In popular Vietnamese culture, the animistic folk religions were melded with, rather than supplanted by religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism or Christianism. Animists believe that souls or spirits exist in non-human entities as well as in humans, and that all phenomena and forces in the universe are controlled by spirits and the souls of the dead, being both instrumental in determining an individual's fate. A large number of gods like the sun, the moon, the land, the mountain, the river, the water or the tree have been worshiped since the ancient times. If propitiated, they provide the living with protection; if ignored, they induced misfortune. In Vietnam, animism is more significant among ethnic communities in the highlands. With lives that revolve around agriculture, many communities in Vietnam perform yearly or even monthly rituals to request blessings from the gods when planting and harvesting.