The Cult of Mazu in Minh Huong Village and Acculturation Process (The Case of Huong Vinh commune, Huong Tra district, Thua Thien-Hue, Vietnam)

Abstract

The Chinese immigrated to Vietnam in general and to Hue in particular for a long time and they coexisted with the local ethnic groups. The Chinese culture had contacted with the indigenous culture in the process of living, then it gradually changed. Almost of former mandarins of the Ming dynasty in Hue had Vietnamese nationality, got married Vietnamese, followed Vietnamese customs and traditions. They were managed in the Minh Huong village - a village had the organizational structure as a Vietnamese traditional village. The process of cultural contact and mixed marriage caused a dramatic change and characteristics of the Minh Huong village. The cult of Mazu, one of the Chinese folk-religion, also complied with this rule. So far, it has absorbed the Vietnamese culture in all aspects and formed many new cultural paradigms.