How to properly prepare the offerings for the Lunar New Year's Full Moon ceremony?

(Baonghean.vn) - The Lantern Festival (Tet Nguyen Tieu) has long been a traditional cultural feature in Vietnamese life. However, preparing the offering tray for the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month correctly is important.Not everyone knows this.

On the full moon day of the first lunar month, Vietnamese people place great importance on the ancestral worship ceremony at home. (Illustrative image)

What is the best time to offer prayers on the full moon of the first lunar month?

The offering ceremony for the full moon of the first lunar month is usually performed on the actual full moon day (i.e., the 15th day of the first lunar month).

According to ancient Vietnamese customs, the "standard" time to offer prayers on the Full Moon of the first lunar month is usually at noon (from 11 am to 1 pm). Many believe that this is when Buddha descends to earth. Therefore, on the Full Moon of the first lunar month, Vietnamese people attach great importance to the home offering ceremony.

However, due to changing living conditions, each family now flexibly adjusts the timing of their ancestral worship to different days and times. They believe that worship only needs to express the sincere respect and gratitude of descendants towards their ancestors, grandparents, and deities.

Worship should simply be an expression of respect and gratitude from descendants to their ancestors. (Illustrative image)

How to prepare the offering tray for the full moon ceremony in the first lunar month.

Depending on economic conditions or customs, each family prepares different offerings for the Lunar New Year's full moon ceremony. However, they all wish to express their sincere respect and gratitude to their ancestors, deities, and Buddha, and to pray for a peaceful and lucky year.

Besides Buddhist families, many families also believe that the full moon of the first lunar month is a day to avoid killing animals, so they eat vegetarian food to pray for good luck and ward off misfortune for the whole year.

A vegetarian offering for Buddha:

Vegetarian offering tray for the Full Moon Festival in the first lunar month. (Illustrative image)

Vegetarian offerings typically consist of fruits, sweet rice porridge, bean dishes, and stir-fried soups without excessive spices. A vegetarian feast can include many dishes depending on the type. A special feature of a vegetarian feast is the presence of colors symbolizing the five elements: red represents fire, green wood, black earth, white water, and yellow metal. Eating vegetarian food is a way to strive for balance and tranquility of mind.

If the homeowner is a Buddhist, they can sit in front of the Buddha altar and recite a period of the Universal Gate Sutra or the Medicine Buddha Sutra to pray for peace for the family. If they cannot recite sutras, they can offer incense and recite the prayer of veneration to the Three Jewels.

A feast of savory dishes offered to the ancestors:

A feast of savory dishes offered to ancestors on the 15th day of the first lunar month. (Illustrative image)

For non-Buddhist families, the ancestral offering is usually a savory feast offered at noon. A typical savory feast includes dishes such as bamboo shoot soup, vermicelli, meatballs, chicken or pork, ham or sausage, and seasoned spring rolls (which can be replaced with a stir-fried dish), pickled vegetables, sticky rice or rice cakes, and a bowl of dipping sauce.

The offering meal on the full moon day of the first lunar month must also have a full range of flavors. The salty taste of the dipping sauce, the spiciness of the chili peppers, the sourness of the pickled onions, the sweetness of the cakes – all combine to create a complete feast, a prayer for peace and well-being, and to ward off any bad luck that may come in the new year.

Nowadays, many people's vegetarian offerings on the full moon day of the first lunar month also include glutinous rice balls in sweet syrup, symbolizing a wish for a year of smooth sailing, success, and complete happiness.

Visiting temples on the full moon day of the first lunar month:

Visiting temples at the beginning of the year has long been a traditional cultural practice in the lives of Vietnamese people, especially on the full moon day of the first lunar month.

People go to the temple on the first full moon of the year not only to pray for peace and good fortune for themselves and their families in the new year, but also to find moments of relaxation in the tranquil and solemn atmosphere of the temple.

Visiting temples on the full moon day of the first lunar month has long been a traditional cultural practice for the people. (Illustrative image)

In addition, people in the past also had certain taboos on the full moon day of the first lunar month.

The first full moon of the year is the most important holiday, so people in the past had some taboos associated with it. Please refer to the following information for more details:

- Avoid breaking or damaging household items.

- Avoid going to places with heavy negative energy such as cemeteries and desolate areas, especially for those with weak health.

- Avoid carrying large amounts of money or valuables. Losing possessions on this day is believed to bring bad luck to your finances this year.

- Avoid lending money to others on this day.

- Do not leave the rice container inside the house with the bottom exposed.

- Be careful not to let your clothes get torn, because according to old beliefs, if your clothes are torn, you will have bad luck in the coming year.

- One should not kill animals on this day.

Avoid wearing white and black clothing.

- Fishing is avoided on this day because, according to Vietnamese spiritual beliefs, fishing on the full moon day will bring bad luck to the person.

- Using foul language or swearing on this day will bring bad luck and trouble.

Thu Tra

(synthetic)