Trim the incense sticks before or after worshiping Ong Cong and Ong Tao?

1. Should the incense sticks be trimmed before or after worshiping the Kitchen Gods?

During the last days of the year, families often clean the altar, remove the incense sticks of the old year to remove the bad luck and misfortune of the old year as well as express their respect and gratitude to their ancestors and gods.

1.1 Why do we need to trim incense sticks?

After a year of worship and burning incense, the number of incense sticks will increase, making the incense bowl full, making it difficult to burn incense and pray for the following year. The incense bowl has a very important meaning in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. Therefore, if there is no obligation, people usually do not touch the incense bowl.

When cleaning the altar or the incense bowl, people only pull out the incense sticks or trim the incense sticks and clean the four outside sides of the incense bowl, but do not take the whole incense bowl down to clean.

1.2 Trim the incense sticks before or after worshiping Ong Cong and Ong Tao?

According to feng shui expert Nguyen Song Ha, homeowners need to perform the ritual of worshiping Ong Cong Ong Tao before trimming the incense sticks to prepare for the Lunar New Year.

The homeowner lights incense and asks for permission from the ancestors and gods before removing the incense sticks and cleaning the altar. After completing the cleaning, the homeowner needs to light incense and invite the gods and ancestors to return.

1.3 Golden time frame and suitable ages for cleaning and pruning incense sticks

- December 20th of the lunar calendar (January 19, 2025 of the solar calendar): Worship the Kitchen Gods from 5:10 am to 6:50 am; cleaning and trimming the incense sticks from 7:10 am to 8:50 am. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat.

- December 21st of the lunar calendar (January 20, 2025 of the solar calendar): Worship the Kitchen Gods from 7:10 am to 8:50 am; clean and trim the incense sticks from 9:10 am to 10:50 am or from 3:10 pm to 4:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Tiger, Monkey, Snake, and Pig.

- December 22nd of the lunar calendar (January 21, 2025 of the solar calendar): Worship the Kitchen Gods from 7:10 am to 8:50 am; cleaning and trimming the incense sticks is done from 9:10 am to 10:50 am or from 1:10 pm to 2:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat.

- December 23rd of the lunar calendar (January 22nd, 2025 of the solar calendar): Worshiping the Kitchen Gods starts from 5:10 am to 6:50 am; cleaning and trimming the incense sticks starts from 7:10 am to 8:50 am or from 1:10 pm to 2:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat.

- December 24th of the lunar calendar (January 23, 2025 of the solar calendar): Cleaning and trimming the incense sticks starts from 7:10 am - 8:50 am or from 9:10 am - 10:50 am; afternoon from 3:10 pm - 4:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig

- December 25th of the lunar calendar (January 24, 2025 of the solar calendar): Cleaning and trimming the incense sticks starts from 7:10 am to 8:50 am or from 3:10 pm to 4:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Tiger, Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat.

- December 26th of the lunar calendar (January 24, 2025): Cleaning and trimming the incense sticks is done from 5:10 am to 6:50 am or from 3:10 pm to 4:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat.

- December 27th of the lunar calendar (January 26, 2025) is a day of great conflict in the month of Dinh Suu (December of the lunar calendar this year), so important spiritual rituals cannot be performed.

- December 28th of the lunar calendar (January 27, 2025): Cleaning and trimming the incense sticks starts from 7:10 am - 8:50 am or from 9:10 am - 10:50 am, 1:10 pm - 2:50 pm. This day is suitable for people born in the years of Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, Goat

2. Things to note when trimming incense sticks

When touching the "incense bowl", the homeowner always tries his best to perform the correct actions so as not to "offend".

Trimming incense sticks shows the homeowner's sincerity, so the following should be noted:

The incense bowl must be in a stable position and cannot be moved. Therefore, if it must be moved, the homeowner must perform a ceremony to ask for the move and then ask for its placement.

When trimming the incense sticks, the homeowner must hold the incense bowl with one hand and gently pull each incense stick out of the bowl with the other. If the homeowner is male, leave 7 – 17 – 27 or 37 incense sticks. If the homeowner is female, leave 9 – 19 – 29 or 39 incense sticks.

After removing the incense sticks, they should be burned to ashes, poured into the river or buried at the base of a tree in the garden. Absolutely do not throw them away in the trash.

3. Prayer before removing the incense stick

Namo Amitabha Buddha,

Namo Amitabha Buddha,

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

The owner's name is... Living at the address...

Today, on the... day... month... year... I, the believer, consider that I have not been thorough enough, so the altar is a bit dusty, a bit not pure and solemn.

The believer respectfully informs the Deities (depending on whether the altar worships gods, guardians, or ancestors...), that today is an auspicious day and month, please allow the believer to purify the altar so that it is solemn and pure. We respectfully ask the Deities to witness and bless.

I hope that you will temporarily hide and help me clean up the house properly, put the incense altar in its proper place, keep the underworld peaceful, keep the family's wealth and fortune from being depleted.

We are mortals, full of sin, we only know how to respectfully and sincerely ask for forgiveness if we have made any mistakes.

Namo Amitabha Buddha,

Namo Amitabha Buddha,

Namo Amitabha Buddha.