Vietnam Mother Goddesses belief gets UN recognition
The practice related to the Vietnamese belief in Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms has been officially recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Hanoi (VNA) – The practicerelated to the Vietnamese belief in Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms hasbeen officially recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage ofhumanity.
This was announced at the 11th Conference of the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding ofIntangible Cultural Heritage, which is taking place at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,from November 28 to December 3.
Vietnam summited the dossier on “the beliefof the Mother Goddess of Three Realms worship by Vietnamese” for UNESCO recognitionin 2015, but the consideration process was delayed until this year.
Mother Goddess worship is a traditionalpractice in Vietnam with a long history, having stood the test of socialchanges. The belief in Mother Goddess worship reflects people’s desire forhealth, wealth and fortune.
The practice rituals meet belief-relatedneeds by people in their daily life and have been closely associated withhistorical and cultural figures, such as Lieu Hanh, Au Co, Vuong Mau (legendaryMother of Saint Giong).
The Beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of ThreeRealms has been practiced in numerous northern mountainous provinces across thenation since the 16th century.
The practitioners are comprised of temple guardians, ritual priests, spiritmediums, mediums’ assistants, musicians who perform the songs for the spirits,disciples and lay adherents who share the same beliefs in the spiritual power,supernatural strength and protection of the Mother Goddess spirit pantheon. Allof these practitioners form groups who worship together, take part intraditional festivals and perform spirit possession rituals at temples andpalaces dedicated to Mother Goddesses.
The folk belief shows the respect of children towards their mothers whilereflecting the UNESCO spirit of preserving cultural and religious diversity.
Vietnam is already home to world intangible cultural heritages, including NhaNhac (royal court music), the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands,Quan Ho (love duets), Ca tru (ceremonial singing) and Hung King worshippingrituals.-VNA
Outstanding mediums in the Mother Goddess worship have been awarded the “folk artisan” title in recognition of their contributions to preserving the age-old belief.
A spiritual and cultural space opened in the northern province of Nam Dinh on December 25 to provide an insight into the distinctive features and values of the ritual of worshipping Mother Goddesses.
The practice of Mother Goddess worship in the modern society was the topic of an international symposium held in the northern province of Nam Dinh on January 6.
Vietnam’s traditional Mother Goddess worship was performed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 17, drawing crowds of international and local viewers.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
