The thang long’s four guardian god temples

1 INTRODUCTION Rationale “Thang Long Tu Tran” ("The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples") refers to four sacred temples built to defend the four directions (East, West, South, North) of the ancient Thang Long capital city To the East is the Bach Ma (White Horse) temple, which is dedicated to Long Do God To the West is the Voi Phuc (Kneeling Elephant) temple where Linh Lang God is worshipped The Kim Lien temple to the South is dedicated to Cao Son God And to the North is the Quan Thanh temple dedicated to Huyen Thien Thuong De God It was not by chance that it existed the concept of Thang Long having Four Guardian God Temples However, did Thang Long really have four guardian god temples since its original city planning during the Ly Dynasty as indicated in the term “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples”? Or the Four Guardian God Temples were gradually formed through time and were “invented” with additional guardian meaning? These questions still need to be answered Therefore, it is the main research question for the thesis to study the establishment and changes of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi Research Purposes 2.1 The thesis aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi from its earliest origins to the present day 2.2 The thesis seeks to provide initial explanation of the “invention of tradition” of the costumary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” 2.3 The thesis uses the theoretical concept of "Invention of tradition" in studying the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in order to test its suitability for analysis of the "invention" of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi Research Topic and Scope 3.1 Research Topic: The costumary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi 3.2 Research Scope - Time: The research explores the costumary worship from its earliest origins to the present day - Space: The research focuses on administrative boundaries of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh and Dong Da districts Research Approaches and Methods 4.1 Approaches: The thesis uses the specific historical approach 4.2 Methods: The thesis uses the following methods: Secondary
 Data
 Analysis;
 Ethnographic Fieldwork;
 Interdisciplinary Analysis and Interdisciplinary Synthetics Methods Research Result and Contribution - This thesis presents a comprehensive, in-depth exploration of materials relating to the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi - The thesis documents the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi from its earliest origins to the present day - The thesis uses the theoretical concept of "The invention of tradition" in studying the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in order to test its suitability for analysis of the "invention" of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi Thesis Structure In addition to Introduction, Conclusion, Bibliography and Annexes, the main content of the thesis is organised into four chapters as follows: Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Chapter 2: THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE “THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES” FROM INVENTION TO “INVENTION OF TRADITION” BEFORE 1945 Chapter 3: CHANGES OF THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE “THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES” FROM 1945 TO THE PRESENT DAY Chapter 4: DISCUSSIONS ON THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE “THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES” IN TODAY’S LIFE CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Literature Review and Background Research 1.1.1 “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” through various sources 1.1.1.1 Data sources related to each Guardian God Temple * Ancient scripts: Most of the ancient scripts discuss the Four Guardian God Temples separately such as Việt điện u linh and Lĩnh Nam chích quái compiled during the Tran Dynasty (in the 14th century AD) Towards the end of the 14th century AD, the term “Tu tran” (Four Guardians God Temples) first appeared in some books like: the series Hà Nội địa dư; the series Đại Nam thống chí; the series Hà Nội sơn xuyên phong vực compiled around the end of 1887 AD; and in the Tuyển tập văn bia Hà Nội Written notes on the customary regulations and rites at each “Tran” (Guardian God Temple) appear in Chinese manuscripts as follows: Hà phường hương lệ, Bạch Mã từ Tam giáp hương lệ, Đại Nam thần lục, Bị khảo lục; Hoàn Long Thủ Lệ trại thần tích; Hoàn Long Kim Liên phường khoán ước; Trấn Vũ Quán lục, Trấn Vũ quán mặc tích, Trấn Vũ thần mộng hiển ứng ký * Documents from foreigners, including written notes of European authors in the period from 17th century to 1945, are presented in the book Hà Nội qua tài liệu tư liệu lưu trữ (Ha Noi through documents and archival documents) 1.1.1.2 Data sources refer to the system of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” These data include merely ancient documents The volume Bản đồ thời Hồng Đức (Hong Duc Maps) reflect the locations of the temples which formed the Four Guardian God Temples to protect the Thang Long imperial citadel Next is the book in Chinese scripts called Hà Thành Linh tích cổ lục, and the book Thăng Long cổ tích khảo tịnh hội đồ by Đặng Xuân Khanh (1956) 1.1.2 Review of Background Researches * Researches and identifications of each temple Researches on the Northern Guardian God Temple include the thesis Khảo sát Hệ thống văn khắc Hán Nôm đền Quán Thánh (Research on Han Nom scripts in Quan Thanh Temple); or the dissertation: Đền Voi Phục Thủ Lệ di tích lễ hội (The Voi Phuc Thu Le Temple: Monument and Festival) In addition, each temple is studied from different aspects, such as: - About legends related to each Guardian God at each temple, there are books like Văn học dân gian người Việt – Góc nhìn thể loại (Viet folk culture – Seen from formative angle), Địa chí văn hóa dân gian Thăng Long - Đông Đô - Hà Nội (Thang Long – Dong Do Cultural Geography of Folk Belief), Sự tích vị thần Thăng Long – Hà Nội (Legends of Thang Long – Ha Noi’s Gods) and Truyện kể dân gian Hà Nội (Ha Noi Folk Stories) - About beliefs and festivals, there are books such as Lễ Hội Thăng Long (Thang Long Festival) and Tín ngưỡng dân gian Hà Nội đời sống văn hóa đô thị (Ha Noi Folk Belief in Today’s Urban Life) * Researches and identifications of the four temples In 1975, when Ha Noi became the capital city of the unified Vietnam, the term “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” was used again, initially by Tran Quoc Vuong in his book Hà Nội nghìn xưa (Ha Noi in the Ancient Time) In 2001, in the article “Đôi điều quy hoạch thành Thăng Long” (Some thoughts on Thang Long’s Construction Planning), Trần Quốc Vượng once again discussed the matter of the Four Guardians God Temples Hoàng Giáp (from Han Nom Institute), in his article “Thuyết ngũ hành Thành cổ Hà Nội” (Rule of the Five Elements and Ha Noi Ancient Citadel), analyses the God at the Northern Guardian God Temple In 2010, on the occasion of celebrating 1000 years of Thang Long – Ha Noi, based on the standpoint of Tran Quoc Vuong on characteristics of the sacred land, sacred space in the “religious characteristics in building the capital city” of the ancient Thang Long imperial citadel, a series of articles related to the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” provide analysis and explanations on the meaning of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” such as the book Tín ngưỡng dân gian Hà Nội đời sống văn hóa đô thị (Ha Noi Folk Belief in Today’s Urban Life), the article “Không gian thiêng Thăng Long – Hà Nội” (Thang Long – Ha Noi’s Sacred Spaces) by Đỗ Quang Hưng in the international conference Phát triển bền vững Thủ đô Hà Nội văn hiến, anh hùng, hoà bình (Sustainable Development of Hanoi – The Civilized Heroic Capital City For Peace) “Thăng Long Tứ trấn” (The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples) is also the title of an article by Lê Văn Lan in the book Dấu xưa chuyện cũ Thăng Long – Hà Nội (Thang Long – Ha Noi’s Ancient Vestiges and Old Stories) From the data sources motioned above, we came to think that the concept of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” was invented in the Nguyen Dynasty as the latest and it has been perpetuated by today’s authors 1.1.3 Evaluation of the data sources and background research and thesis’s question * Initial thoughts on the data sources and background research a) If documents in Chinese scripts provide an anthology of data on the gods, then written notes of European people on Thang Long – Ke Cho reflect Western opinions, thoughts and management methods These are valuable sources for us to explore the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in the past b) Based on ancient manuscripts, it is possible to determine relatively the time period when the term “Tu tran” (“Four Guardian God Temples”) was formed and appeared c) Data after 1954 onwards include mostly documents referring to each temple from the angle of professional disciplines such as Han Nom Studies or Literature Studies, etc The explanation of the customary worship at each temple and at all four temples appear scarcely in some works by various authors In addition, the changes of this customary worship have rarely been studied so far * Justification for the research of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in the present day: a) There has not been any work that considers “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” as an “invention of tradition” using the theoretical concept of the same name b) There are quite a lot of not-yet-explored materials related to the Four Guardian God Temples in Chinese scripts and in French people’s documents c) The study of these data sources reveals the fact it exists many problems that need to be further discussed on the Guardian Gods at the Four Temples d) On the one hand, clarifying the establishment and changes of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in the past is also a way to recognise the position and role of this custom in contemporary life 6 e) On the other hand, from the result of revival and restoration of relics and festivals, there are problems that need to be paid attention on the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in today’s life Above are questions for research on the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” at present and also the main research question for the thesis 1.2 Terminology and theoretical concept 1.2.1 Terminology The thesis uses some terms such as: “customary worship”, “customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples”; “Guardian God Temple”, “Four Guardian God Shrines” and “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” 1.2.2 Theoritical concept The thesis uses theoretical concept of “invention of tradition” by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger 1.3 The “Thang Long Four Guardian God Temples” in historical, cultural and social spaces of Thang Long – Ha Noi The four historical monuments forming the Four Guardian God Temples are situated in the core areas of the ancient Thang Long citadel and of today’s Ha Noi 1.3.1 Overview of historical, cultural and social spaces of Thang Long – Ha Noi Historical, cultural and social spaces of Thang Long – Ha Noi are reflected generally in the analysis of King Ly Thai To in his Chieu doi do, as well as in historical books of the Nguyen Dynasty The shared cultural elements and cultural diversities of Thang Long – Ke Cho is the village culture in the Northern Delta The specific cultural elements of Thang Long – Dong Do – Ha Noi were created due to urban spaces where intellectuals gathered, diplomatic and business people from different countries came and met 1.3.2 The customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples in the religious and belief context of Thang Long – Ha Noi There are various forms of religious and belief practices in Thang Long - Ha Noi This religious characteristic was formed at the beginning of Dai Viet independent state in the period from the 9th to the11th centuries and until the present day 7 Summary “The sacred space of Thang Long” was constructed by the Ly Dynasty since the earliest origins of the citadel The locations of the Four Guardian God Temples served as protectors to the four directions of the ancient Thang Long captial city The Four Guardian God Temples are imbued and influenced by characteristics of the historical, cultural and social religions and belief of the Thang Long – Ha Noi space The concept that Thang Long was protected by Four Guardian God Temples or the customary worship of the Four Guardian Gods at these temples might have been formed at the earliest time, but the term “Four Guardian God Temples” appeared later in a document in the Nguyen Dynasty period To a certain extent, it is the “invention of tradition” that Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger use in their theoritical concept of the “invention of tradition” 8 CHAPTER THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE THANG LONG FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES – FROM “INVENTION” TO “INVENTION OF TRADITION” BEFORE 1945 In this chapter, I divide the research into two periods for studying the customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples, including: The period where the customary worship was established (from the Ly Dynasty to the beginning of the Nguyen Dynasty) The period of “invention of tradition” (during the Nguyen Dynasty) The term “invention” in the first period (2.1) refers to legends, the year of invention and the symbolic meanings of the Four Guardian Gods at the four temples mentioned in various historical textbooks and documents We think that this was the main period of the invention that constituted the core with unchanged symbolic meanings of the customary worship at the Four Guardian God Temples The term “invention of tradition” refering to the second period (2.2) denotes that the concept of Thang Long protected by the Four Guardian Gods was invented during the Nguyen Dynasty, but it was understood that it was rooted in the ancient time and attached to the newly constructed citadel under the Ly Dynasty 2.1 Invention periods of the customary worship at the “Four Guardian God Temples” 2.1.1 Invention periods and restorations of the “Four Guardian Temples” The four temples were not constructed at the same time Restorations, as documents reveal, took place at different levels, which means they were not included in the construction planning of the Thang Long citadel and did not bear the meaning of protecting the longlasting citadel from the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225) 2.1.2 Contributions and merits of the Four Guardian Gods All of the Four Guardian Gods contributed in the defending of the country and consolidating the royal throne 2.1.3 Symbols and meanings of the customary worship of the Four Guardian Gods It is possible to realise that the main meaning of the customary worship in the invention period was to fight again foreign envaders, to defend and consolidate the imperial power of the feudal regims from the Ly – Tran Dynasties to the Posterious Le Dynasty 2.1.4 The customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples The Regulations and Rites of the Kiến văn tiểu lục mention only the Bach Ma Temple, one of the eight temples dedicated to Superior Gods The other temples, Voi Phuc, Quan Thanh and Kim Lien, are not mentioned In addition to the regulaions reflected in Kiến văn tiểu lục, other documents about the four temples provide more data on the practice of the worship at the four Guardian God Temples 2.1.5 Summary and Opinions: The Four Guardian God Temples were invented at different time periods Each Guardian God had its own symbol and meaning, but in general, they all contributed to the defending of the country and consolidating the imperial power The customary worhsip of these Guardian Gods were refected at different levels 2.2 The period of “invention of tradition” of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples (1820-1945) This was the period when the four temples were vested with the role of protecting the Thang Long citadel since its foundation during the Ly Dynasty 2.2.1 Hanoi historical context in the period of “invention of tradition” In 1802, the capital city was moved into Hue The former Thang Long citadel, which used to be the country’s political, economic and cultural centre, then became a guardian city in the Northern Region 2.2.2 Basis for the invention of tradition of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples In our opinion, the notion of “Four Guardian God Temples” was formed based on the following: * First: Thang Long’s “sacred spaces” had been formed about 800 years ago * Second: The Guardian Gods at these temples all helped the regims fighting the ennemies, chasing away evil spirits and strengthening the royal power as mentioned in 2.1.2 * Third: Data resources related to the formation of the concept “Four Guardians” * Fourth: The belief in geomency rule of the Thang Long Citadel 2.2.3 The customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples in the period of “invention of tradition” 10 Due to the fact that the invented tradition has political nature, research on the worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples through architecture and belief traditions shows that the invented tradition did not have much contribution 2.2.3.1 Landscape architectures of the Four Guardian God Temples The photographs taken by French people since 1883 show that the Four Guardian God Temples of the past look alike their landscape architectures of the present day 2.2.3.2 The worshipping practices The book Khâm định Đại Nam hội điển lệ (in the Nguyen Dynasty) regulates the worshipping rites and rituals at temples in the capital citadel and in the provinces (Ha Noi was a province at that time) Summary The Four Guardian God Temples were formed through time Merits and contributions of the Four Guardian Gods were reflected as an attachement to the protection of the country and the consolidation of feodal regims’s power from the Ly Dynasty to the beginning of the Nguyen Dynasty In addition, the four temples situated at the four compass points of the citadel can be seen as the four directions of the “sacred spaces” of the Thang Long citadel Based on these data, Confucian mandarins in the Nguyen Dynasty invented the term “the Four Guardian God Temples” in order to syntify the temples and the sacred spaces of the Thang Long Citadel “Destiny” or result of this “invention of tradition” of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” was not as expected by the mandarins during the Nguyen Dynasty However, the foundation of the “invention of tradition” would serve as the standpoint for the revival of the customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in the period of the Independent Vietnam 11 CHAPTER CHANGES OF THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES FROM 1945 TO THE PRESENT DAY 3.1 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in the spontaneous period (1945-1986) “Spontaneity” is a relative concept that is illustrated in two areas: management of monuments and worshipping practices Although the four temples are subjects to Government’s religious and belief policies, reflection on the monument landscapes and religious activities at these four temples seem to be spontaneous 3.1.1 Historical context of the capital city of Ha Noi The thesis discusses the social contexts in specific periods such as: Period of 19451954, Period of 1954-1975, Period of 1975-1986 It focuses on main historical events as well as policies on religions and beliefs of the Party and the State From the end of this period, rituals and traditional festivals started to be revived 3.1.2 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in the spontaneous period (1945-1986) 3.1.2.1 Landscapes of the Four Guardian