Giao thoa văn hoá Việt - Trung qua nghi lễ vòng đời: Mô hình tiếp biến nghi thức sinh - tử - hôn nhân giữa Thọ mai gia lễ và Lễ ký

Abstract

The process of acculturation from the Liji to Thọ Mai gia lễ is a compelling evidence of the strong existence of endogenous elements within Vietnamese culture. Although profoundly influenced by Sinology, the Vietnamese people never adopted these cultural forms passively; instead, they always adopt selectively and transform to generate new values that retained the universalist of Confucianism while deeply rooted in indigenous spirit. This study examines the process of Vietnamese-Chinese acculturation through the system of life-cycle rituals presented in two canonical texts: China’s Liji and Vietnam’s Thọ Mai gia lễ. Employing the comparative text analytics, the study proposes a three-tier acculturation model, includes reception, adjustment, and re-creation, then reveals the selective adoption mechanisms of Confucian elements by the Vietnamese people. The findings reveal that, although the structure of Vietnamese rituals bears significant Confucian influence, these practices were extensively localized through integration with ancestral worship, Buddhist beliefs, and village culture. Such transformations gave rise to distinctive ritual forms, includes baby’s first month celebration, the post-wedding return ritual, the forty-nine-day memorial period, and the reburial ceremony, that have no counterparts in the Liji. The study contributes a new theoretical framework for understanding the acculturation’s process of life-cycle rituals in Vietnam and offers a foundation for extending comparative research to other East Asian cultural communities.