Kostüm einer Len Dong Priesterin

Even before a medium can follow its calling to give gods a voice, it must acquire a number of different colored costumes. This considerable investment is only recouped over the course of several years through the monetary contributions of the medium's clientele.

In the course of a ritual, several deities embody themselves in succession in a medium. Depending on the deities, different colored, characteristic costumes are worn. The color green is that of the "Second Princess". She is worshipped as the goddess of the mountains and forests (hence the color green) and is particularly popular because of her great influence on people's lives.

In the Len Dong ritual, a medium makes their body available to deities so that they can make contact with the world on this side. The ritual is performed in temples and pagodas on various occasions. The medium enters a trance through singing, music, dancing and the ingestion of stimulating substances such as alcohol, tobacco, betel or tea and is possessed by several deities in succession. It is not up to the person to decide which deities appear.

The medium gives the deity a means of expression through song, dance and gestures, thus giving it a physical presence. The beings from the other world can now be asked to show goodwill towards people's wishes, or they are encouraged to put evil spirits and demons in their place. In this way, the ritual is oriented exclusively towards the well-being of the living in this world and does not refer to the world of the dead, as is so often the case in Vietnamese religious life.

These rituals are experiencing a real boom, especially with the developments of the "New Politics" (Doi Moi). In Hanoi alone, several thousand mediums provide help and support in a wide variety of life situations.