God Temples After peace had been established (in 1954), the country was divided into two regions People returned to the capital city after evacuation Many historical monuments were turned into storages, school classes or houses, etc In this situation, the landscapes of the Four Guardian God Temples were affected and changed 3.1.2.2 Worshipping practices at the Four Guardian God Temples The landscapes of the Four Guardian God Temples were more or less occupied and degraded The temples were governed by the village’s elderly associations Budget for maintaining the worshipping practices such as burning incense or making rituals came from donations by pilgrims from all over directions 3.2 The customary worship of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian Temples” in the revival period and the perpetuation of the invention of tradition since 1986 to the present day 3.2.1 Historical context In this periold, the customary worship continued to be revived and developed even stronger In the last 15 years, on the occasion of the celebrations of 990, 995 and 1000 years of Thang 12 Long – Ha Noi, many historical and cultural monuments were conserved and restored, especially the monuments that were the keys of the celebration, including the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” The legends of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” continued to draw attention of scholars and were analysed from different angles, which contributed to the development of the “invention of tradition” of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples originated from the Nguyen Dynasty 3.2.2 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples It was possible that the direction of the Program 05-Ctr/TU on 30 May 2001 of Ha Noi’s city Party Committee on the “ completion of the restoration of the Four Guardian God Temples” together with the concept of sacred spaces of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples formed the basis for the revival of the customary worship at these temples, both tangibly and intangibly In addition to the revival was the “absorption” of new beliefs into the original sacred spaces of the four temples * 3.2.1.1 Management of the Four Guardian God Temples and financial resources The management of the Four Guardian God Temples and their financial resources shared similar characteristics as the following: - About monument management: all four temples were recognised as National Monuments, therefore they were put under the State management The conservation and restoration of the temples must follow the terms regulated in the Law on Cultural Heritage In addition, except for the Northern Temple, the Management Board of the Temple is the combination of the local government and the local elderly association in order to maintain worshipping activities at the temple - About financial resources: All of the four temples have a financial resource from donations by pilgrims However, the conservation and restoration of the temples come from the State budget 3.2.1.2 Revivals and expansion of scope, premises and architectural landscapes of the Four Guardian Temples Before 2000, the architectural premises of the Four Guardian Temples contained mostly vestiges from the Restored Le Dynasty to the present day However, from 2000 to 2010, on the celebration of 1000 years of Thang Long, the revival of “invention of tradition” was clearly seen materially and spiritually 3.2.1.3 Annual worshipping practices rituals at the Four Guardian God Temples 13 3.2.1.4 The revival of festivals at the Four Guardian God Temples In parallel with investing in restoration of the Four Guardian God Temples on the occasion of the celebration of 1000 years of Thang Long – Ha Noi, festivals at the Four Guardian God Temples were studied, revived and organised professionally but still reflecting their own characteristics of the village areas where the Four Guardians God Temples are located Summary The social context from 1945 to 1986 faced with many changes causing some disruptions in the worshipping practices at the Four Guardian God Temples Until 1990s of the 20th century, thanks to policies on religions and beliefs, especially the direction of the Ha Noi Party Committee through Program 05 to prepare for the celebrations of 990 and 1000 years of Thang Long – Ha Noi, together with the concept of Thang Long being protected by the Four Guardian God Temples, the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples was strongly revived In addition, in this period, the customary worship absorbed new practices into their original spaces Since its original establishment, the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi, despite their layers of cultures and meanings, shows that the Guardian Gods’ role of protecting and consolidating the royal power and the country is the red thread that run throughout the concept and pride of the Viet people from the ancient Thang Long period to today’s Ha Noi 14 CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS ON THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES IN TODAY’S LIFE 4.1 The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with other “Four Guardian God Temples” 4.1.1 Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with the “Four Guardian God Temples” of the ancient Hoa Lu citadel 4.1.2 Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with the “Four Guardian God Temples” of the ancient city of Lang Son If folk belief and geomancy share the concept of the ancient citadels being protected by the Four Guardian God Temples, the geo-political and cultural situations of each temple then create differences 4.2 Comparison of customary worship of each temple in the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples Similarities and differences in the customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples are reflected through architecture, shrine, statues, motifs and decoration, and worshipping practices 4.3 Tendencies for changes in the customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples nowadays 4.3.1 Tendency to change the content of the customary worship From written notes and documents at the beginning of the 20th century until now, the customary worship of the Guardian Gods at the four temples experienced many changes Today, the worshipping practices of the Four Guardian Gods, though still based on documents and retrospectives, show that royal and function roles of the Guardian Gods were degraded Offerings in the festive events at the Four Temples are varied and it is a mixture of traditional offerings and those that reflect contemporary breath of life 4.3.2 Tendency of having more attention from government agencies to the customary