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Prayer for the Thanh Minh Festival in 2025

Prayer for the Thanh Minh Festival (for home use)

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 prostrations)

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 March 7th, 2015 (Year of the Snake).

Today, I, the one entrusted with the ancestral worship, whose name is..., age..., born in the commune..., district..., province..., 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 prostrations)

Prayer for Thanh Minh Festival used at the cemetery

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 prostrations)

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 the year of the Snake (read the date in the lunar calendar).

We, your devotees, are:… (read your name)

Residing at: House number… Ward… District… City… (your home address)

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 prostrations)

Prayer for the Qingming Festival used at the gravesite

This is a prayer for the ancestral spirits and earth veins, according to the book "Traditional Prayers" by Venerable Thich Thanh Tam, published by Thoi Dai Publishing House:

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).

Prayer for Thanh Minh Festival at the ancestral shrine, Long Mach, Mountain God, and Earth God at the grave site.

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

- I bow 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 and Earth Goddess, and all the Venerable Deities:

- I respectfully bow before the local deities who govern this area.

Today is the date: .........................................................

We, your humble devotees, are:...........................................…

On the occasion of Qingming Festival (or the autumn or winter festivals, or on an auspicious day and month...), your humble devotee sincerely prepares offerings of betel nuts and leaves, incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, lighting a stick of incense with a sincere heart and respectfully offering them before the altar, inviting all the Venerable Deities to come and witness.

Our family has the tomb of....................… buried in this place, and we now wish to renovate and rebuild it (or clean the tomb, exhume the remains…). Therefore, we respectfully inform the deities, the Earth God, the Dragon Vein, 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 deceased's soul peace and liberation. We humbly ask the deities to bless and protect our family, granting us good health, peace, freedom from illness throughout the four seasons, and prosperity in all eight festivals.

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Instructions for preparing the Thanh Minh Festival offering ceremony.

Essential offerings for the Thanh Minh Festival (Qingming Festival) offering tray.

The offerings for the Thanh Minh festival don't need to be overly elaborate, but they must be complete to show respect.

The offering tray for the ritual usually includes:

A plate of five different kinds of fruit.

Flower vase.

Candles.

Offering paper.

Incense sticks.

Rice.

Salt.

Oolong tea.

Alcohol.

Water.

Tea.

Sticky rice.

Boiled chicken.

Betel.

Question.

Confectionery.

When preparing the offering tray, the homeowner should arrange everything neatly, with the offerings placed in an orderly manner, facing the grave.

The Thanh Minh festival offerings are made at home.

On Thanh Minh Festival, many families traditionally prepare offerings at home. The offerings don't need to be overly elaborate; they depend on local customs and the family's circumstances.

To prepare a Thanh Minh (Qingming Festival) offering tray at home, you can prepare savory dishes such as sticky rice, boiled chicken, bamboo shoot soup, pork sausage, vermicelli, stir-fried dishes, etc., along with fresh fruits, betel nuts and leaves, and votive paper. For Buddhist families, a vegetarian offering tray is a suitable choice.

If you don't have the means to prepare a full feast, you can light incense and prepare flowers, fruits, tea, and sweets to commemorate your ancestors. Note that when offering prayers at home during Thanh Minh Festival, you need to clean the house and the altar. When lighting incense, you should wear polite and neat clothing to bow and recite the prayers. After the incense has burned out, the family should burn the paper offerings and ask to partake in the blessings.

The Thanh Minh festival ceremony outside the tomb.

Depending on the family, the offering tray for the Thanh Minh festival at the grave may be either savory or vegetarian.

For a vegetarian feast, you need to prepare: sticky rice and sweet soup, banana blossom cakes, pastries, a bottle of water, rice and salt, puffed rice, butter, and a bowl of honey. For a non-vegetarian feast, in addition to the above dishes, you need to prepare additional items such as meat, pork leg, boiled chicken, or pork sausage slices.

The offerings for the Thanh Minh festival include incense, lamps, tea, fruit, wine, clean water, betel nuts and leaves, and gold paper money. If there are multiple incense burners at the gravesite, incense must be lit in each one.

Before offering prayers at the grave during the Qingming Festival, it is necessary to clear away weeds and wild plants growing over the grave, fill the grave mound completely, and then place the offerings on top. After the incense has burned about two-thirds, perform a thanksgiving ceremony, burn the paper offerings, and ask for blessings to take home to offer to the household gods and ancestors. If the prayer is written on paper, after reading it, it should also be burned.

Things to note when reciting prayers for the Thanh Minh Festival in 2025 and subsequent years.

While reciting the prayers, the homeowner needs to follow certain rules to ensure the ceremony is complete and meaningful. Here are some important points to note:

Light incense

Before beginning the prayer, light incense and candles to invite your ancestors to partake in the ceremony. Lighting incense is not only a traditional ritual but also expresses respect and remembrance for the deceased.

worship

After reciting the prayer, the person praying should perform three prostrations, followed by three bows, to show respect to their ancestors. Prostration is a way to express gratitude and ask for blessings from their ancestors.

Burning votive paper

Once the incense has burned out, the family will burn the votive paper offerings, symbolizing sending these items to the afterlife. Burning the votive paper offerings is the final ritual, helping to conclude the ceremony in a solemn and meaningful way.

Other notes

Attire: When performing the ceremony, the host should wear polite and neat clothing to show respect.

Mindset: Recite the prayer with reverence and concentration, avoiding noise or laughter during the process.

Prayer: Prepare the prayer in advance, read it clearly and completely so that the ancestors can hear it and bless the family.

Adhering to these rules not only ensures the smooth running of the Thanh Minh festival but also demonstrates respect and gratitude towards ancestors, preserving the beautiful traditional culture of the nation.

Is using prayers for the Qingming Festival considered superstition?

According to Clause 1, Article 2 of the 2016 Law on Beliefs and Religions, religious activities are defined as people's beliefs expressed through rituals associated with traditional customs and practices, aiming to bring spiritual peace to individuals and the community.

The use of prayers on Thanh Minh Day is part of religious practice, expressing reverence, gratitude, and remembrance of ancestors. This is a beautiful traditional cultural practice, not superstition.