Educating traditional cultural values through belief in worshiping the ancestor in the family

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the values of Belief in worshiping ancestors in the family in order to educating the traditional cultural values of Vietnam in the context of globalization and international economic integration. To this end, this article studies ancient documents and research works of some reputable researchers on Vietnamese beliefs and culture; in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus groups discussion (FGD) were conducted to obtain genuine comprehension of Vietnamese folk belief activities. The data were evaluated using content analysis. This article reported on four aspects of problems: (i) Belief in the immortality of ancestor’s souls; the blessing as well as the punishment of the ancestors’ souls to their descendants; (ii) Education about the sense of origin; (iii) Education on the ethics of gratitude; (iv) Education filial piety in daily life. This study helps understand the values of ancestor worship in the family is the basis for good relationships in the family, relatives, and clan; good behavior keeps people with people in society; thereby educating the good values of Vietnam’s traditional culture in the context of globalization; international economic integration. This study can be used for teaching in the Vietnam education system; contribute to the dissemination of traditional cultural values of Vietnam; shed more light on Vietnam’s value systems; serve as a basis for planning and formulating policies to develop an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.