of the temple where the temple manager was performing len dong – a spirit possession ritual of Dao Mau in which bodies of mediums are inhabited by male and female deities. During len dong, the congregation believes that mediums, who are seen as the incarnation of male and female deities, can bless their wishes. Normally, taking photos and live streams are welcomed in len dong as they are considered as effective communication tools to advertise mediums’ talent as well as attract new ritual followers. However, on this day, March 26, 2020, the temple manager and his ritual assistants asked the congregation to refrain from filming or taking photographs in anticipation of the nationwide social distancing regulations due to the pandemic starting on April 1, 2020.

Figure 1 (left) & 2 (right). A len dong at Dong Bang temple (An Le commune, Quynh Phu district, Thai Binh province) attracted over 200 participants. Photo credit: Thuy Binh, March 3, 2020

There have been five large community outbreaks during the pandemic. During the first outbreak, public religious activities continued as per normal. During the second, religious gatherings started to be banned in certain provinces such as Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Da Nang and Binh Dinh. Since the third outbreak, religious activities as well as other public events have been restricted across the whole country. On March 27, 2020, the prime minister approved directive number 15 which forbade religious activities with over 20 people to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in urban and rural communities in Vietnam for a period of two weeks. Similar decisions were made for the following outbreaks with religious gatherings of 10 or more people prohibited. As such, all state-managed temples have closed and private shrines have been only open to a few loyal followers.

Mediums are worried about their own health and safety and are inclined to follow the official instructions. Anyone from areas with high infection rates of the coronavirus may not be welcomed at their sacred sites. When Hanoi reported its first COVID-19 cases, Master A, a famous len dong medium in Vietnam, disclosed that a temple manager had refused to meet him as he came from the capital. Another temple manager in Hai Duong province sent instant messages to her colleagues in Hanoi requesting them not to participate in her annual temple festival in spite of her previous invitations. Fear of coming into contact with infected people have resulted in public temples, including Tien Huong Temple, and private shrines to be cautious and quiet during and after disease outbreaks. Tien Huong Temple is a primary Dao Mau temple.

On the second day of Vietnamese Lunar New Year 2021, I visited Tien Huong Temple with my family. It was very quiet even though the restricted area of the temple was open, something which many people usually want to see. In my memory, the restricted site had never opened to the public on these holidays. Visitors wearing masks tried to limit physical contacts.

Figure 3. Dao Mau’s followers still wear masks during worship in Madam Nguyet Ho Temple in Bac Giang on March 21, 2021. Photo credit: Thuy Binh

Apart from maintaining daily ritual practices to ask for the blessing of deities, Dao Mau mediums have had different responses about two regular spiritual activities including len dong and pilgrimages. Some delay all their scheduled religious events as a way to show their social responsibility after the official call from the central government and local authorities. They believe that the deities will remain benevolent and continue to provide support to their worshippers even without offerings or pilgrimages during a pandemic. According to some mediums and their followers, fulfilling one’s civic responsibilities should be one’s first priority, while fulfilling religious obligations come second.

 

Figure 4. On May 2, 2021, on her Facebook page, master medium Kim Hue - the owner of Tien Huong temple, a primary Dao Mau temple, posted a status that the temple was closed publicly until the end of the pandemic. A screenshot of her Facebook page

On the other hand, other mediums, like the aforementioned temple manager, continue to secretly perform much-shortened len dong services with smaller groups than under normal circumstances. These mediums defend their choice by explaining that deities also need their ritual services. During the fifteen-day social distancing period (April 1-15, 2020) in Hanoi, a young medium still performed len dong with her small congregation in a private shrine. In spite of playing music loudly, her len dong did not face any complaints from her neighbours or local authority. She interpreted this as clear evidence that she enjoyed the support of her deities for her loyal service. Similarly, some mediums still pay short visits to public temples in remote areas without any COVID-19 cases with their loyal long- term followers. Some mediums justify live-streaming their rituals on the grounds that their deities have never blamed them in their dreams or punished them in their daily lives for doing such live-streaming.

Live-streaming has drawn some public criticism, partially the result of longstanding stereotypes that Dao Mau is an evil religion and Dao Mau mediums are superstitious individuals. Prejudice against Dao Mau runs deep: for the past five centuries, Dao Mau has faced legal sanctions and social stigma (Thinh, 2010; DiGregorio & Salemink, 2007; Vu, 2015). From the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries, except the reigns of a few kings, state ideology was based on Confucianism, which emphasizes the value and agency of human beings rather than an otherworldly source of spiritual values (Fingarette, 1998). Accordingly, the state banned Dao Mau practices involving spirit possession. These restrictions were continued under the Communist Party of Vietnam’s rule until the beginning of the 21st century because of the fear that belief in Dao Mau might prevent citizens in rural areas from obeying state policies (Woodside, 1976; Dror, 2007, p. 166; Norton, 2010, p. 23). The emphasis on female spirit possession in len dong, a key Dao Mau ritual, is particularly controversial because it challenges Confucian patriarchal norms that presume women were born to serve men. Consequently, len dong rituals have contributed to the perception that Dao Mau is an evil religion among non-believers and even among some scholars. Some Buddhist monks are still so opposed to   Dao Mau that they instigated a protracted religious conflict with Dao Mau adherents. This explains why certain mediums are concerned that performing len dong during the COVID-19 outbreak may strengthen and exacerbate these stereotypes.

