Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church holds Duc Chi Ton ceremony
The Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church in the southern province of Tay Ninh held the grand ritual dedicated to the Duc Chi Ton (Supreme Being) or Great Father who they believe to be the ancestor of the world, on February 23.
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The event, held annually on the eighth day of the first lunar month, is one of the two most important rituals of the sect in a year to pay respect for the Great Father and pray for good weather, bumper crops and peace.
The ritual include a dance of Long Ma (a legendary creature which is half horse and half dragon) and Tu Linh (the four holy beasts) and a performance of Sac Toc music, followed by a worshipping ceremony for the Great Father.
An exhibition of 30 models featuring national construction through periods as well as ancient heroes and legends was kicked off the same day. Those include su tich trau cau (the legend of betel and areca), Co Loa citadel and Lac Long Quan and Au Co. The models are on display until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The other important ritual of Cao Dai sect is “Hoi Yen Dieu Tri Cung”, a great religious banquet for the Great Mother and nine female immortals of the Dieu Tri Palace (Jasper Pond Palace). It is held annually on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Cao Dai followers believe that the banquet enables them to achieve the goal of liberating themselves from the cycle of birth and death.
Founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh province, the Cao Dai religion worships the Divine Eye, known as the eye of heaven and a symbol of its supreme being. Cao Dai’s doctrine honours the Divine and the miraculous quality of supreme spirits, and considers them as the means for human beings to unify with the God. It is now the third largest religion in Vietnam with millions of followers nationwide.
