The team carrying sticky rice and chicken to worship on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month in Nghe An

This morning, Mr. Thai Xuan Thanh (49 years old) in hamlet 4, Tan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district woke up earlier than usual to steam sticky rice and prepare chicken to go to the full moon worshiping ceremony at the great temple in Vinh Thanh commune, more than 20 km from his house.

To show their respect, for the past few days, the couple has chosen and bought offerings of delicious sticky rice and a beautiful chicken to make a thoughtful and neat feast.

Mr. Thanh said: "In the past, cooking sticky rice in a clay pot was quite difficult. Now, thanks to the convenient aluminum pot, steaming sticky rice and boiling chicken for feasts is much simpler."

According to folk beliefs, all offerings when brought to worship are carried by hand or carried on the head, so when going to worship far away, the sticky rice and chicken offering is usually tied in front of the motorbike and not tied behind the motorbike like other items.

Yen Thanh people carry offerings to worship on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.

Along with Thanh's family, his younger brother Thai Xuan Tung's family also made a similar chicken sticky rice dish. Both brothers will depart at the same time for Vinh Thanh.

For generations, Yen Thanh people have kept the custom of carrying offerings to worship as before. On the full moon day and Tet holiday, every family prepares trays and offerings, on the village road, people carry offerings and carry offerings to worship quite happily, creating a unique beauty in the traditional holiday in the rice land.

The Thai Dai Ton family temple in Vinh Thanh has 3 temples and more than 170 households. On this occasion, the temples are filled with offerings: offerings in baskets, offerings on trays, offerings on banana leaves... In the fragrant flowers and the bustling sound of the sacrificial drums, the ceremonial team in traditional costumes and hats solemnly and solemnly conducts the sacrificial rituals at the temple.

The offering tray on the Thai family altar in Vinh Thanh commune.

For the coastal hometown of Nghi Loc, celebrating the Full Moon of the seventh lunar month also has many unique features. Mr. Hoang Xuan Tuan (38 years old) in Dinh hamlet, Nghi Thiet commune said: Trung Kien village, his hometown, is an ancient village that still retains intact relics such as temples, communal houses, pagodas, and shrines hundreds of years old. On this Full Moon occasion, in addition to buying offerings, preparing trays of food, and worshiping at home and at the family temple like in many other villages, families also organize worshiping at relics in the village, from Thuong temple to Trung Kien communal house.

Therefore, welcoming and eating the full moon in the coastal village is quite joyful and cozy. “Every year, the full moon in July in my hometown is very joyful. The customs and beauty of the old village are still preserved and promoted by every family in today's new life” – Mr. Tuan shared.

A few days before the full moon, we were all excited about going back to our hometowns. Being able to go back to our hometowns to celebrate the full moon with our families makes us feel happy. It is so sacred to stand in front of the family altar and offer incense to our ancestors on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month. Being reunited with our families on this day feels like returning to our own hearts.”

Mr. Luu Dinh Tung (26 years old) is from hamlet 11, Nghi Tien commune, Nghi Loc.

Going back to Thanh Chuong, the people here also prepare for the Full Moon and celebrate it quite neatly. Mr. Nguyen Van Nhat (33 years old) in hamlet 3, Ngoc Son commune said: He is the eldest son in the family, so he works all the way in Bac Ninh and has to march back to the Full Moon to worship his parents and ancestors. From the afternoon of the 14th, the brothers in the Nguyen Van family gathered at the family temple at the foot of Nguoc mountain to clean. On the morning of the 15th, each family prepared a tray of sticky rice and chicken and brought it to the family temple to worship.

In the 3-room church, there are 3 altars, worshiping 3 families. In the middle is the eldest branch, on both sides are the second branches. Although the ancestor worship at the church does not have many procedures and rituals, like many other families, the preparation of the offerings by each family is thoughtful. After the worship is finished, each family will bring the offerings home, and everyone will gather to congratulate each family. According to Mr. Nhat, in Ngoc Son, his hometown as well as Thanh Chuong in general, the 15th of the 7th lunar month is a big holiday, as crowded as Tet.

“The whole year has the Full Moon of July, the whole year has the Full Moon of January”, not only in Yen Thanh, Nghi Loc, Thanh Chuong… but many other rural areas in Nghe An also celebrate and eat the Full Moon with a bustling, jubilant atmosphere.

Before the full moon, usually on the 14th afternoon, brothers and sisters in families and clans go to the cemetery to burn incense for the deceased, "inviting" ancestors and relatives to the family reunion. Preparing to welcome the full moon, besides buying food, every family also takes care of cleaning and decorating the altar, displaying the five-fruit tray... Depending on the customs and beliefs of each region, each place has different worshiping ceremonies, which are worshiping the local god, Buddha, ancestors and wandering souls.

Thanh Chuong people carry offerings to worship on the full moon day.

In the past, every full moon, families would slaughter pigs and grind a lot of sticky rice together. Mothers took care of each basket of bean sprouts, so that the plants would grow big and white, and bloom on the morning of the 15th... Nowadays, on the full moon of the seventh lunar month, "eating" is no longer as important as before, but everyone still prepares the "ceremony" with all their heart and respect, in the direction of preserving, maintaining and promoting the traditional culture of their ancestors.

The full moon day tray is a savory tray with a full range of stir-fried dishes, but cannot lack "sticky rice, boiled chicken", Buddhist families also prepare a vegetarian tray to worship Buddha.

Ancestor worship ceremony on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month of a family in Thanh Chuong.

Full Moon worship is an important ritual on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month. Every family worships the gods and Buddhas first. If they are not Buddhists, they worship the local god first, then their ancestors. After preparing a neat tray of food and setting the table carefully, the children and grandchildren gather neatly at the family hall, listen to the funeral oration, remember their ancestors, burn incense and bow to the gods, Buddhas, and ancestors, praying for health, peace, and luck.

Every Full Moon Festival is also a time for people to gather, exchange, and discuss their origins, family relationships, and bloodlines, and to inquire about the health, work, and education of their children and grandchildren. The feasting, giving out blessings, and eating Full Moon also takes place in a warm, cozy atmosphere.

The full moon of July - Trung Nguyen Festival - Vu Lan festival has long been in the consciousness of Vietnamese people, is the day we turn to our roots with sacred feelings for family, clan, homeland, to thank the ancestors for giving birth and raising us, is a beautiful feature in Vietnamese traditional culture, expressing the spirit of filial piety and profound humanity of the nation.