THE WORSHIP OF TITULAR GENIUS

　

The Village

　

According to the Lich Trieu Hien Chuong (Royal Decrees for Laws and Regulations), under the dynasty of the Tran Anterior, King Tran Thai Ton commissioned village officials such as the xa quan (royal village official) and the pho xa giam (royal village deputy-official) to take charge of the registration of births, marriages, and deaths. King Tran Thanh Ton later abolished these functions. King Tran Thuan Ton reestablished these functions. Under the dynasty of the Le Restoration, the king had his royal district officials commissioned competent scholars the village heads and assistants to conduct the village's affairs and settled disputes between and among the villagers. Under the Canh Tri reign, the village officials were chosen among members of the families of prestige. Their ethical conduct was reexamined every three years. Honest officials were promoted to higher positions to head the district officials. From the beginning of the Le Restoration, the district royal official was empowered to choose the head village official, and the Royal Court did not interfere in the conduct of affairs of the village. The Royal Court’s authority on the village administration then gradually decreased. Beginning in the Long Duc Vinh Huu reign, the communal administration was vested, again, in the village officials. The villagers had the right to choose the village head who then became their representative, took charge of the administration, and reported to the district royal official the communal affairs for approval. These customs and regulations were maintained until the 1940's. (Dao Duy Anh, Ibid. 1938: 127).

For centuries under successive feudal dynasties, the village was self-administrative. It was an administration unit in itself. As regards public administration, the state was only involved indirectly in the supervision of the village officials. It did not interfere in the internal affairs of the village. In the matter of taxation, for example, the state fixed a certain sum of taxes. The village then divided the shares among the villagers with whatever method deemed to be appropriate, provided the taxes collected were not deficient when they went to the public treasury. In a way, the village was an autonomous administrative unit within the state. It was control-free in conducting the village affairs and preserving customs and manners without state intervention except for some obligations, collecting taxes for the state and maintaining the relations between it and the state.

　

Worship Places

　

The places of worship in the countryside of Vietnam are numerous. These shrines, however, vary according to their compositions and appellations. They generally are the dinh, den, chua, van chi mieu, dien, van chi dan, and cay huong or cay nhang, A dinh is dedicated to a patron genius; a den, a god or an evil genius or a deity; a chua, Buddha; van chi, Confucius and his 72 disciples; and mieu, a good genius or an evil genius, a deity, or good or evil spirits. Dan --a ground-floor, and cay nhang or cay huong --a mound on which an incense bowl is placed-- are dedicated to helpless spirits. The dinh (communal house), in particular, is not only a worship place but also a meeting place where the notables met for ceremonies or festivals, or discussions of communal affairs, and most importantly, performed worship practices and seasonal celebrations. In the old days, dinh was the Emperor's house for rest when he went on an inspection in the country. In the province seat, there was a hanh cung", the Emperor's palace while he was on traveling. (Nguyen Van Huyen. La Civilisation annamite. 1938: 35)

　

The Dinh

　

A palace of worship, Dinh is given the greatest attention and importance as a communal house in the worship of Heaven, Earth, and the geniuses. Each village honors a thanh hoang --the titular genius of its own. He is a legendary or human figure. He is generally a hero or village benefactor. Popular belief has it that the aspect for Dinh generally determines the future of the village and the prosperity of the villagers. Dinh is thus designed and built with great care. The most capable and renowned workmen are employed, and the finest materials are used with the most possible limits of the resources of the village community. Each village strives to have the most elegant and majestic Dinh. The villagers, especially the wealthier ones, are called upon to contribute to the construction of Dinh and maintain it in good shape and order.

　

The Worship of the Titular Genius

　

The worship of thanh hoang plays an important part in the Vietnamese community life. It is observed in every village in the countryside. This patron saint is to the villagers the supernatural power and an invisible bond that unites the villagers into a communal system. He is believed to reside in the dinh. It is from here that he dispenses rewards and punishment for the deeds duly performed or mistakenly undertaken by the villagers. He also plays a hand in determining the good fortune bestowed on the village. He is one of the highest ranking spirits in the hierarchy of the supernatural world. He is the patron who is honored and venerated by the entire community and sanctified by the royal court. By this sanctification, he is the representative of G(T)roi --the Supreme Being. Due to the unanimous respect and honor accorded to him by the entire village and the authority, the titular genius is the symbol of communal unity and historical continuity of the community.

Culturally, the worship of the titular genius represents a spiritual trait of the common faith of all members of the village. It is also indicative of the individuality and unique personality of a particular village incorporated in the image of the titular genius. This patron saint is chosen by the village and recognized by the emperor. There are three levels of guardian geniuses, which are classified according to their superiority. Many villages selected famous personalities in the Vietnamese history, such as the founders of various dynasties, national heroes, or great literary figures. The village genius is either a mythical genius such as Tan Vien, a legendary figure such as Chu Dong Tu, a national hero, such as King Ngo Quyen, and so on. The founding fathers of the village are often identified as the guardian geniuses. In some instances, a person of exceptional achievement was chosen while still living.

The Royal Court in the old days conferred honor and titles on certain titular geniuses. Their achievements were decreed on a sheet of golden paper, which was copied on another one and placed on the altar for worshipping. The original copy was burned. This conferment was destined to remind the descendants of their ancestors' achievements and of fulfilling their duties toward the ancestors and loyalty to the royal court and the country New villages that were established by individual villagers often worshipped the inhabitants who first cultivated the new land. The villages that were established by the state often worshipped the official who took charge of the development of the new cultivated land or plantation or a benefactor of the village. To the villagers, the worship of the titular genius symbolizes the history, customs and manners, ethics, regulations and law, and hope of the whole village (Phan Ke Ninh. Vietnam Phong Tuc:. 25)

The worship of titular genius is sacred to the community life as the cult of ancestors is to the family life. Ceremonies with rites and rituals are observed on the anniversary of the titular genius and important ceremonial events of the village around the year, Being the communal worship place, the dinh or cult temple houses the altar to the titular genius along with the government edict(s) that legalize the founding of the village and the official worship of the titular genius. Usually, each village has its than pha (historical records of the titular genius).

　

A social and political institution in the old days, Dinh served as a community center where assemblies for discussions of village affairs of the notables were held, elections to the village administrative office of the village officials were conducted, affirmative actions on electoral, administrative and financial questions were taken, and disputes between and among the villagers were settled. It was at the same time a worship place, an administration office and communal justice court. A multipurpose communal house as such, Dinh played the role of the most important social and political institution in the public life of the village.

The worship of titular geniuses has disappeared in the present-day Maoist-style communes. There appears a new form of titular genius worshipping --the cult of Ho Chi Minh and the martyrs of the Revolution in certain pagodas and temples created on the initiatives of and practiced by fervent members of the Vietnamese Communist Party.