Natural Landscape Temple - Belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces and Four Palaces

Summary: The belief in worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces and the Four Palaces is the belief of worshiping female and male deities who have contributed to the society and the country, who have become saints, assisted the king in fighting enemies, building dikes, and clearing fields. farming, teaching people to set up hamlets... With the belief of mother worship, goddesses are used to represent the whole belief to express the worship and respect of women. 

Existing for a long time in provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh... that belief is present in almost all regions of Vietnam, in the South this type of belief appeared quite early. , maybe since the French colonial period, due to the migration of people from North to South, experiencing many war events and regional characteristics, the belief in worshiping Mother Goddess Tam Tu Phu has changed somewhat, to clarify. More about this issue, the author would like to introduce Thien Nhien Canh Temple - a belief worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces and Four Palaces in Ho Chi Minh City. During the research process, because the research field is still quite new and the source of documents is limited, the article may not go into an in-depth comparison of the beliefs of worshiping the Mother Goddesses of the Three and Four Palaces at different temples in the City. Ho Chi Minh, so it is difficult not to make mistakes, I hope readers will forgive me. 

Very few documents have recorded the origin of the belief in Mother Goddess worship, however many temples believe that: This belief has existed since ancient times, since ancient times, with the matrilineal system, people have known about it. worship of goddesses, the worship of goddesses continued until the Le Dynasty, when there is a record, when Holy Mother Lieu Hanh was born 3 times in the later Le Dynasty and Holy Mother Thuong Ngan  helped the king to suppress During the war, the three-four palace temple system was reorganized and developed, from then on to the present with Holy Mother Lieu Hanh as the deity of belief, creating a unique and spontaneous belief line that only exists in Vietnam. Vietnam has no foreignness in this belief. Worshiping the Mother Goddess according to the Three-Four Palaces belief is the respect and gratitude of the Vietnamese people to women, promoting the virtue of love, hard work, and nurturing of their children. Thereby expressing the wish for good rain, peaceful winds, no disasters or going into the forest without wolves, wolves and wild animals. 

1. Some details about the belief in worshiping Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces and Four Palaces in Ho Chi Minh City 

The Mother Goddess Temple in Ho Chi Minh City was mostly the immigration of northerners, before the French colonial period, around 1900 to 1915 and the largest was the "Song Son Lao Tzu" association from which it was established. Mother Goddess Temple "Song Son Vong Tu" in District 3, in addition to a number of temples established around that time: Mother Goddess Cuu Trung Temple in District 4, Thien Nhien Canh Temple, Quan Supervisory Temple, Third Quan Lon Temple , Tranh Giang Vong Tu temple... and from the roots of incense sticks, disciples from the above temples gave birth to co-temples and temples, establishing many new temples and shrines. And most of the above temples have had 3-4 generations of worship, so it is possible that the above temples are considered the origin of the development of the belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess of the Three and Four Palaces in the South. 

It can be said that there are many temples belonging to the system of the Three Four Palaces belief established by disciples, incense sticks, and Thanh Dong Dao Quan. Most districts have temples or shrines, even small temples. The province also has some in the suburbs, but the most concentrated is probably in District 4, especially Ton Dan Street: Mau Cuu Trung Thien temple, Mau Thoai temple, Duc Thanh Tran temple, but there is also the worship of Cong Dong. Tam Tu Phu, on Doan Van Bo street, there are also 2 temples worshiping Mother Goddess Tu Phu which are also very sacred: Chau Luc temple, and 1 temple is Van Huong Phu (worshiping Mother Lieu Hanh), and there are many temples worshiping Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh. private. 

2. Nature Temple, a typical scene of the Botanical Garden 

* Some details about Thien Nhien Canh Temple 

Located on the grounds of the Zoo, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to the Hung King Temple and the Ho Chi Minh City Historical Museum, very few people know about this temple, but history has proven that This place is very special because the Temple was founded by a Dong man in the early part of the 20th century, by residents of Northern Vietnam who migrated to settle down, nearly a hundred years ago. The temple has now been passed down for three generations and the third generation is an incense keeper who still serves the Saint. Originally, the shrine was "Co Tu", it is said that "Co Tu" was originally a woman who was captured, raped and killed by the French colonialists. When she passed away, she was very sacred, or epiphany to help people. Later, the incense sticks and disciples contributed money to bring Avalokiteśvara to worship and then the Council of the Three and Four Palaces to worship. After a period of change and rearrangement, there was a worship system that brought Lord Son Trang to the main worship of the temple. 