worship It is easy to recognise that the attention of government agencies to the customary worship at different levels bears partly political element The 1000-year Thang Long citadel was worthy a great celebration Naturally, the Four Guardian Gods of the long-lasting Thang Long citadel must be “decorated” with a new face suitable to their invented scope and role 4.3.3 Tendency to absorb new religious and belief elements 15 The absorption and synchronism of other religious elements into the worshipping spaces of the Four Temples such as the Three Places tradition, the worship of Uncle Ho and the commemoration of soldiers who died for the country help increase the number of worshippers and sacred moments The belief of Three Places and Four Palaces traditions absorbed in the worship of the Four Guardian God Temples reflects the strong influence of the Mother Goddess tradition in the context of revival and development 4.3.4 Tendency to commercialise the monuments for economic purposes The strong revival and development of the traditions of Three Palaces and Four Palaces as mentioned earlier have created a vivid “market” and related services 4.4 The role and meaning of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples 4.4.1 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples reflects the history of establishment and changes of the Thang Long ancient citadel The study of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples reveals that, if the three Gods Long Do, Linh Lang and Huyen Thien Thuong De appeared in the period of construction and defense of the Thang Long citadel when it was the capital city of an independent Dai Viet country after 1000 years under Chinese invasion, the God Cao Son then appeared in the period of consolidating the imperial power and throne and pacifying royal rebels of the Posterior Le Dynasty 4.4.2 The customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples reflects religious and belief practices at the Thang Long citadel during the course of history * Reflecting the formation and changes of Ha Noi’s folk belief The costumary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi reflects the formation and changes of the customary worship of Thang Long inhabitants at different time periods At the beginning, it was the absorption of Tutelary God practice from the Chinese Tang Dynasty (in 823), later the Dai Viet inhabitants maintained this practice in the period of independence Since then, the Gods were vested with the role of protecting the Thang Long citadel In addition, the origins of the Gods were more or less related to God worshipping practices of the agricultural people From the Nguyen 16 Dynasty to 1986, the period when the Four Guardian Gods’ protection role seemed to be lost, the practice of the customary worship at each temple took place in the smallest administrative areas of Hang Buom ward and Kim Lien, Thu Le and An Hoa villages Today, with cultural policies, including those on religion and favourable economic conditions, there exists an urge to reconstruct traditional historical values * Reflecting the absorption of religious and belief elements The origins of the Four Guardian Gods came from the nature and were related to the living enrivonnment of the inhabitants in Thang Long – Ha Noi The worship of these Four Guardian Gods reflects diversity in the belief of worshiping gods of the Thang Long people At present, the sacred space of each temple now absorbs other forms of belief, reflecting diversity and harmony of different religions and beliefs * Reflecting festive life of the ancient Thang Long citadel and today’s Ha Noi The Four Guardian God Festival is the occasion for commemorating the worshipped gods and showing gratitude of today’s generations towards the Gods In addition, the festival serves as an “entertainment channel” that responds to the spiritual needs and relaxation of the people and that strengthens solidarity of the people living around the temples Powers and merits of the Guardian Gods at the beginning of their origins had the meaning and scope at the state and the citadel levels Later, those powers were vested with specific and mundane roles Today, the Four Guardian God Temples are studied and restored in order to elevate the roles and powers of the Gods up to those of the origins The revival of monuments and festivals at these temples, therefore, help enrich cultural characteristics of Ha Noi capital thanks to the existence of “traditional village festivals in the city streets” 4.4.3 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples contributes to the preservation of traditional art and culture Traditional art forms are usually attached closely to festival spaces The Four Guardian God Temples in general, and the Eastern and Northern Temples in particular, are two “natural museums in miniature” which preserve and reflect vividly the artistic and cultural values of the installation art, carving, architectural decorations, as well as statues of contemporary owners 17 4.4.4 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temple contributes to the education of tradition and community bond The Gods represent the strong spirit of the oppressed people and the community bond of the Viet inhabitants in the struggles against natural disasters, enemies, floods or droughts 4.4.5 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples contributes to the increase of tourism in Ha Noi If architectures, sculptures and locations of the four temples are considered favourable conditions, then the mixture of historical and legendary stories about the Four Guardian Gods serves as the core to help the four temples long last through time It is this value that contributes to the attraction of tourists to the temples 4.4.6 The customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temple contributes to the harmony of the spiritual life When Thang Long was the capital citadel of the country from the Ly Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty, the Four Guardian God Temples were created with folk belief of protecting the consolidated and long-lasting feudal regimes Since Thang Long was no longer the capital citadel to present day, the previous four national sacred temples became sacred spaces for most of the people who want to come for worship Sharings of those who come to the Four Guardian God Temples reveal partly the role of the sacred spaces of the Four Guardian God Temples to them 4.4.7 The meaning of the “invention of tradition” of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples The inventions of tradition of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples took place during the Vietnamese feudal regimes from the