Stories from the Whale Mausoleum

Việt Nam•25/12/2023

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - With the spiritual culture of fishermen, almost every coastal area in Central Vietnam worships the God of the South Sea (also known as the whale or Ông fish) to express gratitude. After a period of burial, people bring the whale bones to a mausoleum for worship. In Quang Ngai, in addition to worship, many places also bury them in cemeteries with dozens of graves.

The procession of fishermen in Khe Tan hamlet, Co Luy village, Tinh Khe commune (Quang Ngai city) on the 20th day of the first lunar month to welcome the God of the South Sea. PHOTO: PHAM ANH

Whale cemetery next to Ông's mausoleum

Khe Tan Beach, in Co Luy village, Tinh Khe commune (Quang Ngai city), shines brightly in the sun. A few dozen meters from the shore of Khe Tan Beach stands the majestic Ong Mausoleum (dedicated to the God of the South Sea). Adjacent to the mausoleum is the house of Mr. Tran Van Lac (68 years old), who was formerly the chief priest and a member of the ceremonial committee of the mausoleum in previous years. Leading us to the Ong Mausoleum, Mr. Lac pointed out the whale tombs lying silently on the sand. There are nearly 10 tombs here, the longest being about 5 meters, while most are about 2-3 meters long.
Pointing to the largest tomb, Mr. Lac recounted that this tomb was just the head of a whale that the villagers brought to be reburied at the Ông Temple. Several decades ago, this "whale god" beached in Khe Tan. Because the whale's body was so large, the villagers couldn't move it inside, so they used bamboo stakes and burlap sacks driven into the sea to prevent the waves from hitting it, then piled sand on top to form a tomb for the whale. The Khe Tan coastline eroded, and the largest whale tomb was gradually swept away by the waves. Therefore, the people of Khe Tan discussed moving the whale's tomb to the Ông Temple for reburial. However, when they dug it down, only the head remained; the bones of the whale's body had been washed out to sea. "It took six young men using three carrying poles to bring the whale's head in; it weighed over 200 kilograms," Mr. Lac said.

The whale tomb is located within the grounds of the Ông mausoleum. PHOTO: PHAM ANH

At Ông's Mausoleum in Khê Tân hamlet, the whale cemetery isn't just within the mausoleum grounds. Right by the sea, a vast expanse of white sand at the entrance to the mausoleum is a cemetery for dozens of whales. Mr. Lạc explained that in the past, people built mounds to bury the whales, but over time, due to the waves, these mounds were leveled. Every time they pass by, people show their respect and reverence. This is a whale cemetery where people from Khê Tân bring back whales that have been in distress at sea for burial, or where whales that have beached are buried and given ceremonies as if they were human beings.

Expressing gratitude to the guardian deity.

Along the coast of Quang Ngai, whale cemeteries are not only found in Tinh Khe commune, but also in many other places. In Binh Thanh commune (Binh Son district), whale graves are located behind the shrine dedicated to the God of the South Sea. Inside the shrine, many whale skeletons are neatly arranged in lacquered boxes. These are whales that, after being stranded on the shore, were buried by the locals, mourned, and after a few years, their bones were moved to the shrine for worship.

The Ông Mausoleum is located in Khê Tân hamlet, Cổ Lũy village, Tịnh Khê commune (Quảng Ngãi city). PHOTO: PHAM ANH

Arriving in the coastal areas of Quang Ngai, we heard many stories from fishermen about the worship of whales, especially stories of whales saving people from danger. For fishermen, born, raised, and living off the sea, they believe in the God of the South Sea who always protects them whenever they go out to sea to fish. In Khe Tan hamlet, Tinh Khe commune, every year on the 21st of January, the entire fishing village participates in a festival to thank the God of the South Sea, praying for a year of favorable weather and a bountiful catch. According to Mr. Lac, this day is chosen for worship because it is the day the first whale beached itself in this area, and for hundreds of years, the fishermen here have followed this tradition.

Before the ceremony, boats are gathered near the whale cemetery, and fishermen take turns entering the shrine to pay their respects. On the 20th day of the first lunar month, 20 villagers carry a palanquin from the shrine to the sea to ask the Water Dragon Goddess for permission to bring the God of the South Sea into the shrine. In addition to the rituals, the fishermen use bottles filled with seawater to place on the palanquin, then bring it back to the shrine for the ceremony. The offerings include betel leaves, areca nuts, wine, flowers, fruits, paper money, pig's head, chicken, but notably, no seafood is allowed. At the ceremony, the offerings are placed on the altar of the God of the South Sea, the Water Dragon Goddess, the village elders, the tutelary deity, the left and right altars, and the council table in the middle. After the ceremony, the fishermen carry the palanquin and pour the water from the bottles, symbolically representing the god returning to the sea...

Furthermore, in the eighth lunar month, the people of Khe Tan also hold a ceremony to express their gratitude to the sea god after months of sailing at sea, asking for the god's blessings for safe journeys. According to Tran Dinh Trong, the head of Co Lu village, out of more than 1,000 households in the village, over 85% make a living from fishing. The arduous struggle for survival at sea, facing many risks, means that the people preserve traditional customs connected to their spiritual lives as a way to express their gratitude to the gods for their blessings. Along with the worship of whales, from January to March each year, six out of seven hamlets in Khe Tan village organize a fishing festival. Over the years, the fishing festival has become a cultural feature, an indispensable part of the spiritual life of the fishermen of Quang Ngai.

PHAM ANH

RELATED NEWS AND ARTICLES:

Source