Festivals losing their soul to commerce

Pickpocketing, overcharging and even small scuffles as a result of jostling in line have been the cornerstones of local religious festivals lately.
“No other country has such a high density of festivals as Vietnam,” says Do Quang Hung, former director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
He said thousands of villages had been trying to revamp their local festivals in competition with one another.
But he said it was less for pride and more for profit.
In a recent Vietnam Net newswire report, Le Trung Vu, also from the institute, was quoted as saying that religious activities “have been exploited to make money.”
Parking fees, food prices and the cost of just about any other service in the area surges every time a festival hits a village.
“The true spirit of the festivals is fading,” Hung said. “We’re only celebrating the festival’s name, not its real meaning.”
Most people attending festivals are so focused on praying for money at the pagoda that they ignore all other concerns, including peace and tranquility, he said.
People shove and argue in line at the pagodas and few know the celebration’s meaning or origin.
History professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc said festivals had been “made use of for commercial purposes.”
“The rituals have been thrown out while traditional games have been replaced by gambling and lowbrow entertainment.”
He said only major festivals – such as the Hung Kings Festival, which celebrates the forefathers of Vietnamese civilization – should get state funding.
Vu said pagodas and temples were not the right place for crowds in the first place, let alone jostling and arguing, especially during a religious pilgrimage.
Even burning incense had become a problem, he said, as the thick crowds burned so much that the smoke made it hard to breathe and ruined the atmosphere.
The litter caused by the huge crowds is just another on the litany of complaints.
“A holy place must be clean and quiet,” Vu said.
At Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi, observers at the gate remind visitors not to bring votive paper inside and to burn only one stick of incense.
Vu said this example should be followed as faith and respect were not measured in incense sticks or money but “by proper and polite acts.”
Hung proposed two solutions to the problems.
“We should spread awareness so that people know which are the high-quality and authentic festivals so they don’t waste time and money on useless ones. The government can give a hand by abolishing festivals without clear origins,” he said, adding that festivals should be ranked in terms of quality so only those that deserve it get state funding.
But Hung said the government should steer clear of intervening in the festivals’ programs.
He added that in the end, the quality of the festivals would be up to the people that attend them.
“These days, festivals are stressful and uncomfortable,” he said. “So before going to each festival, ask yourself why you’re going.”