CaoDai - Cao What?
Trip Start
Jul 25, 2006
1
153
165
Trip End
Ongoing
Tay Ninh,
Vietnam
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Caodai are a religious sect in Vietnam consisting of approximately 2 million people, according to government census figures. The religion is an eclectic mixture of Western and Eastern religious philosophies. The religion was founded in the 1920's, and was mainly based on messages received by the groups' founder through séances. There are a number of 'saints' or 'enlightened souls' semi-deified by the sect
Cao Dai Temple
. Victor Hugo, French author of Les Miserables, is particularly revered and you can see his likeness in their main cathedral. (Ricardo Montalban, better known as Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island and Khan from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan is another. Ok, I made that one up, but wouldn't that be cool? Much better than Victor Hugo in my opinion.) The Vatican of the Caodai faith is in Tay Ninh. The cathedral here looks like a pastiche of a child's fairy princess castle, marshmallows, and every weird-ass, New Age book cover you have seen at the book store in the section at the back next to How To home improvement books, and stories about the psychological trauma of men having their genitals snipped off during infant circumcision and being raised as girls instead.We went to Tay Ninh as part of a day trip out of HCMC that also included the famous Chu Chi Tunnels. The trip out took us past small wedding cake looking Caodai churches, but the great cathedral of Tay Ninh dwarfed them all in size and kitsch. We arrived about thirty minutes before their daily service, and took a bit of time to walk around. Members of the church were easily recognizable by their white garments as they rode bicycles and strolled through the grounds. They were friendly but distant in a way that suggested they were used to and resigned to being a tourist attraction whether they might like it or not.
A quick stroll around the inside of the temple saw even more cotton candy colours, fantastic pillars and decorations, and an altar quite unlike anything I've ever seen. Before the service began, all the tourists were herded to an upper level where a thin balcony stretched along the main worship hall on either side with just enough space to stand and peer over
Cao Dai Temple
. People settled in and waited for the procession to begin. It was getting very hot in the temple, particularly in the tourist gallery, and wall fans silently swung to and fro, feebly moving a little air over the sweltering masses of over fed, camera touting tourists. I was very hot and uncomfortable, and noticed with irritation that the fan behind us was turned off. I leaned and pulled the string to turn it on. Suddenly the pre-worship hush of the temple was split by an ear piercing shriek as the obviously broken, un-lubricated fan began to grind its circular motion. Instantly every eye turned accusingly to look at me as I desperately pulled the string through the three different speed cycles to get it to stop. The only saving grace was the actual service had yet to start and the procession had not entered the sanctuary yet. Thank you Victor Hugo.The service began with the entry of a priest, then two senior male and female elders, higher ranking and more colourful dressed worshipers, and then the bulk of the congregation. The service was a mixture of prayer, singing and chanting, music, and exhortations in Vietnamese. After about twenty minutes we shuffled our way to the back and departed, hopefully leaving the Caodai to finish their worship with some dignity and a lack of camera flashes.
Comments
Fascinating! And your photos are wonderful too.