Indonesia ,
East Kalimantan province of Indonesia. The Chinese folk religion of the
Chinese Indonesians is named "Confucianism" or "Satya Dharma", and
Chinese temples are called
klenteng or
vihara in the
Indonesian language. It is officially recognised by the government as
Agama Khonghucu or
Religion of Confucius, which was chosen because of the political condition in
Indonesia before the 1998 end of the rule of
Suharto, who had forbidden all forms of Chinese religions; Indonesian Chinese could embrace only the five officially recognised religions, and many of them eventually converted to Buddhism or Christianity. Chinese Indonesians had their culture and religious rights restored only after the fourth president of Indonesia,
Abdurrahman Wahid, issued a regulation that recognised "Confucianism" among the legal religions of the country. He said that: The first precept of
Pancasila (the Five Basic Principles of the Indonesian state) stipulates belief in the one and only
God. The Confucian philosophy is able to fulfill this, for Confucius mentioned only one God in his teaching, the
Heaven or
Shangdi. The Heaven possess the characteristic of
Yuan Heng Li Zhen, or
Omnipresent,
Omnipotent,
Omnibenevolent,
Just. The Master said, "Great indeed was Yao as a sovereign! How majestic was he! It is only Heaven that is grand, and only Yao corresponded to it. How vast was his virtue! The people could find no name for it. How majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! How glorious in the elegant regulations which he instituted!" (VIII, xix, tr. Legge 1893:214) Another movement in Indonesia is the
Tridharma (
Sanskrit: "law of the three"),
syncretising elements of different religions, the Chinese
three teachings amongst others. After the fall of Suharto rule it is undergoing a process of systematisation of doctrines and rituals. Clan organisations in the Chinese immigrant society were important, where surnames, dialect, locality and trade mattered. The
Cantonese,
Hokkien,
Teochew and
Hakka, respectively, formed
lineage associations and
Kongsi, such as the
Khoo Kongsi and
Eng Chuan Tong Tan Kongsi, which are grassroots supporters of Chinese overseas communities. A prominent cult is that of
Tua Pek Kong (
Dabo Gong), which has incorporated the cult of the
Na Tuk Kong (
Nadu Gong) and
Datuk Keramat of local Malay origin. Other native and Thai Deities have been incorporated into the pantheon.
Thailand Thailand has a large population of
Thai Chinese, people of Chinese or partial Chinese origin (up to 14% of the population of the country). Most of those who follow Buddhism have been integrated into the
Theravada Buddhist tradition of the country, with only a negligible minority still practicing
Chinese Buddhism. However, many others have retained the Chinese folk religions and Taoism. Despite the large number of followers and temples, and although they are practiced freely, these religions have no state recognition, their temples are not counted as places of worship, and their followers are counted as "Theravada Buddhists" in officially released religious figures. The Chinese in the city of
Phuket are noted for their
nine-day vegetarian festival between September and October. During the festive season, devotees will abstain from meat, and
mortification of the flesh by
Chinese mediums is also commonly seen, along with rites devoted to the worship of
Tua Pek Kong. Such traditions were developed during the 19th century in Phuket by the local Chinese with influences from Thai culture.
Singapore at
Thian Hock Keng Temple in
Telok Ayer Street,
Singapore. Sizeable number of
Chinese Singaporeans practice
Taoism, which in the city state is used as a
synecdoche for broader Chinese folk religion. Taoists in Singapore worship many Deities that frequently are embodied by historical ancestors and are subject to a complex Taoist hierarchy of veneration. They also worship some deities of common origins, notably the
Jade Emperor,
Xuan Tian Shang Di,
Lord Guan, and
Tian Shang Sheng Mu. Other deities that are venerated and frequently kept at home as auspicious images include the
Fu, Lu, and Shou.
Caishen is also popularly venerated by many Chinese businessmen. However, certain deities are worshipped by a particular dialect group, and may not share a common devotion with other Chinese dialect groups. One interesting example is
Qing Shui Zhu Shi (祖師公); this particular deity is mainly worshipped by the Hokkien, particularly from
Anxi County. Buddhist Bodhisattvas like
Guanyin or
Di Zang Wang are popularly worshipped in Singapore. Deities from other ethnicities such as
Phra Phrom,
Na Tuk Kong (拿督公) or
Datuk Keramat are also venerated. Adherents of Taoism or Chinese Folk Religion usually place their main altars/shrines inside their living room. This is more often seen among Chinese families, rather than individuals. The main Gods/Deities are enshrined at the centre of the top altar, and a tablet dedicated to the Guardians of Earth/
Dizhushen (地主神) is placed at the bottom altar.
