3 of the most authentic prayers for the Thanh Minh Festival 2026
Prayers for the Qingming Festival at home, cemeteries, and graves. A compilation of 3 standard prayers according to ancient texts, helping to make grave-visiting rituals effective and bringing peace to the family.
A properly written prayer for the Qingming Festival (Tet Thanh Minh) will help express reverence and pray for good fortune and smooth business. Below are three standard prayers for the Qingming Festival, based on the book "Traditional Prayers" by Venerable Thich Thanh Tam (Thoi Dai Publishing House).
1. Prayer for the Qingming Festival at home.
PostPrayer for Thanh Minh FestivalThis is read before the ancestral altar on the main festival day or before visiting the graves, in order to respectfully invite the ancestors to witness the ceremony.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!(3 times, 3 bows)
I bow down to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of all Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I bow before my ancestors, my relatives on both my paternal and maternal sides of the family...
I bow before my ancestral spirits, grandparents, and the Red Girl and Red Boy at home.
Today is the ... day of ... month of ... year ...
Today, I, the one entrusted with the task of worshiping the ancestors, whose name is..., age..., born in..., along with my entire family, bow in reverence before the ancestral altar.
We respectfully invite the Earth God and Kitchen God to come and offer their blessings.
We respectfully offer this offering: betel leaves and wine, tea and water, incense, flowers and fruits, along with other heartfelt gifts, on the occasion of the Thanh Minh festival. We respectfully invite the spirits of our ancestors, both paternal and maternal, including great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings, to witness and partake in this offering.
With sincere reverence, I humbly bow and pray to my ancestors, forefathers, and all my forefathers... to bless and protect my family, ensuring peace, prosperity, coolness, and good fortune throughout the three summer months and nine winter months. May good things come and bad things go away, and may all my family's endeavors be smooth sailing and filled with good luck.
We respectfully offer this humble gift with sincere hearts, and humbly ask our ancestors to witness and acknowledge the sincerity of our entire family.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!(3 times, 3 bows)
2. Prayer for the Qingming Festival at the cemetery
Use the articlePrayer for Thanh Minh FestivalThis is when the whole family goes to the cemetery (where there are many mass graves), before offering individual prayers at each grave.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!(3 times, 3 bows)
I bow down to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of the Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow before the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Goddess, and all revered deities.
I respectfully bow before the local deities who govern this area.
Today is the… day of… month of… year… (read the lunar calendar date)
We, your devotees, are:…
Residing at: ...
On the occasion of the Qingming Festival, your humble devotee sincerely and respectfully prepares offerings, including betel leaves and areca nuts, tea, fruits, incense, and flowers, lighting incense sticks with a sincere heart and respectfully offering them before the altar, inviting all revered deities to come and witness.
Our family has the graves of our great-great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents buried in this area, and we now wish to renovate and rebuild them. Therefore, we respectfully inform the deities, earth spirits, dragon veins, the front Vermilion Bird, the rear Black Tortoise, the left Green Dragon, the right White Tiger, and all the revered gods governing this area.
We respectfully invite the deities to witness our sincerity, accept our offerings, and grant the departed souls peace, tranquility, and liberation. We humbly ask the deities to bless and protect our family, granting us good health throughout the three summer months and nine winter months, and to bear witness to the sincerity of our family's devotion.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!(3 times, 3 bows)
3. Prayer for the Qingming Festival at the gravesite (Yin-Yang lineage)
PostPrayer for Thanh Minh FestivalThis is an excerpt from the book.Traditional prayersThis text was written by Venerable Thích Thanh Tâm and is used when standing before a specific grave to offer prayers and make repairs.
Namo Amitabha Buddha(3 times)
I bow down to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of all Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow before the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Goddess, and all revered deities.
I respectfully bow before the local deities who govern this area.
Today is the date: ...
We, your humble devotees, are: (name of the person making the prayer).
Residing at: (address of the petitioner).
On the occasion of the Qingming Festival, your humble devotee sincerely prepares offerings of betel nuts and leaves, incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, lighting incense sticks with a sincere heart and respectfully offering them before the altar, inviting all revered deities to come and witness.
Our family has the tomb of (father, grandfather, or great-grandfather, depending on the relative status of the deceased to the petitioner), buried in this place, and we now wish to renovate and rebuild it.
Therefore, we respectfully inform the deities, the earth spirits, the dragon veins, the front Vermilion Bird, the rear Black Tortoise, the left Green Dragon, the right White Tiger, and all the revered gods who govern this area.
We respectfully invite the deities to witness our sincerity, accept our offerings, and grant the departed souls peace, tranquility, and liberation.
We humbly pray that you bless and protect us, your devotees, and our entire family, granting us good health and peace, freedom from illness throughout the four seasons, and tranquility in all eight periods of the year.
Namo Amitabha Buddha(3 times).
Notes on using prayers during the Thanh Minh Festival
To the essayPrayer for Thanh Minh FestivalTo receive a blessing, the homeowner should remember:
- DevotionAbove all, it's about integrity and not being concerned with formalities.
- Read clearly and slowly; do not skim.
- Light incense and offer prayers before burning the votive paper.
- After offering your prayers, bow three times before the altar or the grave.