The belief in worshiping God in the Southwest

The altar of Mr. Thien of the Khmer people in Dong Binh commune, Binh Minh town.

The altar of Ong Thien, also known as the Thong Thien altar, is often placed in front of the house by people in the Southwest region to worship Heaven .

According to the work “Vietnamese Culture in the Southwest Region” edited by Tran Ngoc Them and published in 2014, “After grandparents and parents, worshiping heaven and earth is also a common belief practiced in every Vietnamese family. However, in the Southwest, where people are integrated with nature into one, the belief in worshiping heaven and earth seems to be expressed more clearly.”

Coming to the house of the people of the Southwest, we can easily see the altar of Ong Thien placed in front of the house yard, with a pillar as high as a person's head. On top of the pillar is placed a square plank or square brick, each side is about 4 inches long to make an altar. In the past, people often made pillars and altars of wood. As the economy developed, wooden altars were gradually replaced by altars with concrete pillars and ceramic tiles. On the altar of Ong Thien, there is always an incense burner to burn incense, a small vase of flowers and a few cups of water.

According to the book “Vietnamese Culture in the Southwest”, the round incense bowl is placed on a square altar, the square altar is placed on a round pillar, all of which represent the idea of yin and yang, square and round, praying for a perfect and good life. After each working day, at dusk, the homeowner changes the flowers in the vase from the home garden and the cup of water on the altar, then lights incense and clasps hands to pray to heaven to bless the house with peace, happiness, fortune and longevity.

The folk song “Every night, I light a lantern in the sky/ Praying for my parents to live forever with me” refers to the altar of Ong Thien, with the hope that the incense smoke from Ong Thien’s altar will carry the homeowner’s prayers to “reach the heavens”, reaching up to heaven. Since then, the altar of Ong Thien in front of the house has become the place where people in the Southwest connect their hearts with heaven and earth.

On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, there is usually a bowl of rice, a bowl of salt, and a plate of fruit on the altar of Ong Thien. If there is a party, death anniversary, wedding, engagement, etc., there are also offerings such as banh it, banh tet, fruit, and a plate of sticky rice on the altar of Ong Thien. In addition, on the occasion of New Year's Eve and Tet, every family places a tray of fruit or a full watermelon to worship the sky, wishing for the family to be more prosperous.

The work “Vietnamese Culture in the Southwest” also shows that God has entered the homes of farmers in the Southwest, witnessed all the joys and sorrows, clearly saw the difficulties, understood all the feelings and thoughts, became close and was ready to help like a family member. Therefore, the ritual of worshiping God through the altar of Heaven has the rustic, simple and sincere character of the Southern people.

Article and photos: MINH TRIET

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