The phenomenon of worshiping forsaken souls of the Vietnamese in Southwestern Vietnam – a folklore view

Abstract

Worshiping forsaken souls is a folk religious phenomenon popular in the Vietnamese community. This is a custom representing the humanity in Vietnamese culture, preserved and transmitted from generation to generation. The purpose of the research on the worshiping forsaken souls is determining that when it is viewed in a scientific perspective, this kind of folk religion has certain contributions to the tabilization of human spirits, to consolidation of their beliefs in life within a social context that the diversity of unexpected events and risks can come to anyone beyond their ability of prediction. On the other hand, worshiping forsaken souls is considered one of the needs of popular beliefs in the Vietnamese community in Southwestern Vietnam.