Introduction

Rituals are flourishing in socialist Vietnam. From small village-level communal festivals to regional or national-level events, participation in rituals and pilgrimages is burgeoning. In Hanoi alone, 113 communal rituals for tutelary deities’ worship were held in 2000. If one stays in Hanoi as a friend of Hanoians, not as a passing tourist, one can observe a traditional ritual almost every day. Several famous temples and Buddhist pagodas receive more than a million visitors annually with a variety of attractive religious events and special programmes. It is not rare to see community rituals and pilgrimages which thousands of people attend.

Like other religious events in Vietnam, communal house [đình] ceremonies are not only sober religious rituals but also festivals featuring many performances and activities. In many village festivals, people enjoy games like cockfighting and human chess. Local folk music is performed and special performance groups comprised of “excellent artists” [nghệ sĩ ưu tú] organized by the national artists’ association, perform the country's folk songs and classical operas. In some regions, events that have nothing to do with supernaturalism and spirituality, like song or dance contests, beauty pageants and magic shows are also held in association with communal festivals. Since merchants are bound to flock to places with large crowds, these events also serve as a marketplace. An enormous amount of money is spent to build and repair the places where the ritual and festive events are staged. Statues, altars and decorations are refurbished using financial contributions collected from villagers, along with costumes, banners, offerings, musical accompaniments and refreshments that add to the solemnity, efficacy and convivial atmosphere of the ritual occasions. The elaboration and diversification of ways that the public celebrate their communal rites have generated significant new costs.

Research on traditional rituals and communal festivals is also increasing. The majority of recent foreign studies regarding the upsurge in ritual activities in Vietnam relate it to the political and economic transformations since the Renovation [Đổi Mới] policies of the mid-1980s.