* The arrangement of the temple's worship location 

The temple is quite modest and includes: The main worship space, the reception room which is also the place for aunts, uncles and ancestors, a kitchen, a warehouse and an outdoor place to worship the Mother of the Nineties and the Mother of God. Because it is the main temple of Lord Ba Son Trang, the Lord's palace is the largest. The Lord's bow is made in the form of a rectangular box, covered with wood with a glass front, the surface above the glass is a layer of wood inlaid with twin dragons flowing down to cover the whole bow, inside is a metal body. The Lady's body is covered with a delicately sewn blue dress, above which is a turban covered with a layer of green scarf tied to the back of the body. Every year the Lord's robe is changed by the temple's servants. On the Lord's bow there are 3 green hats, symbolizing the Lady, in front of the Lord's bow are a pair of gilded fans to lean on the bow and a set of three bronzes. bronze, and in front is an incense burner cast in bronze to worship the "Holy God". 

On the right side of the Lord's palace is the Mother's palace, the place to worship the "Godhead" of the Mother Goddess belief, is the Holy Mother's Three Palaces, the Mother's palace is also somewhat similar to the Lord's palace but has a lower height, longer width, Inside is the worship of the Three Holy Mothers, in the middle is the First Mother of Heaven, on the left is the Second Mother of the Upper Thousand, on the right is the Third Mother of Thoai Phu, in addition there is also a bronze urn inside. There is a special thing that in front of the Mother Palace is a set of altar bowls and there is also a small fence in front of the palace. This small fence symbolizes that we want to separate the Mother Palace from other palaces because most temples worship the Three Holy Mother Palace. It's forbidden in the palace, but here because the temple lacks space, we asked for permission to do so. In front of the palace there is also a yellow incense burner for worship.  

Next to the Mother Palace is where the Buddha Palace is located. The Buddha Palace is somewhat higher than the Mother Palace. There are many Buddhas worshiped here, but the largest is the statue of Avalokiteshvara, covered in yellow robes. The Lord's Palace is the place to worship the Kings, including 3 gentlemen: Mr. Hoang Bo, Mr. Hoang Bay, Mr. Hoang Muoi, also placed in a rectangular shape, but somewhat more modest and simpler than the Lord's Palace. In the palace, there is also a kettle of blue wine with a yellow incense bowl in front. Next to the prince is the Tran Trieu altar, where the main Saint Tran is worshiped with two Holy Ladies accompanying him and a bowl of incense placed in front. 

In addition, the temple also worships a number of saints whose origins are in the South, such as Quan Thanh De Quan, located on the right side of the Buddha worship palace, next to him is the place for the incense bowls of the disciples at the temple. worship. The second worshiping palace is the Five Ba Ngu Hanh, placed on the stairs when going up to the main altar. Outside the living room is the worship of Lau Co and Lau Cau, with the worshiping style being Lau Co on the left, Lau Cau on the right. On her floor, four golden bodies are worshiped: Co Doi, Co Bo, Co Chin, and Thuong Ngan, respectively corresponding to the four colors of their clothes: Blue, White, Pink, Black. Miss Doi and Miss Be were given floral scarves by the servants, while Miss Bo and Miss Chin were given turbans by the servants, giving the four ladies a beauty that was both cute and equally luxurious. Lau Co has two incense bowls, one large bowl in front, cast in bronze, and a smaller bowl located right inside Co Be. 

Below Lau Co is the worship of Mr. Ho to have the meaning of preventing evil spirits from entering the temple. On the right is the Cau pagoda, worshiping Thanh Cau, with a bowl of incense and four golden bodies of Thanh Cau and toys because Cau is considered the smallest saint in the Four Palaces, he is like a child so he often has extra toys. play for you, some places even have lion heads for you. 

