The Role of Daoism (道教) in the Hungry Ghost Worship Ritual and the Practice of Worshipping Spirits of the Netherworld (Shadow Souls) in Vietnam

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of Daoism (道教) in the formation and development of the Hungry Ghost Worship Ritual and the Practice of Worshiping Spirits of the Netherworld (Shadow Souls) in the religious life of Vietnamese people. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining religious history, folklore and philosophy, the study clarifies how Daoism (道教) impacts the ritual structure, conceptual system and cosmological order of the Hungry Ghost Worship Ritual and the Practice of Worshiping Spirits of the Netherworld (Shadow Souls) in Vietnam. The results show that Daoism (道教) not only transmitted to Vietnam a system of beliefs about the Soul, ghosts and the invisible world, but also provided a relatively complete ritual model to handle the relationship between the living and homeless wandering spirits (restless spirits). Through the Vietnamization of Daoism (道教) elements, the Vietnamese community has restructured the worship rituals in a way that is suitable for the indigenous cultural environment, from the way of establishing holidays, worship content, ritual process to the mechanism of community cohesion. The study also clarifies the high adaptability of the Hungry Ghosts worship ritual when absorbing many layers of religious influence, including Buddhism, indigenous beliefs and folk practice elements. The analysis shows that this process not only reflects religious interference but also demonstrates the mobility of Vietnamese culture in creating behavioral models towards the underworld, towards harmony between social order and spiritual order. The findings of the study contribute to the understanding of the characteristics of the practice of worshipping Spirits of the netherworld (Shadow souls) in the context of religious exchange in East Asia.