Clans in Nghe An ensure adherence to the '5K' principles on the full moon day of the first lunar month.

Reduce the scale of the event and limit large gatherings.

The Nguyen Tat family is a large clan in Do Luong district. This year, the ancestral worship ceremony at the beginning of the Year of the Tiger (2012) took place amidst the pandemic.Covid-19The situation is becoming complicated. To ensure the proper conduct of traditional rituals and to effectively prevent and control the epidemic, the Nguyen Tat clan council has issued several new regulations.

A view of the Thái family church in Vĩnh Thành commune (Yên Thành district) on the morning of the full moon. Photo: Xuân Tùng

Accordingly, when visiting cemeteries or churches to offer incense, people must wear masks, maintain social distancing, and avoid large gatherings.

During the ceremony at the church, children and grandchildren must sanitize their hands and offer incense in an orderly manner according to the instructions of the organizing committee. The clearing of offerings from the altar must also be done step by step with social distancing, encouraging children and grandchildren to take the offerings home and avoid gathering for meals. The activity of awarding scholarships to children and grandchildren who have achieved high academic results has been simplified in some aspects.

Mr. Nguyen Tat Dung, a member of the Nguyen Tat clan council, said: "Many days before the full moon, the clan specifically informed the younger generations so that they could understand and properly implement the regulations, in order to organize the ancestral worship ceremony completely and ensure disease prevention measures."

A tranquil atmosphere on the full moon day of the first lunar month at the Nguyen family ancestral temple in Thanh An commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Huy Thu.

For the Tran Dinh clan in Vo Liet commune (Thanh Chuong district), this year's ancestral worship ceremony at the beginning of spring is a special one. Following the directive of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, "For the ancestral worship ceremony on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the clan council will represent the clan in performing the ceremony, sending only representatives to the ancestral temple to offer gifts; no gatherings for meals will be held at the ancestral temples. During the ceremony at the ancestral temple, the '5K' recommendations for disease prevention must be strictly followed," the Tran Dinh clan council unanimously agreed to organize a small-scale ancestral worship ceremony, limiting large gatherings.

Accordingly, the descendants of the family are not required to contribute financially as in previous years, but only a small portion of their funds is used to purchase offerings for the ancestral worship ceremony. Although two ceremonies are still held (the announcement ceremony on the night of the 14th and the grand ceremony on the morning of the 15th), a large gathering of descendants is avoided.

Mr. Tran Dinh Hai (70 years old) - clan leader of the Tran Dinh family in Ha Luong village, Vo Liet commune, said: "Following the district's policy on epidemic prevention and control, this year, our clan organized a simpler ancestral worship ceremony than in previous years. Although we still held the traditional ceremony, we did not gather many descendants to eat and drink at the ancestral temple."

Ancestral altar on the 15th day of the first lunar month at the Tran family ancestral temple in Vo Liet commune. Photo: Huy Thu.

Not only in Do Luong, Thanh Chuong… but this year, many other rural areas in Nghe An such as Anh Son, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc… also organized the Lunar New Year festival (Tet Thuong Nguyen) on a smaller scale, without large gatherings of people.

To adapt to the new circumstances, the way people celebrate the full moon festival, from preparation, visiting graves, decorating ancestral halls, offering prayers, and preparing feasts, has also changed significantly, focusing on "avoiding large gatherings" to ensure disease prevention.

This year's Ancestor Commemoration Day on the 15th day of the first lunar month coincided with a strong outbreak of Covid-19 in Dien Chau district, with 13 out of 37 communes experiencing level 4 outbreaks. Many clans proactively reduced the scale of their ceremonies and limited the number of participants.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh, the clan leader of the Nguyen family in Dien Ngoc commune, said: "On the full moon of the first lunar month, descendants from neighboring communes and wards usually gather in large numbers. But this year, due to the complicated Covid-19 situation and the locality being at level 4, the clan council decided not to prepare a feast, but only offer incense to the ancestors with offerings of incense, flowers, and cakes."

Meanwhile, the Tran Van family in Dien Bich commune has just completed their ancestral temple with a total cost of 5 billion VND. The descendants are very excited and plan to hold an ancestral worship ceremony soon.Lantern FestivalThis year's celebration will be on a larger scale. "We know that 'the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated only once a year, and the Lunar New Year is celebrated in a year,' but given the complicated pandemic situation, I've encouraged my children and grandchildren who live far away not to come home. Those who live nearby can only send one representative from each family to participate in the ceremony and have a quick celebration, rather than holding a lavish two-day event like before," said Mr. Tran Van Thanh, a member of the Family Council.

A tray of sticky rice and chicken offered as a sacrifice on the full moon day at the Thai family's ancestral temple in Vinh Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). Photo: Xuan Tung.

Preserving traditions during a pandemic.

It can be said that, due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, the celebration of the Lunar New Year's Full Moon Festival this year was not as lively and festive as in previous years. The organization of ceremonies, the pooling of money for offerings, or the division of responsibilities among clans and families to prepare their own feasts still took place, but without the usual fanfare and excitement.

Although the "festive" part was simplified, the "ceremonial" part was still conducted solemnly, especially the grand sacrificial ceremony on the morning of the full moon with all the traditional rituals, such as offering incense, offering wine, bowing, reading the sacrificial text... accompanied by solemn drum performances.

A solemn ancestral worship ceremony on the full moon day. Photo: Huy Thu

Due to the pandemic, those living nearby may not be able to gather in large numbers, and those living far away may not be able to return, but everyone still sincerely remembers their ancestors and family roots with the most heartfelt feelings.

People take preventative measures against the spread of disease while participating in the ancestral worship ceremony. Photo: Xuan Tung.

The first full moon of the lunar month – the Upper Nguyên Festival – is a day for people to reflect on their origins and ancestors with sacred feelings. Given the complex situation of the pandemic, the preparations and rituals for the full moon festival in various localities throughout the province have had to be modified to some extent, in scale and manner, to suit the new circumstances, ensuring both solemnity and contributing to disease prevention.