On March 29, 2020, Nguyen Tat Kim Hung, a well-known master medium managing an ancient temple in the old quarter of Hanoi, posted a status on his personal Facebook page with 5,126 followers.

I advise all of you against live-streaming your len dong on social media. If your ritual practice is scheduled, you should do it quietly with few attendees. We should participate in the pandemic control according to the spirit of “tot doi dep dao” (leading a good life in both secular and religious aspects) and legal documents. It helps the society have a positive view on our Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses.

Figure 5. A public post of medium Nguyen Tat Kim Hung called for stopping live-streams of len dong on March 29, 2020. A screenshot of his Facebook page

His 201-word post has received over 1,000 reactions (including likes, laughs and loves), 160 comments and 61 shares as of March 25, 2021. The majority of comments support his call and some criticize these live-streams as evidence of some mediums’ selfishness because they believe no deities would force their worshippers to perform len dong during the pandemic. They argue that national safety should be the first priority. In their defense, Dao Mau lives forever when it recognizes this priority. These followers propose that ritual practitioners honor and promote their religious beliefs when they obey the central government’s requirements during the pandemic. Some mediums are also opposed to live-streams because they feel that live-streams are being exploited by social media-savvy mediums to enlarge their own followings. Examples of Facebook pages include Dao Mau Vietnam with over 98,000 followers, Clb Dao Mau Vietnam (Club of Dao Mau Vietnam) with over 1,500 followers, and Dao Mau va Tam linh Vietnam (Dao Mau and Vietnamese Spirit) with over 26,000 followers.

While Dao Mau adherents acknowledge that their deities help them achieve a wealthy and happy life, some Dao Mau mediums believe that Buddhist rituals are more helpful than ever during the pandemic, and in order to re-establish a spiritual balance, they have incorporated Buddhist rituals into their praxis. In fact, Dao Mau and Buddhism have a connection: Princess Lieu Hanh - the highest Mother Goddess of Dao Mau - followed Buddhism after receiving the support of Buddha in a fight against Taoist mediums. A 22 year old medium who has followed Dao Mau for 13 years disclosed that he feels insecure even when he asks for the blessing of his patron deities at least twice per day. A few months after the global spread of the COVID-19 virus, he decided to worship Guanyin in his private shrine because Dao Mau does not have any specific deity who provides protection against diseases. After deliberating between a specific Daoist saint versus the Buddhist figure of Guanyin, he ultimately chose Guanyin due to her popularity in Vietnam as well as the century-long close relationship between Buddhism and Dao Mau. Everyday, the young medium can easily look at Guanyin when her statue is opposite his favorite seat. Apart from that, the young medium living in the suburb of Hanoi also recites Buddha scriptures and turns on a Buddhist chanting machine.

Before the pandemic, I turn on chau van – a Dao Mau’s ritual singing for len dong – in my sacred site. Now I play a Buddhist chanting player every day. You can hear only a repeated chanting “Nam Mo A Di Da Phat” because the player has a technical error.

The change makes him feel peaceful whenever he sits in the shrine. He often serves new offerings in front of Guanyin’s statue. Similarly, a middle-aged medium with over 30 years experience as a Dao Mau practitioner turned on a Buddhist chanting machine as soon as her talented Dao Mau priest advised her to pray to the Buddha and Guanyin for seeking salvation for all the Vietnamese people, not only for herself. The shrine owner believes in the efficaciousness of Guanyin’s and Buddha’s protection, which will help her survive the pandemic in good health. When she cannot pray every minute, the machine helps her to fulfill her prayer obligations.

Figure 6. After nationwide restrictions on religious activities were lifted on the first days of March 2021, Dao Mau’s followers have flocked to their favorite temples. Believers prayed for Madam Be Bac Le in Bac Le Temple, Lang Son on March 21, 2021. Photo credit: Thuy Binh

During the pandemic, the majority of mediums follow official instructions as their practice of social responsibility helps them protect their health as well as prove the support of Dao Mau to the national interests. Although each spirit medium makes their personal choices about how to practice their beliefs during the pandemic, they avoid directly criticizing any colleague who differs. Dao Mau’s ritual practitioners consider COVID-19 a natural part of the cycle of life and are heedful of their social responsibilities to follow the government’s requirements, as well as their responsibilities towards their followers. None of the 15 mediums and 34 Dao Mau adherents that I interviewed have been infected by COVID-19, according to them. Ritual practitioners identifying themselves as children of Mother Goddesses highlight this fact as evidence of the spiritual power of Dao Mau.

My thanks to my doctoral supervisors Dr. Caroline Blyth and Dr. Christine Dureau of the University of Auckland. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my research participants. Funding for my research comes from the Faculty of Arts Doctoral Scholarship and Doctoral Research Fund of the University of Auckland.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the blog editorial team or the Asia Research Institute.

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