Ly Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty These were major inventions which were understood as traditions Besides, according to the definition of “creation” by Phan Dzung in the article Phương pháp luận sáng tạo đổi (Creation and Renovation Theoretical Concepts), “Creation is the act of creating anything that is both new and useful (in specific application),” the following contents reflect more or less the “invention/creation of tradition” to adapt to specific historical contexts, including: First, management; Second, financial resources; Third, the worshipping practices; Fourth, festival; Fifth, ceremonial rites and performances in the festival When the historical context changes, the above five elements 18 might be maintained or lost, then “invention” appears to adapt to the new situation However, for an invented tradition, the necessary condition in terms of formality is that it creates a link with the past or it “mentions a thread connected from the past” [20, p.86] In this case, the terms “Four Guardian God Temples” or the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples can it But in terms of the sufficient condition of content that includes “a set of practices, often governed by written or unwritten laws with heavy ritualistic or symbolic nature to inculcate the values and standards of behavior into the mind of the community through recurrent forms” [20, p.86] In this case, the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples does not meet the expectation When ritual practices, worship and festivals are applied generally to the four temples, the “invented traditions” seems unclear, except for the fact that the Eastern Temple was added a lintel named “Đông Trấn Chính Từ” (Eastern Shrine) and the Southern Temple a lintel named “Trấn Nam Phương” (Southern Shrine) In the period of spiritual revival of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi on the occasion of the 1000 years of Thang Long – Ha Noi, the Western Temple was added a lintel named “Tây Trấn từ” (Western Shrine), and the three-compartment houses of the Western and Southern Temples were decorated at the same manner The period of reviving the “invention of tradition” took a clearer form, but the content illustrated through worshipping practices at the four temples, especially during festive times, was still independent From the standpoint of the theoretical concept of “invention of tradition”, we think that the “invention of tradition” of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples by Confucian mandarins during the Nguyen Dynasty would be more suitable and clearer when put in the context of the social form where the owners were Vietnamese people and Thang Long was the capital citadel of the country The sacred spaces of the ancient Thang Long citadel and of today’s Ha Noi capital stay in the same places Therefore, the revival of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples nowadays is the continuity of invention of tradition in the new context where the status of Vietnam in general and Ha Noi capital in particular became higher in the world ranking The Thang Long’s Four Guardians God Temples, with their political elements, on the one hand determine the power of mountain and river gods, on the other hand reflect solidarity and pride of the “sacred 19 mountain and rivers” of the ancient Thang Long citadel from the ancient time The “tradition” of the “Four Guardian God Temples” or the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” was created by Confucian mandarins during the Nguyen Dynasty in the context when Ha Noi was under the last feudal regime in its declination, leading to the loss of the country, and then under French colonialisation In parallel with this political context was the fight and contradiction between the two cultural trends, old versus new, East versus West and conservative versus innovative Therefore, the “invention of tradition” of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples meant to create a sacred space dedicated soly to Ha Noi and to be mainly political in nature 4.5 The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples through the eyes of different people in society Even though the concept of “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temple” was long established, the understanding of this customary worship varies among different people in society * Understanding the Four Guardian God Temples as protectors of the sacred space This concept was first recognised by scholars, then it guides the agencies in charge the same understanding Furthermore, “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” are studied by some young intellectuals from geomency and spirituality perspectives Cultural managers and government officials, based on research and evaluation of scholars, came to recognise that it existed four temples forming the Four Guardian God Temples as Protectors of the ancient Thang Long citatdel This content was included in the classification documents of the Temples and presented in the introduction text pannel at each Temple * “Hearing the Temple is sacred then I come to worship” This is a popular opinion of those who come to worship and make ritual at the temples They may include lay citizens, government officials or highranking people * The “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” through the eyes of tourists National or international tourists mostly know about the temples through books, newspapers and via the internet When first visiting the temples, they not have enough time to experience theie sacred spaces Thus, it depends on individual toursit visitor that the understanding of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temple is different from each other 20 * “There are three Gods at one temple but not the Four Guardian God Temples” The Tan Khai temple was constructed in 1804 to worship Bac Ma Dai vuong God To the left is the shrine dedicated to To Lich River God, and to the right is the shrine dedicated to Thiet Lam Co than God The Dong Lac temple (Quyen Yem) worships three Gods: Cao Son, Bach Ma and Linh Lang The gathering of the most important Gods of the Thang Long ancient citadel from the beginning of its origin is a strange action that needs further researches Summary The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples, Hoa Lu’s Four Guardian God Temples and Guardian God Temples of Lang Son ancient city were products of folk belief and geomency concept and were put in specific historical contexts The Water God, or the God originated from water worship tradition of the ancient Viet people, is also worshipped in these Four Guardian God Temples of those three cities In addition, the political and cultural situations