Ancestral tablets are usually placed beside the statues/images of the main Gods/Deities at the top altar. Often, an
incense burner to burn incense sticks is placed in front of the Gods/Deities, and a separate, smaller incense burner is placed in front of the ancestral tablet. Oil lamps may also be placed at altars, and fruit or flower offerings are also placed in front of the Gods/Deities as offerings. Some families may also have an altar dedicated to the
Kitchen God (灶君) inside the kitchen. Adherents typically install a small, red and gold altar or tablet outside the house bearing the inscription "The Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings" (天官賜福). This specific tablet is dedicated to the Heavenly Official (天官大帝), one of the
Three Great Emperor-Officials (三官大帝) who oversees the granting of fortune, and should not be confused for the Jade Emperor. Alongside this, or sometimes placed independently, is a small incense burner filled with ash dedicated to
Tian Gong (天公)/
Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝). In the ritual order of worship, this outdoor station is always the first point of veneration. After they have worshipped toward the Heaven representing Tian Gong/Jade Emperor, they will proceed to worship at the main altar to the Gods/Deities, then to the ancestral tablets, and eventually to the Guardians of Earth/Dizhushen. The smoke emitted from burning incense sticks symbolizes their devotion and prayer, and at times requests to the Gods/Deities.
Philippines ,
Metro Manila,
Philippines A small number of
Chinese Filipinos (2%) continue to practise
traditional Chinese religions solely.
Mahayana Buddhism, specifically Chinese
Pure Land Buddhism,
Taoism, and
ancestral worship (including
Confucianism) are the traditional Chinese beliefs that continue to have adherents among
Chinese Filipinos. Buddhist and Taoist temples can be found where Chinese Filipinos live, especially in urban areas like
Metro Manila. Veneration of the
Guanyin (觀音) or
Mazu (媽祖), known locally in
Hokkien as
Kuan-im (
Hokkien ) and
Ma-cho (
Hokkien ) respectively, either in its pure form or as a representation of the
Mary Mother Of God, is practised by many Chinese Filipinos. For example,
Mazu / Ma-cho is sometimes known or identified as
"Our Lady of Caysasay", which is also an emanation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Both are considered emanations of each other, with the images of
Our Lady of Antipolo and
Our Lady of the Abandoned as additional emanations, as all four are related to water and/or travel. Additionally,
Guan Yu is also sometimes known among Chinese Filipinos as
"Santo Santiago" (
St. James) or in Hokkien as "
Te Ya Kong" (
Hokkien ) or "
Kuan Kong" (
Hokkien ). Chinese Filipinos have also established indigenous religious denominations like
Bell Church (钟教), which is a
syncretic religion with an ecumenical and interfaith orientation. There are several prominent Chinese temples like
Seng Guan Temple (Buddhist) in
Manila,
Ma-Cho Temple (
Mazu worship) in
San Fernando, La Union,
Cebu Taoist Temple in
Cebu City,
Lon Wa Buddhist Temple in
Davao City, and many more distributed around the country. Around half (40%) of all Filipino Chinese, regardless of religion, still claim to practise
ancestral worship. Chinese Filipinos, especially the older generations, have a tendency to pay respects to their deceased ancestors at least once a year, by going to the temple, the local Chinese cemetery or traditional burial grounds, such as the
Manila Chinese Cemetery for those in
Metro Manila, often burning
candles,
incense and
joss paper money, presenting offerings like certain fruits or
fruit juice tetra packs to the deceased, and decorating the tombstones,
mausoleums, and
ancestral tablets with
joss paper. Chinese Filipino mausoleums or burial grounds frequently have altars for
Houtu (后土), where candles and incense are lit. ,
Manila), with
joss sticks Since most Chinese Filipinos practice
Christianity, such as
Catholicism or
Protestantism, there is also a unique religious
syncretism that is found in many Chinese Filipino homes. For Catholic Chinese Filipinos, some have altars bearing Catholic images such as the
Santo Niño (
Child Jesus) as well as statues of the
Buddha and Taoist gods or other deities like the
Three Deities in their homes, often decorated with
Sampaguita garlands. It is not unheard of to venerate the
Blessed Virgin Mary using
joss sticks (Tao and Buddhist incense sticks) and other traditional offerings, much as one would do for
Guan Yin or
Mazu. In general for both Catholic and Protestant Christian Chinese Filipinos, it is normal in many households to have traditional Chinese statues and figurines like the
Fat Buddha, the
Three Deities, the
Lucky Fu(福) Cat, the
Money Frog,
Chinese couplets, or other such traditional Chinese
paraphernalia for the purposes of inviting good fortune, luck, and prosperity, while at the same time
praying to
God and conducting
Bible study in the same household or room and having
Christian symbols,
Bible verses, and other such Catholic or Protestant Christian
paraphernalia posted around the household.
Vietnam Many
Vietnamese people and
Hoa people (Han Chinese of Vietnam) practice Chinese folk religion, Buddhism and
Vietnamese folk religion syncretically. ==Features==