PORTRAITS OF THE CELEBRANT IN VIETNAMESE VILLAGES DURING THE MONARCHY PERIOD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SINO- NOM CUSTOMARY DOCUMENTS

Abstract

The celebrant is the main priest in the ceremonies. There have been many works mentioning this character when researching villages. However, there is no work that has thoroughly and systematically studied the celebrant. Based on examination the customary documents, this article will systematize issues related to the celebrant in terms of selection criteria, responsibilities, rights, and punishment for the celebrant who did not fulfill his tasks. The celebrant also had another name “Mệnh bái” that was just mentioned in customary documents and have never been used.