of Thang Long, Hoa Lu and Lang Son were different, leading to the differences in the practice of worshipping Gods in these areas When comparing the worshipping practices of the temples in Thang Long citadel, similarities were found in management or architectural forms, while differences came from the symbolic meanings of the God at each temple The understanding of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” is as varied as the existence of other subjects in society Ha Noi capital city and the entire country are in the course of industralisation and modernisation The urbarnisation process takes place strongly, causing heavy impacts in economic and cultural life However, this urbanisation process has been contributing to causing changes of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi 21 CONCLUSION The data sources reflecting the Four Guardian God Temples initially determine that: until when the ancient Thang Long citadel was named Ha Noi in 1831, the four temples: Bach Ma, Voi Phuc, Kim Lien and Quan Thanh were not the Four Guardian God Temples which beared the meaning of protecting the Thang Long citadel from its origins in 1010 Through time, the four temples were gradually constructed: first was the Bach Ma temple in 866 as the latest, then the Voi Phuc temple in the King Ly Thanh Tong period (1054-1072), the Quan Thanh temple in 1102, and last was the Kim Lien Temple (in 1510 as the ealiest and in 1772 as the latest) Then, the customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples took turn to be formed The Four Guardian Gods at the four temples had different merits but they all contritbuted to the longlasting of the country: the Long Do God venerated at the Bach Ma temple to the East contributed in fighting against the Chinese Tang invaders who wanted to block the good energy of the country and helped King Ly Thai To in planning and constructing the Thang Long citadel; The Linh Lang God venerated at the Western Temple fought against the Song ennemy and helped Lord Trinh Tung to develop the Posterior Le Dynasty The Huyền Thiên Thượng God at the Northern temple helped chasing away evil spirit and protecting the Northern border; The Cao Sơn God at the South Temple helped King Le Tuong Duc in pacifying Le Uy Muc and came into throne in 1510 When the Thang Long imperial citadel was established in 1010, the “sacred spaces” of Thang Long with the image of an “adcending dragon” was also formed In order to identify the four directions and to protect the sacred space, the Four Guardian God Temples were formed as follows: to the East was the Bach Ma Temple, to the West was the Voi Phuc Temple, to the South was the Kim Lien Temple, and to the North was the Tran Vu temple The layer of religious and belief culture invented in this period included symbols, symbolic meanings, legends, ritual ceremonies and worshipping practices which formed the core of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi The Four Temples formed the four compass points to protect the Thang Long citadel was the “invention of tradition” by Confucian mandarins in Ha Noi This “invention of tradition” was meant to create a sacred space dedicated soly to Ha Noi and was political in nature To a 22 certain extent, the term “Tu Tran tu” (The Four God Shrines) formed in the social context of the Nguyen Dynasty seemed to be a nostalgy of Hanoi Confucian mandarins about the Thang Long citadel at its peak when it had been the captital citadel of Dai Viet, a political and cultural centre of the country from the 11th to the early of the 19th century The term “Four Guardian God Shrines” appeared when Thang Long was named Ha Noi (in 1831) as the earliest Explanation of each temple confirms that these were four temples protecting the Thang Long citadel In this period, encounters took place between East and West cultures, between old and new which caused much impact on the belief practices of the Viet in general and of Ha No in particular Written documents and careful researches on the customary worship include such works as An Nam phong tuc (An Nam’s Customary worships) by Mai Vien Doan Trien; Viet Nam phong tuc (Vietnamese customary worships) by Phan Ke Binh; Nep cu – tin nguong Viet Nam (Old customs – beliefs of Vietnam) by Toan Anh, researches and explorations carried out by the French School of Asian Studies or research projects by Nguyen Van Huyen Content of the above works became standard documents about tradition for later genetrions to refer to for revival puposes The customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples in this period was basically perpertuated Even vested with additional role of protecting the Thang Long citadel, the nature and scope of the customary worship are similar to those at the other temples or relics Due to historical and social impacts, the customary worship has changed a lot since 1945 Researches and evaluations by various authors in the period after 1975 reaffirmed once more time the role and value of the Four Guardian God Temples towards the ancient Thang Long citadel, contributing to guide the understanding of management agencies from grassroot up to the central level If the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” were invented as “the tunic,” the cover or outer apparance at its earliest origins, after being revived, the “Four Guardian God Temples” seemed to become the “core” or the inner content that serves as guidance for the government and the people Therefore, the worshipping spaces and related rituals at the temples were strongly revived The sacred spaces of the Four Guardian God Temples absorbed contemporary belief practices dedicated to meritted people such as houses for commomeration steles of martyrs or shrines dedicated to Uncle Ho Exept from the North temple, the Mother Goddess tradition with its mediumship performances, though 23 limited, still enter gradually into the worshipping spaces of the Four Guardian God Temples as a tendency that is not easy to resist Similarly, if management regulations on monuments governed by the State such as the Management Board, participants, activities, responsibilities, authorities etc, create apparent similarity in managing the monuments, meaning and worhsipping symbols of each monument create differences in the perpetuation of the customary worship The management and perpurtuation of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples are not exceptional The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi, in addition to bearing characteristic values similar to any other temples in the captical city, has specific meanings related to the Thang Long citadel under the Ly, Tran, Le So, and Restored Le Dynasties Legends and documents contribute