History
Hearth
The founder was Ngo Van Chieu in 1926, in Vietnam.
Type of Religion
Cao Dai is monotheistic and an ethnic religion.
Followers
It is practiced predominantly in Vietnam. It had 2-6 million adherents.
Holidays
- Lunar New Year (Tet): important to Vietnamese culture; many go to temples to make offerings of food and incense
- Phat Dan (Buddha's Birthday): The eighth day of the fourth lunar month; commemorates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death; the statue of an infant Buddha is ceremoniously washed with fragrant water
- Vu Lan (festival of "all souls" or "ghost festival"): Fifteenth day of seventh lunar month; The merit gained from offerings is transferred to the spirits of dead family members and "hungry souls" (anonymous lost spirits destined to wander or spirits that died a tragic or horrific death); reconfigured as Vietnamese Mother's Day
Conflict
During the Vietnam War, the government and the Cao Dai military clashed. It was a battle over religion. The Cao Dai army was disbanded while their religious leaders were exiled. People who followed this religion then became refugees, fleeing to countries like the United States, Canada, and Cambodia. Some, however moved to other areas of Vietnam.
Diffusion
Cao dai diffused to parts of Vietnam through contagious diffusion as the popularity spread. It spread to the United States through relocation diffusion as they were fleeing a communist regime.
History of Cao Dai
- 1926: started in Southern Vietnam by a government official
- brought together many beliefs (Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, animism, and Confucianism) because they had been split due to outside suffering from France , Japan, and the United States
- First Revelation: the 5 (above) faiths were founded by prophets
- Second Revelation: Faiths altered by human failures, which brought about conflict instead of unity
- Third Revelation: the God (of all beliefs and prophets) will bring all beliefs together in unity (hasn't actually happened yet)
- during the Vietnam War the Cao Dai private army helped fight against a communist takeover
- 1954: The wealth and power accumulated by Cao Dai people brought them lots of political power
- 1975: Communists unified Vietnam; many Cao Dai fled and became exiles (predominately in the United States)