From SKETCHES in EARLY 20th century to TRADITIONAL RITUALS and FESTIVAL

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HUNG NGUYEN MANH ¹

   There has been a host of literature both in prose and verse about Vietnam, especially since the arrival of the French and the birth of the Quốc Ngữ (National Romanized scripts), subject matters of writing on Vietnam have become more numerous and diversified. However, these subjects have very rarely been dealt with by painters. Probably, for this reason, Henri Oger found his place in recording Vietnam’s social activities with thousands of original wood engraving sketches.

   Although a limited scope is suggested by the title of his project: “Techniques of the Annamese² People”³ in fact Henri Oger carried out the first and colossal illustrated reportage on midland regions of northern Vietnam, particularly on Hanoi in 1908 and 1909.

    At the beginning of his book, Henri Oger wrote: “Talented descriptive writers are not many! On the other hand, for all people, the visual memory is ever deeper. Therefore, the largest part of this project contains drawings and sketches… Clear and well – organized presentation is the most fundamental characteristic of this collection. It is not an accidental product…”.⁴

    Henri Oger’s opening paragraph brings out the value of the drawings which did not result from an accidental inspiration or the romantic feeling of a painter.

A student of Mr. Silvain Levi and Mr. Finot, professors of the French Academy at the Practical College of Higher studies (École pratique des Hautes – Études) and at the Sorbonne University in 1907, Henri Oger asked the French Minister for Colonial Affairs for the privilege of performing military service in 1908-1909 in Tonkin with a view to acquiring favourable conditions for his research on the Vietnamese family using the monographic method.

     Basing himself on this method, Henri Oger classified his research project into the following subjects:

1. The industry whose materials are extracted from nature.
2. The processing industry whose materials come from nature.
3. The industry which uses processed materials.
4. Public and private life.

     With regard to the public and private life, Henri Oger divided it into 11 sub-subjects including  shamanism and fortune-telling, folk medicine, folk paintings, games and toys, Tết (Lunar New Year Festival) and ceremonial festivals.

   Regarding Vietnam’s Lunar New Year celebration and traditional Festivals, Henri Oger has supplied us with vivid on the spot drawings on the customs and practices in a past period of history, the colonial semi-feudalist stage, most of which are no longer a part of present-day Vietnamese society.

    The Vietnamese people, from time immemorial, with the wet rice civilization, have many traditional celebrations and folk festivals full of significance and joy. They include the new rice festival held at the end of the summer spring crop to the hunting rite, the end-of-spring and beginning-ofsummer festivals such as the first month rain and insects killing festivals… They are a series of ritual days. Particularly, to bid farewell to winter, the Vietnamese ancestors celebrated a grand Festival or Lunar New Year Festival. Besides, there were the festival in the middle of the 1st month the Buddhist festival in the middle of the seventh month and the mid- Autumn Festival for children (all according to Lunar calendar)… According to traditional practices, the ancestral worshipping rites will fall on the 3rd day of the third month (in spring), the 5th day of the fifth month (in summer), the 9th day of the ninth month (in autumn) and the 22nd day of the twelfth month (winter solstice). All these calculations are based on the changes of weather in the year and on Eastern agricultural calendar. Each rite and festival has its own source and on these traditional ritual and festival days the Vietnamese people have held services, big or small, in one locality or in the whole country.

NOTE:
¹  Associate Professor HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Doctor of Phylosophy in History.
²  The term “Annamite” used in the title of the book was used only under the French colonialists, in a despising manner. 
³ HENRI OGER – Technique du peuple Annamite (Techniques of the Annamese People) – 114 Jules Ferry Street – Hanoi (1908 – 1909).
⁴  HENRI OGER  (Documentary archives on arts, ethnography and sociology of China and Indochina – General introduction to the study of the Annamese People’s techniques – Essay on the Annamese People’s material life, arts and industries- 2 volumes) – published by Geuthner, Jouve & Cie in Paris 1919.

BAN TU THU
01 /2020

NOTE:
◊  Source: Vietnamese Lunar 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:
◊  Signification of the term “Tết”
◊  Concerns of provident people – Concern for chicken and cakes.
◊  Vietnam Lunar New Year – vi-VersiGoo
◊  etc.