Chau Van and Hau Dong performances, important rituals to worship Mother Goddesses, transpired on February 26 at the Phu Day relic site in Vu Ban District in Nam Dinh Province.

The ceremonies were attended by more than 20 foreign ambassadors and other high dignitaries along with hundreds of prominent Vietnamese officials, politicians, and intellectuals.

Chau Van is a spiritual ritual combining folk singing and dancing. Hau Dong involves women mediums going into trances. They are usually performed in rituals to worship Mother Goddesses.

The event, sponsored by the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO in coordination with local authorities, aims to introduce cultural values of Vietnamese people to the international community.

Speaking at the event, Representative Katherine Muller-Marin of UNESCO in Vietnam, said the worship of Mother Goddesses plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

The ceremony pays particular respect to the creative and productive power of the Divine Mother in nature, which is very similar to the Earth Mother in Stone-Age Western religion.

It uses the figure of the Mother in a myriad of forms to pray for luck and protection and reflects a main feature of Vietnamese life – appreciation for the value and the role of women in the family and community life.

VOV