Vietnamese worshipping tradition highlighted in lacquer paintings

“Noi…tiep” (Continue) is the first solo exhibition by artist Nguyen Tien Ngoc. As the name suggests, this exhibition is a continuation of the artist’s feelings and consciousness, following “Nostalgia”, an exhibition he held together with many other artists before. Artist Nguyen Tien Ngoc was born in 1982 in Khoai Chau district of northern Hung Yen province. Residing in Hanoi, he graduated from University of Industrial Fine Art in 2011. Since then, he has been passionate with the topic of folk culture that is shown in lacquer material. The exhibition is underway at the fine art exhibition house of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association at 16 Ngo Quyen Street of Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In “Noi…tiep”, the artist looks more deeply and widely into the ancestor worshipping rituals of residents in the northern delta in particular and the northern region in general, highlighting the traditional culture of ancestor and Buddha worshipping in daily life around him, which is filled with affection and respect. No matter what the Vietnamese people’s religions are, every household sets an altar to worship their ancestor at the most solemn place in their house. On the memorial day of a family member’s death, called “ngày giỗ” in Vietnamese, or Tet holiday and formal ceremonies, the living members often gather and have a banquet in honor of the deceased. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

According to writer and artist Nguyen Truong Quy, the most challenging factor when drawing paintings of traditional worshipping symbols or religious objects is probably finding out the proper layout, because worshipping spaces are often heavily symmetrical. However, “Noi…tiep” does not make audience feel heavy. Instead, the paintings bring them “liberal, strong but pleasant” feelings. For the artist himself, the altar converges the traditional cultural beauty of the days of monsoons, the beginning and the last days of the lunar month. Offerings to ancestors are also familiar and popular agricultural products. The folk worshiping objects include urns, oil lamps, and incense sticks. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

However, in paintings on display at the “Noi…tiep” exhibition, audience are brought into a ‘liberal, strong but pleasant” feeling. The brushstrokes in the paintings also evoke the sense of light brought by a harmony layout, creating a poetic, natural but still moderate nature for the paintings. The worshipping of ancestors is understood as a link binding all members of the family. In the death anniversaries as well as the festivities, people of different branches of a clan gather at the clan’s temple. In these meetings, natural affection of members of the family is restored or strengthened. It forms a natural binder of the family. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

For the artist himself, the altar converges the traditional cultural beauty of the days of monsoons, the beginning and the last days of the lunar month. Offerings to ancestors are also familiar and popular agricultural products.  The ancestral altar is set with ancestral tablets and pictures, together with an incense urn in the centre as a symbol of the stars. Inside the urn usually stands a round incense stick that represents the universe. Two candles are placed on the sides of the altar to embody the sun (left) and the moon (right).The rites consist of making offerings of fruits, foods and liquor; lighting the candles; and burning incense before praying in front of the altar. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Through simple folk worshiping objects such as urns, oil lamps, and incense sticks, audience are brought to the memories of their prayers – evidence of their belief in human happiness in a respectful attitude.  On death anniversaries or festivities, the ancestors were provided with what they need, feeling happy and peaceful, and in turn showing their presence by giving all the good to their descendants. But if descendants choose a bad place to build a grave, or they forget to worship or make cautious offerings, the ancestors will punish them. Therefore, according to the instructions of the worshipper, they must move the remains and make an apology to the displeased ancestors. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

