The Institute for Culture and Art of Vietnam is collecting materials to ask for concerned agencies to nominate “hau dong” as a UNESCO world intangible cultural heritage.

Hau dong at a temple.

The institute has gathered sufficient materials, including documents, photos and video clips about “hau dong”. However, some more materials will be collected from the Hau dong festival this July at the Lanh Giang Temple in the northern province of Ha Nam.

Hau dong is a ritual of spirit mediumship in connection with Dao Mau, a Vietnamese Mother Goddess religion. Vietnamese people utilise Hau dong as a way to create a connection between practitioners and deities, with whom they attempt to communicate. Scholars have shown Hau dong to be a spectacular showcase of much of Vietnamese culture in general.

In the past, hau dong was considered a superstitious activity, but recently it has been discussed at seminars on folk belief sciences of Vietnam.

At the same time, Hanoi authorities have asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to compile a file for Thanh Giong (Saint Giong) Festival to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a world intangible cultural heritage.

If the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the government approves the city’s petition, it will be the first time Vietnam has compiled a file on a festival to send to UNESCO for recognition.

Thanh Giong Festival in Phu Dong village, Hanoi.

Thanh Giong Festival is a traditional event held annually from the 6^th-12^th of the fourth lunar month in many places in the country. However, the 9^th of the fourth lunar month is the major day for the biggest Saint Giong festival at the Phu dong village, Gia Lam district, Hanoi.

According to researchers, the most special thing of the Saint Giong Festival is a legendary character turned into a saint of faith who is worshiped by Vietnamese people.

VietNamNet/TT-VH