Ông Trời Explained

,

Ông Trời, commonly referred to as Trời ("sky, heaven"), is one of the gods in traditional Vietnamese folk religion. Later, due to the influence of Taoism and Buddhism, he was merged and repleced by the Jade Emperor and Śakra. ^[1]

Names

Ông Trời is referred to by many names depending on the religious circumstances. In South Vietnam, he is often called Ông Thiên (翁天). In Đạo Mẫu, he is called the Vua Cha Ngọc Hoàng (吒玉皇, Monarchical Father Ngọc Hoàng), as he is the father of Liễu Hạnh. In Vietnamese Buddhism, he is frequently identified with Śakra (Đế Thích Thiên; 帝釋天).

Later, due the influence of Chinese Taoism, deity of sky lord is mostly replaced with the Jade Emperor be called as Ngọc Hoàng (玉皇), a shorter version of Hạo Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế (玉皇上帝), and Ngọc Hoàng Đại Đế (玉皇大帝). Which are transled directly from chinese names.

Mythology

Ông Trời was originally a Vietnamese god, but due to later influence by Taoism from China, this god was replaced with the Jade Emperor (Ngọc Hoàng).

Origin

The origin of this god is not agreed upon, according to one of the most popular stories recounted that:

Some other versions say that the god, Thần Trụ Trời and Ông Trời are one.^[2]

Worship

He is worshiped all over Vietnam; there are many temples and shrines dedicated to him. In South and Central Vietnam, families often worship him at an outdoor altar called Bàn Thiên.^{[3] [4]}

In popular culture

• Gặp nhau cuối năm — television program
• An interjection used in Vietnamese "Trời ơi!" (hey heavenly (lord)) is often translated into English as "for goodness' sake!" or "dear God!" or "what the hell!".

See also

• Vietnamese folk religion
  • Vietnamese mythology Đạo Mẫu
• Yin and yang

Counterparts of Ông Trời in other cultures

• Amenominakanushi, the Japanese counterpart.
• Indra/Trimurti, the Hindu counterpart.
• Jade Emperor, the Chinese and Taoist counterpart.
• Śakra, the Buddhist counterpart.
• Haneunim, the Korean counterpart.
• Tengri, the Turko-Mongolian counterpart.
• Thagyamin, the Burmese Buddhist representation of Śakra, a counterpart of the Jade Emperor.
• Yuanshi Tianzun, the Taoist counterpart.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Thần thoại các dân tộc Việt Nam, thể loại và bản chất. Nguyễn. Thị Huế. HCMUSSH.
2. Web site: Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế: Thần tích Vua cha Ngọc Hoàng - Tín ngưỡng Việt. TinnguongViet.
3. https://nld.com.vn/dia-phuong/tuc-tho-thong-thien-20110801033943145.htm/ Tục thờ Thông Thiên
4. Web site: Tục thờ "ông thiên" ở Nam Bộ. Báo Tin tức.