TheDinhat Tien Thuy

Abstract

R ELIGION PLAYS a major part in the culture of Vietnam. Perhaps the most characteristic facets of the religious culture of the nation are the intermixture of the traditional Buddhist religion with several local sects, particularly in the Mekong Delta region; and the underlying and pervasive aspects of animism and ancestor worship. The cults of animism and ancestor worship center in two places: the family altar at home, and the local village dinh. The dinh, or ceremonial hall, plays a major role in the life of rural villages in Vietnam, serving both as a community hall and as the religious center of the village. Indeed, in many areas of the Mekong Delta region the annual ceremony commemorating and reaffirming the establishment of the dinh is a major event, second only to Tet as a religious and cultural event of overriding significance. Little scholarly work has been published on the role of the dinh in Vietnamese culture. Each dinh has its own history, legend, and folklore, which are imbedded in the cultural background of the village and form the heart of the local ancestor cult. The story of the origins of the dinh is handed down by village elders from generation to generation. There is little written documentation of dinh history, although these immensely interesting accounts are a basic element of the cultural history of Vietnam. This short essay deals with the background and significance of the dinh of a small rural village in the Mekong Delta. Its history and tradition were related to the author over a period of several days in December 1972, during the annual dinh ceremony. The situation in South Vietnam has changed drastically since then. But while the Communist regime has made many changes that affect the social life of