Prayer to the Kitchen Gods according to traditional Vietnamese prayers
- According to custom, on the 23rd of December every year, Vietnamese families often hold a ceremony to send the Kitchen Gods to heaven. Besides offerings and food trays, families also need to pay attention to prayers.
We would like to introduce some popular prayers for the Kitchen Gods.
1. Prayer to the Kitchen Gods in Vietnamese (According to Traditional Vietnamese Prayers - Culture and Information Publishing House)
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow to you, the God of the Kitchen, the Kitchen God.
We, the believers, are: ……………
Residing at:…………
Today, December 23, we, the believers, sincerely prepare incense, flowers, offerings, clothes, shoes, and hats to respectfully offer to the deity. We light a stick of incense and sincerely pay our respects.
We respectfully invite the God of the Kitchen, Dong Tru Tu Menh Tao Phu, to appear before the altar and enjoy the offerings.
I bow to the Gods and ask for forgiveness for all the mistakes we have made this year.
Please bless our whole family, men and women, young and old, with good health, prosperity, and all the best.
We respectfully bow and pray, hoping that the Gods will bless and protect us.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
2. Prayer to the Kitchen Gods (According to Professor Luong Ngoc Huynh)
Dear God
Homage to the Five Emperors: the Eastern Blue Emperor, the Southern Red Emperor, the Western White Emperor, the Northern Black Emperor, and the Central Yellow Emperor.
I respectfully bow to the Supreme God, the Supreme God,
Talk to the Divine Generals and the Heavenly Soldiers
The God of Thunder and Lightning
I respectfully bow to the mountain god, dragon god, land god, kitchen god, and the earth god, please come here and witness.
Today is December 23rd, year of the Fire Monkey. It is the day the Kitchen Gods return to heaven to deliver a memorial.
My name is... born on... month... year... hometown... permanent address...
With a sincere heart, I would like to offer some offerings, incense and candles to respectfully invite God, the Five Emperors, the Gods, the Generals, the Heavenly Generals, the Heavenly Soldiers, the Heavenly Horses, and all the gods in heaven and on earth, to witness my ceremony to send the God Tho Cong Tao Quan back to heaven.
Dear Earth God, Kitchen God, and Earth God, please come here and witness. Thanks to your blessings, we have been blessed with good health, happiness, and good fortune this past year.
Today, I respectfully send you to heaven and ask God, the Five Emperors, and the gods to bless my country, my homeland, my clan, and my family with good health, happiness, peace, and prosperity.
I pray to God, the Five Emperors, the gods and all of you to witness my sincerity.
I wish God, the Five Emperors, the gods and all of you a long life!
(Thank you, thank you, thank you)
* After finishing the offering, bow 9 times.
* After the ceremony, take three steps back before turning around.
* Wait until the incense has burned 1/3 before you can burn the votive paper for the gods. After burning, wrap the ashes in a clean piece of red paper, then release the fish and ashes into a river, stream, or lake with flowing water. Do not release them into dirty lakes or stagnant ponds.
According to Professor Tran Lam Bien - a folk culture researcher - the custom of worshipping the Kitchen Gods of our people is not a superstitious custom. It is a folk cultural belief originating from the three gods Tho Cong, Tho Dia, Tho Ky of Chinese Taoism but Vietnamized into the legend of "2 men and 1 woman" - the god of Earth, the god of House, the god of Kitchen. Accordingly, every 23rd and 24th of December, the Kitchen Gods go to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor the good and bad deeds of the homeowner during the year. So when worshiping, people often offer honey cakes for the Kitchen Gods to eat, when reporting to heaven, they will say sweet words that are beneficial to the homeowner... This belief is rich in humanistic meaning, guiding people to actively do good deeds and live honestly. Professor Tran Lam Bien shared, "According to tradition, the Tao Quan worship ceremony only requires a simple tray of rice, sweet tea, betel and areca nuts, and fruits, without being too elaborate...". |
According to traditional customs, every year on the 23rd of December, every family holds a ceremony to pay respect to the Kitchen Gods as they ascend to heaven. In addition to the offerings, families will prepare carp to release into the river or lake near their house...