Under the palace of Quan Thanh De Quan is the place to worship the Five Tiger Generals: Worshiping the 5 Tigers in the temple, next is worshiping the God of Wealth and Earth Land.  Above the temple, in addition to the Lord's helmet, are two beams and white snakes winding along the temple, as if they are protecting the purity and guarding this temple. There is also a large hat hall, called the council hat, representing the gods of the Tam Tu Phu Faith Worship. In front of that hat cave are the hats of the 5 great mandarins representing the 5 great mandarins.  

* Temple of diverse gods 

Inside the temple there are many gods, this is a symbol of the ancient belief in Mother Goddess worship and is maintained to this day. The main temple is Lord Ba Son Trang. The story is told that Mother Thuong Ngan fulfilled King Le Thai To's dream of leading the enemy to Chi Lang Pass. From then on, the king remembered his gratitude to the girl of his dream so he ordained her as Le Mai Dai Vuong with the title of Viet Bach Anh, Chief of Son Lam Administration. Princess. Since then, Lord Son Trang became Mother Thuong Ngan, second in the Three Sacred Mothers. Thus, the belief of worshiping the Four Palaces at Thien Nhien Canh temple is considered a harmonious combination of the custom of worshiping Mother Lieu Hanh and the custom of worshiping Son Trang. The custom of worshiping Son Trang is an ancient worship custom of the Vietnamese people; was born during the Au Lac period; about 2000 years ago. The custom of worshiping the Four Palaces probably only became popular when the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh appeared more than 600 years ago. 

The Mother Palace worships the Three Holy Mothers including: The First Heavenly Mother with the control of the heavenly domain, the Upper Heavenly Mother in the folk concept of the Four Dharmas includes: Phap Cloud, Phap Vu, Phap Dien, Phap Loi. Including 4 goddesses who create Clouds - Rain - Thunder - Lightning and have a great impact on wet rice agricultural culture, the main festival of the Mother Goddess is the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month. Mother II Thuong Ngan is responsible for governing the mountains and forests. It can be said that Mother Thuong Ngan is associated with nature, as for people, plants, birds, and animals. The main festivals of Mother Thuong Ngan are February 2nd and the 20th. September of the lunar calendar. The Third Mau Thoai Palace governs the river region, Mau Thoai is associated with the aquatic life of the Vietnamese people since ancient times, directly related to the Founder of the Vietnamese people in the early days of the nation's founding, the main festival of Mau Thoai is the 10th day of the 6th lunar month.  

The Buddha Palace worships many Buddhas, but the largest is the statue of Avalokiteśvara. In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is often called another name, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara - A person with virtue and divine power second only to Shakyamuni Buddha, he is a Bodhisattva who can see everything clearly. misfortune, suffering, and resentment in the world, always ready to help sentient beings. Perhaps because of this virtue, we pay attention to him. 

Next to the Lord's palace is the place to worship Mr. Hoang, including: Mr. Hoang Bo often holds the Phuc Duyen festival, bestows blessings on the people, saves businessmen and people who pass their studies. Second, Mr. Hoang Bay is the son of King Bat Hai Dong Dinh. Following his father's orders, he descended to earth at the end of the Le Dynasty, becoming the 7th son in the Nguyen family. When the Northern enemy invaded our country and invaded Quy Hoa district (now Yen Bai province and Lao Cai province), the situation in the country was also very chaotic. The famous general Saturday of the Nguyen family was sent by the king to fight the enemy. During a battle, he was captured and brutally interrogated. General Nguyen Hoang Bay determined not to submit to the enemy, and as a result, he was murdered and his body was thrown into the river. The people buried him and built a temple to commemorate his merits. He was given the title "God of National Defense" by the kings and people. 

