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Medium Nguyen Duy Nam performs during a ritual ceremony at the Lanh Giang temple in Ha Nam province, Vietnam, March 26, 2017. Dressed in the bright silk garments of a woman and dancing with candles between his fingers, Nguyen Duy Nam leads a temple of worshippers in a ceremony honouring mystical goddesses of forest, water and heaven. Nam, 24, is one of a growing number of spirit mediums who perform the Hau Dong ritual of blaring noise and vibrant colours, now enjoying a resurgence after once being frowned on by the ruling Communist Party. Dating to the 16th century, Hau Dong centres on a belief in the Mother Goddesses of three realms – forest, water and heaven. It draws from elements of Taoism, Buddhism and other religions. During rituals, spirit mediums dance to loud folk music while appearing to transform themselves into different characters from legend and history. They display changing personalities as if different spirits have entered their bodies. Sometimes they say it feels real. Believers kneel behind mediums and cheerfully grab money thrown by the spirits. Spread on the floor are offerings for the goddesses and the spirits – which can be anything from money to instant noodles to life-sized paper horses. Hau Dong's status was reaffirmed last year when it was recognised as part of the Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the U.N. cultural organisation UNESCO. In 2005, the Communist Party lifted a ban on Hau Dong, which until then it had regarded as superstitious. Interest in the ritual has since grown, as economic liberalisation has brought greater wealth and social openness. Hau Dong is not predominantly about money, but offerings to the spirits and temples can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single ceremony. Although the state frowns on wasting money, sponsoring a ceremony can be a status symbol. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)
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