Notes when decorating the worship space

The place of the altar, or spiritual space – remembrance has great value in human spiritual life.
In the thoughts and minds of the Vietnamese people in particular and the East in general, worship is a very sacred and important thing. It is a good faith and also a moral tradition. The place of the altar, or spiritual space – remembrance has great value in human spiritual life.

Worshiping space in a traditional house In a folk house – whether it is a 3-room or 5-room house; the position of the altar is always placed in the nave (the middle house of the house) – the most solemn place. That said the importance of worship in life and its direct relationship with architecture. This commemorative space is a key component in architectural – interior space, in many ways. With such a layout, when entering the main door (the middle door), you can immediately see the altar, the front is usually a counter or a seating table. The direction of the altar is also the direction of the house (mostly south) All in harmony with the architectural space of a traditional house with front porch, courtyard, garden; It is also suitable for the lifestyle and living in villages and communes bearing the mark of agriculture. The worship space in traditional architecture seems to be fading. Urban architecture has many changes, the countryside is strongly urbanized. These changes have a direct impact on this spiritual architectural space. Decorate the worship space in modern houses In modern houses, the nature, structure, and area have changed a lot and are very diverse. Social concepts, needs and living habits also have many changes, people also access to a lot of information and also have many different old and different views and thoughts. Therefore, the arrangement of the worship space is also richer and more diverse. Usually, with the lots (townhouses), the altar is usually placed in a private room. To match both spiritual and living elements, the altar room is the top, bottom-roof room. This is almost the most popular solution, but if the host does not ask, the architects will design the same. The altar placed in a private room feels solemn, discreet, quiet, airy, and if near the terrace, it is even more convenient for outdoor worship, or turning yellow … However, this solution also has the disadvantage that it is difficult to go up to the upper floors – especially for the elderly or causes psychological fear for many young people when going there alone. In apartments, using a room dedicated to worship is very difficult because the rooms are not many. For that reason, many people have tried to draw the worship space closer to the common living space, the hall space – the front room, or other suitable function rooms. The library, office, tea room, and formal living room are suitable places to place an altar. The altar should not be placed in noisy common rooms such as multimedia rooms, sports halls. Also should not place the altar in the bedroom because it is not formal and incense smoke affects the health of the people in the room; in addition, the worship space is negative, so it is not suitable. If the altar room is a separate room, the cabinet / altar system must have an adequate size and form in that space to create a solemnity. There is no need to be too monumental in size but should not be “snug”, small in the room. Altar places located in other spaces such as living rooms, working rooms … need to be designed appropriately in proportion to the size of the room, and correlated with other furniture. In these spaces, cabinets / altars should be designed to be simple, avoid fussy or misleading, or cause a feeling of heaviness and fear. The altar must create reverence while remaining close to family members and other common activities. The materials and colors of the worship space should also be appropriate. It is recommended to use deep colors, preferably dark brown wood. Architectural details – interior (floor tiles, ceilings, lighting …), objects, worshiping objects (incense bowls, candle lamps, flower pots …) should be displayed in the way of posting. In apartment buildings, in the case of the altar cabinets for a certain function room or common space, the altar can be combined with other functions such as decorative cabinets, souvenir cabinets – of course still on suitability for common spaces and other furniture principles. In this cabinet, there should be a separate compartment for related worshiping items such as incense, candles, genealogies … A few other things to note – Avoid placing the altar near strong air intake, causing “dynamic” and possibly blowing ash out of the fire and causing a fire. The altar surface should be placed with a glass to ensure safety. – The altar space must be well ventilated. Do not place the altar too high, making it difficult for worship, nor should it set low too lack of dignity. In the case of hanging altars or high altar cabinets, to ensure the distance to the ceiling is not too small, avoiding smoke and haunting the ceiling. To overcome this, a glass can be mounted above the ceiling – Lighting in the worship room and on the altar should not use white light, but yellow light should be used, causing a warm feeling; Indirect light source, avoid glare such as wall lamp. Lighting arrangements should be posted according to the altar. The design and material of the lamp should also be suitable for the altar and the common space. – The characteristics of the worship space are u President, nostalgia, and prosperity. However, the house belongs to the yang so it is necessary to increase the positive by placing pots, hanging wind linh … Worship is a belief and also a good practice. The altar, the space of worship is the spiritual space, the place of remembrance. It is fear of the connection between the present and the past, between people living together, tightening the solidarity in the family – the clan. It is a place where people can remain calm after the hustle and bustle of life, find spiritual strength and aim for true – good – beautiful values. Worshiping space is indispensable in every house, big or small, rich or poor. But for this space to really make sense, architectural material is not enough. Large worship room; monumental, beautiful, sophisticated church cabinets … are secondary; but more important is the mind, the respect of the owner – the behavior of each person in front of this spiritual space – this remembrance./.