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The Cult of Tian Hou in the Mekong Delta: The Formation and Characteristics



Author(s)

Nguyen Ngoc Tho

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2015.08.005

Vietnam is the land of all original and absorbed goddesses in Southeast Asia. Local goddesses such as Lieu Hanh, Ba Chua Kho, Thien Yana Ponagar, Ba Den, Ba Chua Xu or external goddess such as Xi Wangmu (西王母), Kwan Yin (觀音), Yao Chi Jin Mu (瑤池金母), Tian Hou (天後), Mother Dragon Goddess (龍母娘娘), Jin Hua Goddess (金花夫人) etc. all are worshipped simultaneously throughout the nation. Among those, the cult of Tian Hou has become the most typical external goddess belief which absorbs both the cults of Kwan Yin and Xi Wang Mu, at the certain extend, become a symbol of harmonization. The cult of Tian Hou originated in Fujian, China and was gradually brought into South Vietnam after the footsteps of South Chinese immigrants during 17th-20th century. There are around 50 Tian Hou temples built and owned by the ethnic Hoa (華族/Chinese) and the Vietnamese at the Mekong River Delta. In the Mekong residents’ mind, Tian Hou is seen as a maritime goddess, a protector, a benevolent Mother Goddess who has been accepted through the channels of Mahayana Buddhism and traditional goddess beliefs in the local communities. This paper is to investigate the current situation of the cult of Tian Hou in the Mekong River Delta to highlight the basic characteristics of this cult in the region.

Tian Hou, the Mekong River Delta, identity, multi-cultural exchange

Nguyen, N. T. (2015). The Cult of Tian Hou in the Mekong Delta: The formation and characteristics. International Relations and Diplomacy, 3(8), 555-564.