SACRED LEGENDS AND WORSHIP SITES OF ĐÔ BÁC TRỊNH PHỦ MILITARY DEITY IN THANH HOA

Abstract

The worship of Đô Bác Trịnh Phủ Military Deity is a distinctive cultural and religious practice along the Ma River, particularly in the Trịnh family’s ancestral areas of Sóc Sơn and Biện Thượng. Rooted in local agricultural traditions, it often reflects clan-based worship and, in some locations, is combined with veneration of folk deities or historical figures who have entered popular consciousness. Some practices also incorporate fertility elements. This makes the phenomenon especially interesting for studying the religious life of Ma River communities in Thanh Hoa. Research on Trịnh Ra offers important insights into the historical and cultural contexts of these sacred legends and worship sites.