ANCESTRAL ALTAR
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HUNG NGUYEN MANH 1
The Objects displayed
Speaking of ancestral altars, Henri Oger showed us a series of sketches of different kinds of altars suited to the rich and the poor, (Fig.1) shows a kind of wooden altar of a rich family and (Fig.1) a mother of pearl inlaid wooden altar of a richer family.
For poor families, they often made a big bed of bamboo as high as an adult’s chest and its surface was woven with bamboo-whittled flat sticks and covered with a rush mat. It was also called “altar bed”.
On the altar bed stood a kerosene lamp made of baked clay if the family could not afford to buy a pair of painted wooden lamp stands. Joss stick holder was not an indispensable altarpiece.
On the Tết holidays, some families adorned a pair of scrolls on both sides of the ancestral altar.
The scrolls bore the inscriptions in Chinese characters whose meaning can be construed as follows: “Piety is the root of all acts of humanitarianism, Ethics conform to both inside and outside (Universal order is also human order). “Respect is felt by the sincerity and all things have their own beginning and end.”
These two sentences originate from the meaning of an ancient academic book: “The thing has its own stem and top, the work also has its beginning and end, knowing both the front and the rear is to be close to the way! ”.
The negative of this Living World
With the concept that a dead man would live and act exactly like when he was still in the living world, the arrangement of the altar and the preparation of offerings must involve things such as various kinds of food, of clothes, of consumer goods, then joss sticks, flowers, tea and alcohol, a cup of fresh water… Does this fact illustrate the popular thinking “in the underworld one will be exactly like when one was still in the living world” i.e. the underworld is the negative of the living world.
Among the objects mentioned above, the clothes are symbolized by joss paper things, while consumer’s goods such as currencies are represented by joss paper money (Fig.2). As for the other things such as food, joss sticks, flowers, betel, alcohol… they are concrete substances. The food is represented by a tray of food with vegetarian dishes or dishes prepared with meat, as well as various kinds of fruits gathered accordingly to the season. The alcohol must be rice alcohol but its presence insn’t necessarily required on the altar. But, there is one thing in particular which can not be omitted: the cup of fresh water. Why? At first, fresh water is a substance which every family has to have and use daily, as “one can abstain from eating but one cannot abstain from drinking”. Secondly, there is the philosophical significance of people living in the wet rice farming region, considering earth and water as two indispensable basic factors2.
However, whatever one might say, what generalization one might have in mind we wish to draw the cultural researchers’ attention on a basic characteristic with a source originated from time immemorial that paddy and rice – an element of the five cereals always constitute the main food of the
Vietnamese nation until it has steadied its inhabitation in the Red river basin. Therefore, later on, with the presence of meat, fish, tea, alcohol…. and whatever costly feast, the tray of rice, consisting only of the pearly grains of rice, still remains the principal offering, most preferred by deceased people in the underworld, whenever their relatives in this living world think of them. But, as the cultural and the historical life of the Vietnamese nation turns more and more flavoured and colourful, the tray of rice has greatly passed beyond its coarseness and simpleness at the commencement. Those are details which we shall continue to describe in the subject entitled worshipping our ancestors2.
NOTE:
1 Associate Professor HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Doctor of Phylosophy in History.
2 According to TRẦN NGỌC THÊM – “Research on the character of Vietnamese culture” -quoted book -pp. 281, 282.
BAN TU THU
01 /2020
NOTE:
◊ Source: Vietnamese New Year – Major Festival – Asso. Prof. HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Doctor of Phylosophy in History.
◊ Bold text and sepia images has been set by Ban Tu Thu – thanhdiavietnamhoc.com
SEE ALSO:
◊ From Sketches in early 20th century to traditional rituals and festival.
◊ Signification of the term “Tết”
◊ Lunar New Year Festival
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for KITCHEN and CAKES
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for MARKETING – Section 1
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for MARKETING – Section 2
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for Dept payment
◊ In SOUTHERN PART of the COUNTRY: a HOST of PARALLEL CONCERNS
◊ The tray of Five fruits
◊ The Arrival of New Year
◊ Vietnam Lunar New Year – vi-VersiGoo
◊ etc.