to reflect and infentify the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi since its original formation, existence and perpertuation until today The social contexts changed due to the establishment and replacement of the feudal regims (from Ly, Tran, Le, to the Nguyen Dynasties), from feudal society to semi-feodal seme-colonial society, to the socialist society There were both subjective and objective reasons that “forced” cultural mechanism to change, then gradually change the worshipping practices of the Gods in the Four Guaridan God Temples When they were newly formed, events that were documented included rain evoking ceremony, initiation ceremony, possession, etc, illutrating that the customary worhsip was related to the royal rites Gradually, the customary worhsip must be “returned” to the local areas – where the Gods were located and worshipped, including four wards (Hang Buom, Kim Ma, Kim Lien, Quan Thanh) with less complicated ritual ceremony regulated in the “laws” of the wards or the regions, such as khoan uoc or khoan le To a certain extent, the theoretical concept of “invention of tradition” is suitable for the invention of tradition of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” in Ha Noi At least in terms of appearance, the term creates a link among the four temples However, the link and the invented tradition seeme to be more political rather than historical cultural meaning, therefore, the necessary considitions for the future traditions to be invented include a stable society where live Vietnamese citizens The invention of tradition of the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” during the Nguyen Dynasty was basically as legends that were developed 24 by researchers after the unification of the country, especially on the occasion of celebration of Thang Long 1000 years old And the “Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples” were invested in both materially (architecture, landscape, plan) and spiritually (revival of customary worhsip, espeically festivals) The revival of the Four Temples is the continuity of the invention of tradition of the Four Temples in the past when Ha Noi was the potlicial, cultural and economic centre of the country With such meaning, continuing resarch for clarification in order to better promote and enhance the understanding of the people about the Guardian God Temples in the ancient Thang Long citadel and of today’s Hanoi is the work that scholars need to pay attention to [...]... from the ancient Thang Long period to today’s Ha Noi 14 CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSIONS ON THE CUSTOMARY WORSHIP OF THE THANG LONG’S FOUR GUARDIAN GOD TEMPLES IN TODAY’S LIFE 4.1 The Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with other Four Guardian God Temples 4.1.1 Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with the Four Guardian God Temples of the ancient Hoa Lu citadel 4.1.2 Thang Long’s. .. higher in the world ranking The Thang Long’s Four Guardians God Temples, with their political elements, on the one hand determine the power of mountain and river gods, on the other hand reflect solidarity and pride of the “sacred 19 mountain and rivers” of the ancient Thang Long citadel from the ancient time The “tradition” of the Four Guardian God Temples or the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples ... reveal partly the role of the sacred spaces of the Four Guardian God Temples to them 4.4.7 The meaning of the “invention of tradition” of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples The inventions of tradition of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples took place during the Vietnamese feudal regimes from the Ly Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty These were major... 3.2.2 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples It was possible that the direction of the Program 05-Ctr/TU on 30 May 2001 of Ha Noi’s city Party Committee on the “ completion of the restoration of the Four Guardian God Temples together with the concept of sacred spaces of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples formed the basis for the revival of the customary worship at these... especially the monuments that were the keys of the celebration, including the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples The legends of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples continued to draw attention of scholars and were analysed from different angles, which contributed to the development of the “invention of tradition” of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples originated from the Nguyen... changes of the customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in Ha Noi 21 CONCLUSION 1 The data sources reflecting the Four Guardian God Temples initially determine that: until when the ancient Thang Long citadel was named Ha Noi in 1831, the four temples: Bach Ma, Voi Phuc, Kim Lien and Quan Thanh were not the Four Guardian God Temples which beared the meaning of protecting the Thang. .. Guardian God Temples 4.4.1 The customary worship of the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples reflects the history of establishment and changes of the Thang Long ancient citadel The study of the customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples reveals that, if the three Gods Long Do, Linh Lang and Huyen Thien Thuong De appeared in the period of construction and defense of the Thang Long... Long’s Four Guardian God Temples in comparison with the Four Guardian God Temples of the ancient city of Lang Son If folk belief and geomancy share the concept of the ancient citadels being protected by the Four Guardian God Temples, the geo-political and cultural situations of each temple then create differences 4.2 Comparison of customary worship of each temple in the Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temples. .. time, the four temples were gradually constructed: first was the Bach Ma temple in 866 as the latest, then the Voi Phuc temple in the King Ly Thanh Tong period (1054-1072), the Quan Thanh temple in 1102, and last was the Kim Lien Temple (in 1510 as the ealiest and in 1772 as the latest) Then, the customary worship of the Four Guardian God Temples took turn to be formed 2 The Four Guardian Gods at the four. .. conditions, then the mixture of historical and legendary stories about the Four Guardian Gods serves as the core to help the four temples long last through time It is this value that contributes to the attraction of tourists to the temples 4.4.6 The customary worship of Thang Long’s Four Guardian God Temple contributes to the harmony of the spiritual life When Thang Long was the capital citadel of the country