Lễ Cúng Cá Ông : the Beliefs and Traditional Worship of the Fishermen in Central Việt Nam

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this project, as a minor field study, is to study the fishermen and their beliefs and worship in Việt Nam. Since the worship of the fishermen exists all along the coast from the Gulf of Thailand in the south to Ha Long Bay and beyond in the north, the study is concentrated to the coastal area of central Việt Nam – that is in the Quảng Nam surroundings, mainly Hội An but also Đà Nẵng. The aspects of the representation of the worship in society as well as how it is looked upon by society, both religiously (according to tôn giáo) and politically, will also be dealt with. This study is based upon observation and non-structured interviews. Although partially being based upon Grounded theory, the study is theoretically inspired by Graham Harvey’s book Animism. Respecting the Living World. The outcome shows that the Cá Ông worship is based upon historical events and experiences. The worship, which is carried out among all fishermen, is similar throughout the coast though the dates of worship may vary. Politically the religion is not necessarily threatened, although the 1992 Constitution is somewhat ambiguous. In society, the religion is respected, but peasants do not intermingle in festival activities concerning the fishermen’s traditions. There are links to be found dealing with the arguments of Harvey when it comes to animist beliefs and features of Cá Ông.