Bustling to go to the family church on the full moon day of January

(Baonghean.vn) - Ancestor worship is a beautiful feature in the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, that is why every family and clan builds a shrine as a place for descendants to remember and show gratitude to their ancestors. In Nghe An, after the Lunar New Year, the full moon of January is considered an important holiday for descendants to gather and return.

At the Tran Van family temple in Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong), descendants from all over the country return to gather on the full moon day of the first lunar month. Photo: Huyen Trang

Every year, on January 12, the Tran Van family temple in Cat Van commune, Thanh Chuong district, is filled with descendants. Mr. Tran Van Chau - Head of the branch said: "The descendants of our clan, including those from the hometown or those who have returned from far away, all keep this tradition. The temple is a place to educate the generations of descendants, so that everyone in the clan can express their gratitude and remembrance of their ancestors.

Offerings such as sticky rice, chicken, fruits, betel and areca nuts, and candies are solemnly displayed. Photo: Huyen Trang.

Although Mr. Tran Van Son's family has moved hundreds of kilometers away from their hometown, every year on the full moon day of the first lunar month, his wife, children and grandchildren return to their hometown. Mr. Son believes that even if he cannot return to his hometown during Tet, he must return during the Lantern Festival. That is also a way to show respect to his ancestors and parents.

Like the Tran Van family in Thanh Chuong, many other families in the countryside of Nghe An still maintain the tradition of going to the family temple at the beginning of the year as one of the most important rituals of the year. Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoanh in Anh Son said: On this day, descendants from near and far must return to the family temple to burn incense, prepare food, and offer it to their ancestors. In addition, this is also an occasion to pray for peace at the beginning of the year, hoping for national peace and prosperity, for the family and the family to be peaceful, prosperous, and blessed.

Offering at the family temple on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Photo: Huyen Trang

The offerings at the family temple are also prepared very thoughtfully and fully. Each family prepares a tray of sticky rice with chicken or sticky rice with meat, fruits, incense, flowers, betel and areca nuts to offer to their ancestors. The offerings on the full moon of January usually do not need to be elaborate, nor do they need to be elaborately decorated, the main thing is to be complete and prosperous. At the temple at the beginning of the year, everyone lights an incense stick on the ancestral altar, praying for the souls of the deceased to be liberated, to bless the homeland, and to give the descendants of the family the best things.

Through many historical changes and life changes, the ritual of going to the family temple at the beginning of the year is still preserved by the clans. The ritual of making the family altar at the beginning of the year is also simpler than before, but its meaning remains the same. It is a way for descendants to express their respect and gratitude to their ancestors and roots, so that they can strive to do better in their work and studies./.

Huyen Trang