This body of work is a series of three cards that illustrate the scenes of three rituals of “Đạo Mẫu” (The Worshiping of the Mother Goddesses). The first one is “Hầu đồng, hầu bóng” or “Lên đồng” which is a ritual of spirit mediumship. This is the most prominent and well-known ritual of this religion. The second one is “Tôn nhang bản mệnh” which is the official introduction of a person as a disciple of the belief in worshiping the Mother of the Four Palaces. This ritual is sometimes called “Trình đồng mở phủ” (presenting the person to the goddesses to let them into the palaces). The last one is “Trả nợ tào quan” which is a ritual to repay the debt owed to the Earth Deity with “tào quan” representing the concept of money in the realm of the Earth Deity.
Front
Back
