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Thanh Minh Festival Prayer for 2025

Thanh Minh Festival prayers for home use

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 bows)

I bow to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the ten directions of Buddhas.

I bow to my ancestors, relatives on both sides of my family...

I bow to my ancestors, grandparents, Red girl, Red boy at home.

Today is March 7, year of the Snake.

Now I keep the duty of worshiping the name..., age..., born in commune..., district..., province... with the whole family, before the family altar bow my head and pay homage.

Please invite the Kitchen Gods to come and help us.

Respectfully offer: betel, wine, tea, water, gold, incense, fruits and sincere offerings on the occasion of Thanh Minh festival. Respectfully invite the souls of paternal and maternal ancestors, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters to witness and enjoy the ceremony.

I respectfully bow to my ancestors, my maternal and paternal grandparents, my paternal and maternal grandparents, and my extended family to bless, protect, and caress my extended family for peace and prosperity, so that the three summer months and nine winter months are cool and fresh. May the good things that I bring and the bad things that I bring away help my family's work go smoothly and bring good luck.

We respectfully offer this humble offering, bowing and asking our ancestors to witness the sincerity of the entire family.

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 bows)

Thanh Minh Festival prayers used at cemeteries

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 bows)

I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the Buddhas of the ten directions.

I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven and the Mother of Earth, and all the deities.

I bow to the local spirits who rule over this area.

Today is the… day, month, year At Ty (read lunar date)

We are the believers:… (read your name)

Residing at: house number… ward… district… city… (your home address)

On the occasion of Thanh Minh festival, I, the believer, sincerely prepare offerings, including betel leaves, areca nuts, tea, fruit, incense, flowers, and light a stick of incense to respectfully present before the altar, respectfully inviting the deities to come and supervise.

Our family has a tomb of our ancestors, grandparents, and parents buried in this land, and we want to renovate and build it. Therefore, we respectfully inform the gods, the earth god, the dragon vein, the front vermilion bird, the back black tortoise, the left blue dragon, the right white tiger, and the deities who govern this area.

We respectfully invite the gods to come here to witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings, and help the deceased to be at peace and liberated. We humbly ask you to bless and protect our entire family, so that we may be healthy and prosperous during the 3 summer months and the 9 winter months, as a solid testimony to our family's sincerity.

Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times, 3 bows)

Thanh Minh Festival prayers used at graves

Prayer for the Yin part of the dragon vein according to the book Traditional Prayers by Venerable Thich Thanh Tam, Thoi Dai Publishing House:

Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times).

I bow to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the ten directions of Buddhas.

I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven and the Mother of Earth, and all the deities.

I bow to the local spirits who rule over this area.

Today is the day: ...

We are the believers: (name of the person making the vow).

Residing at: (address of the creditor).

On the occasion of Thanh Minh festival, I sincerely prepare offerings, betel leaves and areca nuts, flowers, tea, fruit, light incense and respectfully present them before the altar, respectfully inviting the deities to come and watch.

Our family has a tomb of: (father, grandfather or great-grandfather, great-grandfather according to the role of the person in the grave compared to the believer), buried in this land, now want to renovate and build.

Therefore, we respectfully inform the gods, the local gods, the land gods, the dragon veins, the front vermillion bird, the back black tortoise, the left green dragon, the right white tiger, and the deities who govern this area.

We respectfully invite the gods to come here to witness our sincerity, enjoy our offerings, and help the souls to be at peace and liberated.

We humbly ask you to bless our entire family with good health and peace, to be free from illness in all four seasons, and to enjoy peace in all eight festivals.

Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times).

Prayers for Thanh Minh Festival at the Long Mach and Son Than Tho Phu underworld ceremony at the grave

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

- I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the Buddhas of the ten directions.

- I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven and the Goddess of Earth, all the deities:

- I bow to the local spirits who rule over this area.

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

We, the believers, are:...........................................…

On the occasion of Thanh Minh festival (or autumn festival, winter festival, or auspicious day and month...), I sincerely prepare offerings, areca nuts, betel leaves, flowers, tea, fruit, light incense and respectfully present it before the altar, respectfully inviting the gods to come and supervise.

