Dupa cateva zile petrecute in Filipine am plecat spre Vietnam. Lucian suparat ca trebuie sa lase plajele, insulele si privelistea din Palawan iar Simona incantata ca va ajunge in Vietnam.
Am aterizat in Ho Chi Minh la miezul noptii unde ne astepta o masina de la hotel. Obositi dupa drum am hotarat sa ramanem in camera si sa facem planul pentru a doua zi. Ne-am consultat si am hotarat sa luam un tur de o zi ce cuprindea vizite la Templul Tay Ninh si la Chu Chi Tunnels. Dimineata la ora 9 eram deja pe drum intr-un microbuz de 16 locuri. Prima oprire Templul Tay Ninh, cel mai mare templu al religiei Cao Dai.
Cao Daismul este o religie sincretica in care se regasesc elemente crestiniste, islamismiste, budiste, taoiste, hinduse si confucianiste. Aceasta este practicata indeosebi in Vietnam dar si in alte parti ale globului. Cele mai mari comunitati gasindu-se in Statele Unite si Australia. Numarul celor ce practica cao daismul se presupune ca ar fi intre 2 si 3 milioane, marea majoritate fiind vietnamezi.
Religia a fost inventata de catre Ngo van Chien in anul 1926 iar acesta a avut rolul similar cu al papei din catolicism. Dupa expulzarea sa din Vietnam locul acestuia nu a fost luat de catre nimeni deoarece se considera ca pana in acest moment nici un membru al bisericii nu este vretnic de aceasta functie. Pe langa aceasta pozitie in cadrul bisericii se mai gasesc ranguri ca ho-phap (cardinal), don-sus (arhiepiscop), phoi-sus (episcol) si giao-sus(preoti parorhi). In functie de rangul ce-l poarta enoriasii se imbraca in diferite culori (alb, albastru, galben si rosu) si au si pozitii diferite in cadrul ceremoniilor. Cao Dai insemana in vietnameza palat inalt sau turn inalt.
Templul Tay Ninh la 95 km de orasul Ho Chi Minh si a fost construit intre anii 1933 si 1955. Simbolul religie poate fi vazut peste tot in templu iar acesta este ochiul lui Dumnezeu incadrat intr-un triunghi.
Coloanele sunt impodobite cu sculpturi ce intruchipeaza dragoni iar peretii sunt pictati in diferite culori.
Ceremoniile se tin de patru ori pe zi la orele 6:00, 12:00, 18:00 si 24:00. Portile sunt deschise oricarei persoane care doreste sa asiste la aceste ceremonii. Tururile organizate din Ho Chi Minh ajung la Templul Tay Ninh la ora 12:00 astfel incat sa poti participa la o parte din ceremonie.
În cadrul ceremoniilor religioase se fac cântări interpretate de un cor de muzică tradițională vietnameză.
Mai multe detalii despre aceasta religie puteti gasi la www.caodai.org
Atat de dese snt ceremoniile? Cam cat dureaza una?
Aproximativ 30 de minute..
[…] vizită la templul Tay Ninh si la Chu Chi […]
My friend Julia and I telrelavd with Cao from Nha Trang to Hoi An during our trip through Vietnam, last August.When we were first introduced to the whole idea of taking motorbikes (which none of us had ever done before) through the Vietnamese highlands I was very hesitant and sceptic. I’d like to think of myself as somebody rather cautious; so biking on yes, sometimes muddy paths somewhere in nowhere was not really my ultimate goal. But: boy was I wrong!After some consideration and a big leap of faith later we agreed to do the trip. Two days later we had our training lesson with the motor bikes and that was when I good hooked. I loved biking and was now looking forward to exploring this beautiful country off the beaten path. Cao was an excellent guide who made our entire journey a big pleasure. We would alternate between bigger (i.e. concrete) roads and unpaved paths, however the latter was the minority. Throughout the days we would often stop at the side of the road and Cao would explain to us the history, flora, fauna and other aspects of his country. We visited the most beautiful spots, ate in the most local restaurants (yet among the most delicious) I had ever been to and even visited an orphanage a very touching experience. The beautiful surrounding scenery was simply incredible and breathtaking; definitely something you would not find if you only sick to Highway No. 1. As for accommodation we stayed in local hotels that were just perfect for our needs and offered very good value for money.My initial concerns proved to be baseless as we arrived in Hoi An safe and sound after 5 incredible days in the Vietnamese highlands. However, I would like to stress that the possibility of accidents of course exists. Should you want to be to reckless and try to race foolishly you will most likely find yourself on the ground very soon (something you would not want to happen to you far off from the next best hospital). However, your guide (and in our case Cao) will drive in front of you and make sure that the pace suits all surrounding conditions. Stick to his instructions and nothing will happen. Finally I can only recommend this trip to anybody thinking about visiting Vietnam. These motorbike tours are a very unique and intense way to really get a feel for this beautiful country off the beaten path.