Recovery and Transformation of Tutelary God Belief at Present in Kiến Thụy District, Hải Phòng City

Abstract

This article analyses the characteristics of the process of restoration and transformation of Tutelary God beliefs in three localities in Kiến Thụy district, Hải Phòng city from the period of Đổi mới (Renovation) (1986) up to now. They are: Đại Trà village in Đông Phương commune, Hòa Liễu village in Thuận Thiên commune, and Kim Sơn village in Tân Trào commune. The restoration and transformation took place in the general context of beliefs and religions in Vietnam; hence, they share common characteristics of beliefs and rituals of worshipping the Tutelary god in the Northern Delta region. At the same time, each locality has its own peculiarities of history and culture; hence, the Tutelary god beliefs have different characteristics in terms of religious consciousness, sacred space, and the community rituals. Essentially, the authors of this article argue that this restoration and transformation reflects the efforts of relevant participants to adapt the tradition of Tutelary god worship for the contemporary political, economic, and social context.