Our family has a grave of....................... buried in this land, now we want to renovate and build (or clean the grave, exhume the grave...) so we respectfully inform the Gods, the Land God, the Land God of the Dragon Veins, the Front Vermillion Bird, the Back Black Tortoise, the Left Azure Dragon, the Right White Tiger and the deities who govern this area, we respectfully invite the Gods to come here to witness our sincerity, receive the offerings, and help the deceased's soul to be at peace and liberated. We humbly ask you to bless and protect our entire family with good health and peace, to be free from illness and misfortune in all four seasons, and to enjoy peace in all eight festivals.

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Instructions for preparing Thanh Minh Festival offerings

Necessary offerings on the Thanh Minh Festival altar

The offerings during Thanh Minh Festival do not need to be too elaborate but must be complete enough to show respect.

The offering tray usually includes:

Five fruit plate.

Flower vase.

Candles.

Offering paper.

Incense.

Rice.

Salt.

Oolong tea.

Alcohol.

Water.

Tea.

Sticky rice.

Boiled chicken.

Betel.

Areca.

Confectionery.

When arranging the offering tray, the homeowner needs to arrange it neatly, the offerings should be placed neatly, facing the grave.

Thanh Minh Festival offerings at home

On Qingming Festival, many families have the tradition of preparing offerings at home. This offering does not need to be too elaborate, depending on local customs and the homeowner's conditions.

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

If you do not have the conditions to prepare a full tray of offerings, you can burn incense and prepare flowers, fruits, tea, and candies to commemorate your ancestors. Note that when worshiping Thanh Minh Festival at home, you need to clean the house and clean the altar. When burning incense, you should wear polite and neat clothes to bow and read the prayer. After the incense has burned out, the family burns votive paper and asks to receive blessings.

Qingming Festival offering ceremony outside the grave

Depending on each family, the Thanh Minh Festival offering tray outside the grave can be a savory or vegetarian offering tray.

If it is a vegetarian tray, you need to prepare: Sticky rice, sweet soup, banana cake, cakes, water bottle, rice, salt, popcorn, butter, honey bowl. For a savory tray, in addition to the above dishes, you need to prepare wine, meat, pig's feet, boiled chicken or ham slices.

Offerings for the Qingming Festival include: incense, lamps, tea, fruit, wine, water, betel and areca nuts, and votive paper money. If there are many incense bowls at the grave, each bowl must be lit with incense.

Before worshiping on Thanh Minh festival at the grave, you need to clear the weeds and wild plants growing on the grave, fill the grave to the full and then place the offerings on it. After the incense has burned about 2/3, perform a thanksgiving ceremony, burn votive papers and ask for blessings to bring home to worship the family gods and ancestors. If you write the prayer on paper, after reading it, you also burn it.

Notes when reading the Thanh Minh Festival prayer 2025 and the following years

While reciting the prayer, the homeowner needs to follow some rules so that the ceremony can take place completely and meaningfully. Below are some important notes:

Burn incense

Before you begin reading the prayer, light incense and candles to invite your ancestors to enjoy the ceremony. Burning incense is not only a traditional ritual but also shows respect and remembrance for the deceased.

Prostration

After reading the prayer, the person praying should perform three prostrations, then bow three times to show respect to the ancestors. Prostrations are a way to express gratitude and pray for blessings from the ancestors.

Burning votive paper

When the incense has burned out, the homeowner will burn the votive paper, representing sending these items to the other world. Burning votive paper is the final ritual, helping to end the ceremony in a solemn and meaningful way.

Other notes

Dress: When performing the ceremony, the homeowner should wear polite and neat clothes to show respect.

Attitude: Read the prayer with a respectful and focused attitude, avoid making noise or laughing during the process.

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

Complying with the above rules not only helps the Thanh Minh Festival ceremony go smoothly but also shows respect and gratitude to ancestors, preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the nation.

Is it superstitious to use prayers on Qingming Festival?

According to Clause 1, Article 2 of the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion, 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.

Using prayers on Thanh Minh day is part of religious activities, expressing respect, gratitude and remembrance of ancestors. This is a beautiful traditional culture, not superstition.