Warmth of the 15th day of the first lunar month in the countryside of Nghe An

Respect for ancestors

In the minds of Vietnamese people in general and Nghe An people in particular, the Full Moon Festival (also known as Tet Nguyen Tieu, Tet Thuong Nguyen) is a very important holiday, officially ending the Lunar New Year. During these days, people often go to temples and pagodas to pray for peace and prepare offerings to worship their ancestors.

In particular, many clans organize large-scale ancestor worship ceremonies, gathering many descendants to offer incense and offerings to express their respect to their grandparents and ancestors. This is also an opportunity for generations in the clan to show solidarity, support, share difficulties and strive for good things in life.

For Thanh Chuong people, the full moon of January is an important holiday. Children near and far always try to arrange their personal affairs so that on the full moon day they can return to their hometown to worship their ancestors. After Tet, the clans, especially the "head" families and the households that look after the ancestral altars, are busy preparing for the ancestral worship ceremony at the beginning of the new year.

Mr. Le Van Dat (30 years old) in Dong Van commune shared: His Le Dai Ton family temple in Xuan Loc hamlet worships its ancestors at noon on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Before that, on the morning of the 14th, all descendants gather at the ancestral temple to visit the graves. After visiting the graves, everyone returns to the temple to have a family meeting (listen to the income and expenditure report, what was built, purchased, and the remaining funds last year, etc.).

On the morning of the 15th, every family prepares sticky rice and chicken and brings it to the family temple to worship the ancestors. The ceremony is held solemnly according to ancient customs. The worship team (chief celebrant, assistant celebrant), and the music team wear traditional costumes, long dresses and turbans.

Depending on the specific conditions, each clan has its own methods and regulations in the content of the ancestor worship program. Mr. Tran Van Cong (18 years old) in Vo Liet commune said: His Tran clan has a family temple in Ha Luong village, worshiping the ancestors on the night of the 14th and the morning of the 15th. Every year, the branches take turns buying incense, flowers, votive offerings, food, and join hands in cooking and designing the ancestor worship tray. When the ancestor worship is finished, the descendants of the clan will lower the offerings and display the tray of blessings right in front of the ancestor worship yard.

Thanh Chuong is a district with a long history and culture, preserving many precious traditions. On the full moon day, descendants from all over the world turn to their family temples to express their gratitude and respect to their ancestors.

On the day of ancestor worship, clans often report their achievements to their ancestors, and the Clan Council organizes longevity celebrations for the elderly. The Education Promotion Committee of some clans organizes commendations and awards gifts to encourage learning and talent to children with good academic achievements...

Children and grandchildren reunited

After Lunar New Year, the Full Moon Festival in January is also considered a warm family reunion festival, becoming a beautiful traditional cultural feature associated with the lives of Dien Chau people.

Ms. Ngo Thi Hong's family in Dien Ky commune (Dien Chau) has moved to Ho Chi Minh City, but every full moon of the first lunar month, the couple and their children return to their hometown. Ms. Hong said: "We may not be able to return to our hometown during Tet, but we must return to our hometown during the full moon of the first lunar month to offer incense at the family altar and the family shrine. That is also a way to show respect to our ancestors and parents."

Mr. Ngo Sy Cong - Head of Ngo family, Dien Ky commune said: On the 15th day of the first lunar month, the elders in the family often tell the next generation about the achievements, careers and lives of their ancestors so that their descendants can remember and be proud of their family line. We hold ancestor worship ceremonies to pray for the health of our descendants, their studies, their work progress, the solidarity of relatives, and a prosperous life.

Like many other clans in Dien Chau, the Nguyen Huu clan in Dien Lam commune still maintains the ritual of worshiping the Full Moon of January and this is considered one of the most important rituals of the clan's year.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh - a member of the family shared: This year, many descendants returned to participate in the death anniversary ceremony and share the joy and pride of receiving the title of cultural family. Descendants near and far all came to the family temple to burn incense, prepare offerings, and offer them to their ancestors. This is also an occasion to pray for peace at the beginning of the year, hoping for national peace and prosperity, and for the family and clan to be peaceful and prosperous.

Do Luong district also has many clans that hold ancestor worship ceremonies on the occasion of the full moon of January. For the Tran Duc clan in Yen Son commune (Do Luong), the ceremony takes place from the afternoon and night of the 14th of the first lunar month. Descendants take turns bringing offerings to the altar to express their respect and pray for their ancestors to bless them with good luck and good things in life.

Mr. Tran Tuan Thi, a son of the Tran Duc family, currently living in Vinh city, has arranged his work to return to his hometown on the occasion of the Ancestor Worship Ceremony. According to Mr. Thi, when entering the grounds of the main temple, hearing the sound of the worship drum, seeing the people performing the ceremony in solemn ceremonial costumes, in the quiet atmosphere of incense smoke, he feels as if the ancestors are very close and are watching over his descendants.

In Yen Thanh district, most of the clans worship their ancestors on the full moon of January, so on this day the whole village is bustling and excited. Especially, on this occasion, the rice fields also organize drum beating competitions between clans, making the atmosphere of the Lantern Festival even more bustling.

Each clan sends its drum team to participate in the competition. The winning team will be the common joy of the whole clan, as well as the hope for fullness and prosperity in the year. Therefore, the atmosphere of the Lantern Festival in the rice land of Yen Thanh is no less joyful than the days of celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Along with Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Dien Chau and Yen Thanh, the countrysides of Quynh Luu, Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan... are also bustling with the sound of sacrificial drums during the Full Moon Festival of January. The sound of drums and the smoke of incense act as a sacred bridge connecting the hearts and sincerity of descendants with their ancestors, a traditional cultural feature that anchors the human soul to its origin./.