According to Nguyen Tien Ngoc, when people look to their ancestors, supernatural beings are also paying respect when aiming for good wishes, and good nature. Vietnamese people believe life after death, it means each dead person has a soul and still lives in another world in parallel with the real life of the surviving persons. Cult of the death not only shows the respect and memory to the death but also to wish all peace, blessing and good lucks to the living persons. In addition, the form of ancestor worshipping also is an expression of filial piety and deep gratitude for the birth and nurturing of ancestors as well as a connection of the basis of family relationships. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Collector Nguyen Thanh Mai (Thanh Mai family gallery, Hanoi) held that Nguyen Tien Ngoc has made great progress after “Nostalgia”. According to her, Nguyen Tien Ngoc, as a young artist, has shown his bravery when choosing to portray spiritual and Buddhist themes in Vietnamese folklore.  According to ancient  Vietnamese people, death is not the end.  A  person  is  dead  but  his  or  her soul  still remains  and
usually  “stays by”  the  family. Ancestor worshipping holds an important place in family and society of Vietnam. This is a way of expressing gratitude and tribute to the deceased. According to the concept of Vietnamese people, the deceased often engage in the present life, they guide, direct, protect and bless the living. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In a wider aspect, the overarching theme in all of Nguyen Tien Ngoc’s works is the simple life around him. There, traditional cultural elements are especially attractive to the artist.  Worshipping is an element of the sense of ancestors, a feeling of  gratitude,  remembrance,  towards  the origin, the past.
Ancestor worshipping is an expression of respect, gratitude, and remembrance of the ancestors, and it is also an expression of belief in the protection and assistance of ancestors. The basis of the formation of ancestral consciousness is the belief in the soul of an ancestor alive, able to protect and bless the offspring. The symbol of ancestors is the image of talented, meritorious and virtuous people. On the ancestor altar, there
are usually tablets, statues, photos that are placed in an elaborate and solemn setting. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

“Do choi dan gian” (Folk toys) features traditional toys of Vietnamese children in Mid-Autumn Festival. On special occasions like ancestors’ death anniversaries or the Lunar New Year, special rites are performed to communicate with the dead. The rites consist of making offerings of fruits, foods and liquor; lighting the candles; and burning incense before praying in front of the altar. Tet, or Lunar New Year, is the most important festival of the year for Vietnamese people and a time for family reunion. It is an opportunity for descendants to invite the souls of their ancestors to join the family’s Tet celebration. On these days, every home has a tray filled with five types of fruits placed on the ancestral altar. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

“Noi…tiep 3” was painted in 2021. The ancestral altar occupies a prominent place in every Vietnamese home, no matter whether the family is rich or poor. It is a manifestation of the country’s culture that shows its respect for both the past and the future. On the ancestor altar, there are usually tablets, statues, photos and a tray filled with fruits. In the Lunar New Year (Tet), the fruits may include a bunch of bananas, pomelo, persimmon, pear and tangerine in different colours to represent the desire for “phu” (prosperity), “quy” (notability), “tho” (longevity), “khang” (health) and “ninh” (peace). The altar may also be decorated with a branch of peach blossoms in warm pink to drive away evil spirits and bad luck. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

“Khau niem” – a painting that took artist Nguyen Tien Ngoc two years from 2019 to 2021 to complete. Buddhism has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s culture, with its legacy prominent in the nation’s ethics, philosophy, literary, architecture, sculpture, rituals, and paintings, among others. Vietnam has nearly 8,000 traditional festivals held nationwide yearly, with most originating from Buddhism. Many have become renowned, such as Huong Pagoda Festival, Yen Tu Festival and Bai Dinh Festival, drawing millions of tourists and Buddhist followers. The practice of worshipping both Buddha and ancestors on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month has become a religious and cultural mark of Vietnamese people. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ancestor worship, an ancient Vietnamese tradition, reflects the influence of patriarchy and Confucianism on Vietnamese culture. Since Confucianism was introduced to Vietnam during the Chinese domination, filial piety, the most fundamental of Confucian values, has been very much appreciated in Vietnamese families. Accordingly, children feel obliged to respect their parents in life and to remember them after they die. The practice of ancestor worshipping is thus an expression of “filial piety” toward deceased parents, relatives and ancestors. This has become a unique beauty in the Vietnamese culture. The exhibition is underway at the fine art exhibition house of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association at 16 Ngo Quyen Street of Hanoi. It will run until December 12. (Photo: VietnamPlus)