The Worship of Tứ vị Thánh Nương in Hoằng Tiến Commune, Thanh Hóa Province: Religious Practice and Transformation in the Context of Coastal Tourism

Abstract: The worship of Tứ vị Thánh Nương (Four Holy Mothers) in the coastal commune of Hoằng Tiến, Thanh Hóa, represents a distinctive fusion of maritime protection beliefs and Vietnamese folk religion. Rooted in the 13th-century legend of the Southern Song dynasty’s collapse, the worship of these deities has been localized and integrated into the spiritual life of coastal communities. This paper examines the contemporary practice and transformation of Tứ vị Thánh Nương worship in Hoằng Tiến, with a particular focus on Nghè Đỏ and its annual ritual activities. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and observations of ritual practices, the study explores the current role and significance of the belief in the local community and examines how coastal tourism development has affected its sacred space, management, ritual practices, and community participation. The study argues that, despite the decline in the scale of ritual activities and the loss of historical and material evidence, the worship of Tứ vị Thánh Nương continues to be maintained through ritual practices, collective memory, community participation, and narratives of spiritual efficacy. At the same time, tourism development has created new conditions for the adaptation of the religious site, generating both opportunities for its preservation and promotion and changes in its organization and contemporary practice.