Temple of Literature -- Wednesday

Our tour of Hanoi started with a cab ride to the Temple of Literature.  This was originally built in 1017 as a Confucian Temple.

Confucius was the founder of a philosophy (more than a religion – it is a set of rules of life and conduct, as opposed to worship of a specific deity or ideology).  He lived between 551 and 457 BCE and eventually came to Vietnam.

Hanoi became a center of learning with the construction of this temple.  In order to be accepted, you had to pass an exam, and then you studied between 3 and 7 years, or until you could no longer get student loans.  During the year, there was 1 minor and 4 major exams.

This facility served until 1802 when a new Dynasty took over and the University center moved to Hue, leaving this as just a satellite campus.

Like everywhere else, the place is decorated up for the Tet Holiday.  One thing that was pointed out (that is there all the time, not just for the holiday) is the large flag with five colors.  These stand for the 5 elements recognized in Confuscism – Metal, Wood, Earth, Water and Fire.

There are a number of stone tablets, one for each year, in some of the open outbuildings surrounding the courtyard.  They are written in Chinese and describe the biographies and achievement of the students.  Eventually we realized that these are the equivalent of yearbooks or class photos.  They are mounted on the backs of giant stone turtles.

In this philosophy, the dragon is used only by the King.  It symbolizes power and brings water to the region.  After that is the Tortoise, which represents longevity (so you rub their heads for good luck), Lions, which guard that which is important, and the Phoenix which represents happiness and couples.

We learned there is a difference between a Pagoda, which is the Buddhist equivalent of a church or school, and a temple, which is available for worship of ancestors and Deities.

There were several buildings within the complex that had different purposes.  Some of the alters had Confucius represented in the center with four disciples, 2 on each side.

Although the place wasn’t crowded today, we were told that it’d be packed tomorrow with people bringing kids in for a Tet holiday blessing.

There is a huge drum housed outside the complex.  In honor of the 990^th anniversary of Hanoi, they made 990 drums and after the ceremony disbursed them around the country.  This one is unique because despite its large size, the drum head is made with a single buffalo skin.  The sound of the drum wards off evil spirits.

Most people, even the very devout, only go to temple about 2x a month.

In Vietnam, 80% of the people are Buddhist.  The Christians, who were primarily associated with the French occupation and attempts at conversion, are located mostly in the south.  When the country was split in 1954, everyone had three months to decide whether to go north, with the Communist regime, or South.  Most of the Christians, being afraid of the Communists, opted to go south.  About 3 million people made the move.

There is a strong belief in the afterlife, and emphasis is placed on dreams as messages from those ancestors who have passed.  Ancestors may come and ask for something from those still living, and you buy a representative version (i.e. paper) and burn it to send it to them.

Most Vietnamese calendars have both the western calendar on top and the lunar calendar on the bottom.  For important events, fortune tellers are consulted as to omens and lucky events, and these are based on the lunar calendar.

5 color flag

set up for a game of chess tomorrow