lên đồng

Definition

1. Noun (Cultural/Religious Practice):

   • A ritual practice in Vietnamese folk religion, primarily within the Mother Goddess religion (Đạo Mẫu), where a medium enters a trance state. During this trance, deities, spirits, or historical figures are believed to descend into, possess, and speak through the medium's body. The ritual involves music, dance, and elaborate offerings.

2. Verb (To perform the ritual):

   • The act of serving as a medium in such a ritual, or the process of a spirit possessing a medium. It describes the state of going into a trance for spiritual communication.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Lên đồng là một nghi lễ quan trọng trong Đạo Mẫu. (Lên đồng is an important ritual in the Mother Goddess religion.)
  • Chúng tôi đi xem một buổi lên đồng. (We went to watch a lên đồng session.)

• Verb:

  • Bà ấy thỉnh thoảng lên đồng để các vị thánh phán truyền. (She occasionally goes into a trance so the saints can deliver messages.)
  • Ông thầy đang lên đồng. (The ritual master is entering a trance.)

Advanced Usage

• The practice is often part of a larger ceremony called "hầu đồng" or "hầu bóng", which refers to the service of the spirits. A person who regularly performs this is called a "thanh đồng" (medium) or "cung văn" (ritual musician).

Variants and Related Words

• Hầu đồng (v/n): A synonym often used interchangeably with to describe the mediumship ritual.
• Hầu bóng (v/n): Another term for the same practice, meaning "to serve the shadows/spirits."
• Thanh đồng (n): A spirit medium; the person who performs .
• Đạo Mẫu (n): The Mother Goddess religion, the primary religious context for .

Synonyms

• Spirit possession ritual.
• Ritual trance.
• Mediumship ceremony.

Related Concepts

• Đồng cốt: An older or more general term for a spirit medium.
• Ghế thánh: Refers to the act of the spirit "sitting" on the medium's chair, i.e., possessing them.
• The ritual is recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under "Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms."