Introduction: Local Traditions and World Religions. Encountering ‘Religion’ in Southeast Asia and Melanesia

Picard, Michel

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-56230-8_1

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…158/2013/ND-CP, published on November 12, 2013, which punish with a fine of three to five million VND those who take advantage of superstitious activities such as séances or fortune telling to earn illegal profits (article number 15). The choice of these mediums to talk about Đạo (religion) underline the appropriation of this term in Vietnam, and in southeast Asia in general, as demonstrated by Michel Picard (2017). Đạo becomes a tool for the Four Palaces' devotees: it shows that their practices have a religious dimension, that they are not just cultural ones as the state discourse may imply.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Four Palaces in Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Adaptation of a Vietnamese Worship between Prohibition, Safety, and Social Networks

Senepin¹

2022

Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In February 2020, Vietnam closed its borders to prevent the emergence of COVID-19 in the country. Nevertheless, after the appearance of the first large infected cluster in March 2020, the situation gradually deteriorated since July 2020. The Vietnamese government decided to ban gatherings, and therefore certain religious practices. The religions in the country had to adapt their practices to this new situation. In this article, I will explore the situation of the Four Palaces (Tứ Phủ) and its possession ritual (len đồng). After recalling the chronology of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam, I will highlight how this worship adapted its practices in the north of the country at the beginning of the pandemic and during the Vietnamese lockdowns. Moreover, I will draw a parallel to discuss the ban of the ritual practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and the prohibition of “superstitious practices” that occurred in Vietnam between the late 1950s and the 1990s. The article will stress the importance of social media, in particular Facebook, and their uses by the mediums and followers of the Four Palaces while exploring the discourses that can be seen within the social networks.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%