Prayers, offerings for Thanh Minh Festival, and things to keep in mind.
During the Qingming Festival, Vietnamese people often show filial piety to their ancestors by offering incense, visiting graves, and preparing elaborate offerings. Below is a detailed guide on how to prepare offerings, prayers, and things to pay special attention to when visiting graves during this time.
What time period does this year's Qingming Festival fall on?
The Qingming Festival begins approximately 60 days after the beginning of spring and 105 days after the winter solstice, lasting for 15 days. The first day of the Qingming Festival is often called the Qingming Festival.
During this period, people can choose any suitable day to visit the graves of their ancestors, it doesn't necessarily have to be the first day.
In 2025, the Qingming Festival will take place from April 4-5 (after the spring equinox) and end around April 20-21 (when the Grain Rain Festival begins). During this time, families will prepare offerings, visit ancestral graves to offer incense, clean, and perform rituals.
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Preparing offerings for the Qingming Festival
The offerings for this occasion don't need to be elaborate, but they must be complete, reflecting solemnity and sincerity.
For offerings, choose fresh, beautiful flowers, especially three-colored roses, in odd numbers such as 9 to maintain the balance of yin and yang.
The five-fruit offering includes seasonal fruits such as mangoes, dragon fruit, papayas, apples, oranges, and sapodillas, symbolizing the five elements.
Other essential items include: a glass of wine, a glass of water, a cup of tea, rice, salt, and cigarettes. In addition, prepare a plate of sticky rice and a slice of Vietnamese sausage or a vegetarian feast, depending on circumstances.
The offerings include a golden horse, gold coins, and paper effigies to be burned for the deceased.
Things to keep in mind when visiting graves during Thanh Minh (Qingming Festival).
When visiting graves, it's important to maintain a solemn and respectful attitude. Avoid choosing secluded locations with little traffic, especially if you are frail or easily affected by spiritual influences. It's best to go in a large group for safety and to avoid risks.
When visiting a cemetery, one should be respectful and avoid stepping on graves or offerings left by others. The graves of ancestors should be cleaned of weeds, have fresh soil added, and be adorned with fresh flowers.
One should not only clean the front of the grave but also neglect the back, because according to folk beliefs, the back is also very important in feng shui.
Women who are menstruating or pregnant should avoid visiting graves because they are more susceptible to catching cold air, which is not good for their health.
People who have the flu, feel tired, or have aches and pains should also stay home and only offer prayers from afar.
After visiting the graves, those with weak constitutions should step over a basin of fire or sprinkle water infused with pomelo leaves to ward off evil spirits and ensure spiritual safety.
Another important point is that group photos should not be taken around the cemetery, as it is a sacred place requiring respect.
Additionally, if you notice any standing water, seepage, or proximity to ponds or lakes around the grave, you should take steps to address the issue to avoid negatively impacting the feng shui and fortune of the family lineage.
Where and how is the Thanh Minh (Qingming) ceremony performed?
Vietnamese people typically offer prayers and sacrifices during the Thanh Minh festival in two places: at the ancestral graves and at the family altar.
The offering tray can consist of savory or vegetarian dishes, depending on the beliefs of each family. Some families choose a vegetarian offering to avoid killing animals, helping the deceased's soul to find peace.
When visiting a cemetery, if there is a communal altar, place the offerings there. If not, prepare a separate table or pedestal to place the offerings on; absolutely do not place them directly on the ground.
The family will light incense and candles and recite prayers. While waiting for the incense to burn, they will clean the grave and repair any damaged areas.
After the incense has burned about two-thirds of the way down, perform the thanksgiving ceremony, burn the offerings, and ask for blessings to take home to continue the worship at home. The ceremony at home should also be conducted solemnly and according to proper rituals.
The proper order is to pay respects to the deities first, then to the ancestors. When offering incense, clasp your hands together, raise them to forehead level, bow three times, and then place the incense sticks in the bowl.
Afterward, the homeowner recites a prayer to the ancestors, bows three more times, and waits for the incense to burn out before burning the paper offerings. Throughout the entire process, the person performing the ritual must maintain sincerity and reverence, absolutely avoiding joking or distractions.
Prayer for the Qingming Festival – Qingming Festival at home
Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times).
I bow down to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of all Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow before the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Goddess, and all revered deities.
I respectfully bow before the local deities who govern this area.
Today is the date: (read the date according to the lunar calendar).
We, your humble devotees, are: (name of the person making the prayer).
Residing at: (address of the petitioner).
On the occasion of the Qingming Festival, your humble devotee sincerely prepares offerings of betel nuts and leaves, incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, lighting incense sticks with a sincere heart and respectfully offering them before the altar, inviting all revered deities to come and witness.
Our family has the tomb of (father, grandfather, or great-grandfather, depending on the relative status of the deceased to the petitioner), buried in this place, and we now wish to renovate and rebuild it.
Therefore, we respectfully inform the deities, the earth spirits, the dragon veins, the front Vermilion Bird, the rear Black Tortoise, the left Green Dragon, the right White Tiger, and all the revered gods who govern this area.
We respectfully invite the deities to witness our sincerity, accept our offerings, and grant the departed souls peace, tranquility, and liberation.
We humbly pray that you bless and protect us, your devotees, and our entire family, granting us good health and peace, freedom from illness throughout the four seasons, and tranquility in all eight periods of the year.
Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times).
Prayer for the deceased at the grave, according to the book "Traditional Vietnamese Prayers".
Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times).
I bow down to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of all Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow before the spirit of: (name of the person buried in the grave; if they are ancestors who have passed away, they can be referred to as Ancestor Tam Dai, Tu Dai, etc.).
Today is the day of the Qingming Festival.
We, your devotees, are:
Residing at the following address:
We and our entire family, descendants, are grateful for the nurturing care, profound virtue, and foundation built by ... (the person buried in the tomb).
With sincere devotion, your humble servant prepares offerings of betel nuts and leaves, incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, lighting a stick of incense before the grave, respectfully inviting the spirit of your ancestor (grandfather, grandfather, father, etc.) to come and partake in the offerings.
We respectfully request permission to renovate the tomb, reinforce the foundation and soil to make it more solid, and repair the main hall to make it more stable.
We humbly beseech the sacred spirits to bear witness, accept our offerings, bless and protect our descendants, and watch over our home. Protect us from harm and misfortune, bestow wealth and prosperity, bring good fortune and ward off evil.
May our family prosper and flourish, and our trees and plants thrive. We offer this humble gift with sincere hearts, and humbly ask for your witness.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times).
This is a prayer for ancestor worship at home, according to the book "Traditional Vietnamese Prayers".
Today is the... day of... month... year...
Today, I, the child responsible for ancestral worship, whose name is..., age..., born in the commune..., district..., province..., along with my entire family, bow in reverence before the ancestral altar.
We respectfully invite the Earth God and Kitchen God to come and offer their blessings.
Offering of gifts: Betel leaves and wine, tea and water, incense and gold, fruits and other offerings as a token of sincerity on this occasion...
We respectfully invite the spirits of our ancestors, both paternal and maternal, including great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings, to witness and partake in this ceremony.
Qingming Festival is not only an occasion to pay respects to ancestors but also a chance for family reunions, reminding descendants to remember their roots. If the rituals and ancestral worship are prepared carefully and properly, they will bring peace and good fortune to the whole family throughout the year.
