How to properly worship the 15th day of the first lunar month?

The Vietnamese people pay great attention to the worship of the Full Moon Festival at home. However, not everyone knows how to perform this ritual correctly.

The meaning of worshiping on the 15th day of the first lunar month

The 15th day of the first lunar month (15th day of the first lunar month, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, or the Lantern Festival), is the first full moon day of the new year. Therefore, people in Asian countries consider this full moon worship very important.

In addition to going to the temple to pray for peace, luck and health at the beginning of the year on the full moon day of the first lunar month, Vietnamese people also attach great importance to worshiping at home (Illustration photo)

Tet Nguyen Tieu means the first full moon night of the new year. “Nguyen” means first, “tieu” means night. Tet Nguyen Tieu is also called Tet Thuong Nguyen, because there is also Tet Trung Nguyen (full moon of the seventh lunar month) and Tet Ha Nguyen (full moon of the tenth lunar month). Previously, the full moon festival of the first lunar month was often called the late Tet because wealthy families continued to celebrate Tet and played with late-blooming apricot and peach blossoms; people who worked far away stayed until the full moon of the first lunar month before leaving; people who were unlucky enough to be sick during Tet, but recovered after Tet, or many families who had a death during Tet, were able to celebrate Tet to make up for it...

The night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also called the Lantern Festival. Therefore, in places where Chinese people live, the full moon festival in January is often celebrated by hanging lanterns and flowers. People go out to admire the lanterns, guess parallel sentences, etc.

There are many folk explanations about the origin of the Lantern Festival. Many documents write that this custom originated from the Western Han Dynasty in China with a solemn lantern festival.

There is also an opinion that the 15th day of the first lunar month is also the day of the Celestial Official. Among the people, this is an occasion to go to the temple to make offerings to the stars to ward off bad luck (or make offerings at home), to ward off disasters, and to pray for peace. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, many temples set up altars, chant and dedicate merits at the beginning of the year, hoping for peace and happiness.

Nowadays, the full moon of January is one of the most important holidays in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. On this day, people often go to pagodas to pray for peace for themselves and their families. Worshiping the full moon at home is also very important. However, not everyone knows how to perform this ritual correctly.

Prepare for the Full Moon Festival in January

Venerable Thich Thanh Due said that on the 15th day of the first lunar month, families often prepare two offerings: one to worship Buddha and one to worship ancestors.

The Buddhist offering is a pure vegetarian tray with incense, flowers, lights and candles. The ancestral offering includes incense, flowers, lights and candles, betel and areca nuts, a little votive paper money, and wine.

Depending on beliefs and professions, some families worship Buddha, some worship the local god, the god of wealth... but there is always ancestral worship, expressing filial piety to grandparents and parents, thanking the heavens for blessing their children with safety and prosperity.

Banh troi is offered by many families on the 15th day of the first lunar month to wish for everything to go smoothly and for complete happiness.

On the full moon day of the first lunar month, Buddhist families make offerings and eat vegetarian food. Offerings often include vegetables, betel and areca nuts, sweet rice, bean dishes, stir-fried soups, etc., and avoid preparing vegetarian food in the form of braised shrimp, grilled meat, etc., because it is believed that this shows that the mind is still inclined towards meat.

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

For non-Buddhist families, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, they offer sweet rice and salty offerings (not as lavish as Tet).

Nowadays, many people worship the Full Moon Festival of January with floating cakes, with the meaning of praying for everything throughout the year to be smooth, prosperous, and full of happiness...

The content of the prayer does not need to be too complicated. The homeowner can refer to the following sample text: I respectfully bow to the Land God, Ancestors of the family ..., maternal and paternal ancestors, and all the spirits. Today is the full moon day of the first lunar month, year of the Goat. We are ..., residing at .... We sincerely arrange flowers and incense, perform rituals, offer to the Gods, burn incense, and wholeheartedly pray. I respectfully ask for your protection, health, family peace, and fulfillment of all wishes.

According to Traffic