Finally, Mr. Hoang Muoi is a legendary character who came to earth to help people. The people of Nghe An also pass down legends about Mr. Hoang Muoi's background, life, and career with real characters in the story. Vietnamese history. According to legend, Mr. Hoang Muoi is the 10th son of King Bat Hai Dong Dinh. According to orders, he descended to earth to help the people, not only because he was the 10th son but also because he was a man of impeccable talent and virtue, perfect in literature and martial arts. Not only was he a general who rushed into battle in battle, he was also a Very gallant and elegant, good at poetry and literature. With the legend of the general "Immaculate in talent and virtue". Four Palaces of Mr. Hoang: From left to right, the order is Mr. Hoang Bo, Mr. Hoang Bay, Mr. Hoang Muoi

The temple also worships Saint Tran, a saint who blesses the cause of fighting foreign invaders, protecting the country and helping people eliminate evil spirits and cure diseases. Quan Thanh De Quan, this belief began when the Chinese migrated to South Vietnam, they brought the belief of worshiping Quan Thanh and the Vietnamese people also worshiped Quan Thanh from there. In families, the male homeowner often worships him as a protective god and calls him "life saver". 

Worshiping the Five Elements Goddesses includes: First Lady Venus Goddess, Second Lord Lady Jupiter Goddess, Third Lord Lady Mercury Goddess, Fourth Lord Lady Fire Wind Goddess, Fifth Lord Lady Earth Duc Goddess. The order symbolizes the elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth (metal, tree, water, fire, earth). With selective adoption and blending with pre-existing folk beliefs, the ancient Vietnamese people introduced the Five Elements theory into worship with the representative image of the Five Elements Lord or Five Elements Mothers. From there, the custom of worshiping the Five Elements Nuong Nuong was formed.

The Five Tiger Generals are the five Tiger Gods who govern the five directions and five elements in the belief of worshiping the Mother of the Four Palaces. They are mountain gods symbolizing divine power, and are servants of the Mother who play the role of gatekeeper for temples, destroy evil spirits, and bring balance to the five directions of heaven and earth. They guard the five directions according to the law of the five elements: Yellow Tiger (yellow - earth element) is in the middle position corresponding to the central main hall, Thanh Tiger (blue - wood element) corresponds to the East, White Tiger (white - metal element) corresponds to the West, Red Tiger (red - fire element) corresponds to the South, Black Tiger (dark gray - water element) corresponds to the North. The image of the Five Tigers not only symbolizes the five elements with their interrelated and mutually reinforcing relationships in the universe, but also represents the authority of each deity in the holy house. The Five Tiger Generals combined with the Thanh Snake and the White Snake (representing the water area) are responsible for guarding the temple.

God of Wealth, Earth Earth: God of Wealth is the god who will help bring a lot of fortune and good luck in life. God of Wealth prays for peace, joy, warmth and is the god in charge of the temple land. This. 

Lau Cau belongs to the four holy uncles, who were born as princes in heaven and were sent by their Father to earth to help the people settle down, fight the enemy to save the country, and return to heaven when they were still teenagers. Besides, there is Lau Co in the four holy palaces, which is a beautiful feature in Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship.

It can be said that worshiping a variety of deities is the beauty of Thien Nhien Canh Temple, the inheritance and promotion of the tradition of worshiping the Mother Goddess of the three palaces and four palaces of Vietnamese culture, most typical of which is the Northern region. , Central region. There is interference and combination with elements of Mother Goddess worship in the South, creating the diversity and uniqueness of the temple. The worship of many gods and the combination of many types of Mother Goddess worship shows that the idyllic wishes for a simple life of the residents here are molded and inherited to promote and animate Vietnamese cultural identity.  

Through the ceremony decorations and sacrificial rituals at the Nature Scene Temple, we can feel the respect of Vietnamese people for the Gods as well as for the majestic nature of our country. An indispensable element is the visualization of historical figures who have contributed to protecting the Fatherland, demonstrating a great national unity because not only are the Gods of Kinh origin. Newly worshiped, there are also many Saints who are Muong, Man, Hoa... and Thanh Dong can also be of different ethnicities and religions but all follow in the footsteps to serve the Holy Mother. Today, to continue to preserve and promote that tradition, most of all we need people who are knowledgeable about customary laws and beliefs of worshiping Mother Goddess Tam Tu Phu, but also the Co Dong and Thanh Dong to join hands to protect and avoid Bad guys take advantage of these intangible assets and deform them.

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