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Guide:
Guide:
The Temple: Đền Mẫu Vân Hương Vọng Từ
The Temple: Đền Mẫu Vân Hương Vọng Từ
Satellite Temple Dedicated to the Mother Spirit
Satellite Temple Dedicated to the Mother Spirit
Welcome to Mẫu Vân Hương Temple, supported by the Vietnamese Cultural Arts Alliance in Tigard, Oregon! Described below is a general guide
The Practice: Đạo Mẫu
The Practice: Đạo Mẫu
UNESCO Recognized Practice
UNESCO Recognized Practice
Đạo Mẫu (Mother Spirit practice), is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and was inscribed in 2016.
Đạo Mẫu is an indigenous practice that originates from Vietnam. It heavily influenced the agricultural, economic, and social practices in Vietnam's early history.
At the head of this pantheon is Mẫu or Mother, the practice is recognized for highlighting women’s cultural contribution as the first healers, teachers, and leaders of the home in Vietnamese families and communities.
The Ceremony: Hầu Bóng
The Ceremony: Hầu Bóng
The ceremony is an active practice of Vietnamese spiritual mediumship - inviting deities of the temple to work through the medium during a ceremony.
The Medium/ The Chair (Ghế Ngài): The person with whom the deities are invited to sit in, perform ritual work, bless, and provide guidance to people in attendance.
Deities (Giá Đồng): During a ceremony, the chair will cycle through multiple deities of the temple. For each deity that sits, they each have their own robe, music, and offerings.
Attendants (Hầu Dân): The attendants sit on the platform around the Chair to invoke and invite the deities to sit, serve the deities, and guide the rituals throughout the ceremony. Attendants help facilitate conversations between the deities and guests who are invited to hear and receive blessings from the deity.
Music (Chầu Văn): The ceremony is entirely driven by music. Chầu Văn musicians play traditional instruments while singing poems and stories that detail each deity, their characteristics, and invite them to descend to the chair.
Blessings & Offerings: Once a deity arrives, they bless the temple and the attendees through incense, flaming torches, and dance. They also bless offerings of fruit, sweets, or money to be distributed as blessings to guests.
Legacy
Legacy
Founded in Vietnam in 1965 by Gai Phan and Nghia Luong, stewardship has been lovingly passed down to Gai Phan and Nghia Luong’s children and grandchildren. The temple has been in Tigard since 2006 and the current Temple Guardian is Allen Luong - Phan & Luong' youngest son.
Today, the practice operates under the VCAA to foster intercultural & intergenerational connections, share about Vietnamese culture through an evolving indigenous practice, and enrich the greater Portland community through inclusive participation and immersion.
For First Time Visitors to our Temple during Ceremonies, please read the following:
Etiquette
Etiquette
To ensure a respectful and fulfilling experience, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
Attire: Dress like you are visiting your mother! Please have clothing that covers shoulders and knees in the temple.
Footwear: No shoes in the temple. If you are asked to come to the platform, we will ask that you please remove your shoes. If you are walking outside of the temple, please put shoes on to keep from tracking any dirt into the temple. We have an open sandal policy: if you need to quickly put on/off shoes - feel free to borrow any of our temple sandals for your convenience!
Accepting Blessings: If asked to come up onto the platform, please approach on your knees as much as you can, or head lowered. Refrain from having your back towards the temple altars. We refer to guests by their last name, or family name, to the deity in respect to guest's families and ancestors.
Making Offerings: If you would like to make an offering to the temple or deities during the ceremony you are welcome to, but not required! Common offering made to the temple is money - typically presented in a red envelope which we can provide.
Common examples of offerings made for deities are flowers, alcohol, individually packaged treats, or money. Please consult Van or Blake if you would like to make any offering!
Photography: Photos or videos are welcome in the temple during the ceremony. Please share pictures that you have taken of the ceremony with VCAA when possible! Please talk to Van, Blake, or Flo before posting any ceremony content on social media.
Contact & Support
Contact & Support
If you have questions before or after the ceremony, the VCAA team is readily available to help answer and share more about ongoing cultural programming:
12460 SW Main Street, Tigard, OR 97223
info@vcaalliance.org
Text only: 503.558.4018
Video of Vân Lê's ceremony in 2024 - Đại Đàng, video courtesy of Kevin Truong
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