Ancestor worship of the Muong

The Muong in Thanh Son district in particular and the Muong in Vietnam in general follow polytheistic beliefs, with a few influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism.

Ancestor worship is considered the most important belief of the Muong in Thanh Son. Ancestors are the guardian gods of the family and clan. Therefore, ancestors from 5 generations down are always worshiped and cared for by their descendants according to custom.

Ancestor worship is the most important belief of the Muong.

The ancestral altar of the Muong is not placed in the middle room like the Kinh people but is placed outside the wall of the main room next to the "cot cho." In some families, next to and above the ancestral altar, there is a small altar called “thẹng” (saint) to worship the totem of their family that they absolutely abstain from eating or catching: dogs, cuckoos, chooks, hummingbirds...

Along with that is the worship of Chang Wang: This form of worship originates from the legend that the Muong people call the brothers of the house of Wang Khang Quan Lai Lenh—the god who protects the family from being robbed, safe in production, and safe in travel. The Muong people worship the two men in the most sacred place in the stilt house, which is the "voong toong.".

The place where the two men live in the stilt house is called “henh,” which are two rectangular bamboo trays placed on the roof in front of the stilt house, at the end of the outer room. The ceremony to worship Chang Wang is often carried out by families on Tet or before going far away, when fishing, hunting...

The Muong people in Thanh Son also worship human gods, which are real historical figures who have been mythologized, such as Mr. Dinh Cong Moc, a local chief who followed the Lam Son army to fight the Ming invaders, who was awarded the title of Vu Quan Cong and is worshiped at Thach Khoan communal house; Mr. Ha The Trat and Ha Kha Chinh are worshiped at Dong Ruc temple, Vo Mieu commune, who are also local chiefs of the Lam Son army; General Nguyen Quang Gia, a general who fought the invaders during the Tay Son period; Nguyen Hue is worshiped at Vo temple, Vo Mieu commune...

In addition to worshiping ancestors, gods, and human gods, the Muong people also worship has the mark of the belief in worshiping the Mother. Under the roof of the stilt house, the innermost room-the sleeping room of the women-has an altar for the “Mother” (pan Mu).

Offerings to the Mother

In particular, the Muong people in Thanh Son have the custom of performing the ceremony of changing the ghost of the birth. When the newborn baby is 7 or 9 days old, the family sets up an altar to worship the gods. The offerings on the day of changing the ghost of the birth include fruits, banh troi, banh ot, and paper clothes. They must have 7 eggs (if the baby is a boy) and 9 eggs (if the baby is a girl).

After the offering, the mother holds the baby and gives it to a healthy person; the family is peaceful and harmonious, has both sons and daughters, and is financially well-off. After that, the father of the child will take the ghost of the birth out, clean it, and put it in a place. The ceremony of changing the ghost of the birth is a very important ritual in the life cycle of the Muong people.

Although not too elaborate with high trays, full meals, money, clothes, horses, and carriages... ancestor worship is an indispensable part of every Muong ethnic family in Thanh Son. For that reason, ancestor worship has become an unforgettable cultural beauty for the children of the land and of the Muong.

Anh Tu