Home altars in modern Vietnam

Ancestor worship is a kind of religion which forms and edifies the social system based on a family ideal, on the idea that family is a fundamental principle of society and the Universe. The paper discusses a problem understudied in Vietnamese ethnography: the altars of ancestor worship. The authors used Vietnamese sources and personal observations materials. It is important to note that the traditions and rituals in different families can differ greatly, that is why this issue requires further study. The altar of ancestor worship occupies an important place in social relations of Vietnam. It is not preserved in aspic but it is a really functioning element of a modern Vietnamese family. Any changes in the kinship system will have an impact on religious beliefs, ceremonies, attributes, and vice versa. Studying Vietnamese altars, we can find influence of other religions, for example, Christianity or Buddhism, depending on a family and local features. At the same time altars can be used in houses of irreligious people. The problem is considered in the context of changes in modern Vietnamese society. The interdependence of kinship and social structure with ancestor worship suggests that changes in the Vietnamese society affected ancestor worship and the forms of home altars. The authors introduce a Vietnamese altars classification, based on their location and the object of worship: temple altars, home altars, outdoor altars. They carefully consider home altars for ancestors, for the God of Wealth and for Heaven. They describe the structure of altars, the meaning of altars attributes and their location. They give examples of deviations from altar installation rules and analyze reasons for them. A family altar is the main altar of Vietnamese ancestor worship which you can see in each Vietnamese house. The analysis of its location and structure help us to understand people who installed it. An altar for the God of Wealth is widely used; its architecture is different. The distribution of this type of altars shows us a certain stage of Vietnamese society development. An altar for Heaven is less popular and requires more attention. The authors described altars as a source to study Vietnamese society. Making altars a separate subject of research reveals cultural characteristics of different country areas, shows intrinsic motives of the people and identifies the dominant religious and cultural currents in modern Vietnam.

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