Full Moon worship custom in January

(Baonghean.vn) - In the year, perhaps January is the month with the most festivals because our ancestors believed that "January is the month of entertainment"... And the most "celebrated" and "biggest" festival is the Full Moon Festival in January! That's why since ancient times, Vietnamese people have been reciting the song: "Worshiping Buddha all year round is not as good as the full moon day in January".

1. Full Moon Festival in January

People go to the pagoda on the 15th day of the first lunar month to pray for peace for the whole year.

The Full Moon Festival in January was introduced into Vietnam following the Chinese custom of the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival means the first full moon night of the new year (Nguyen means first, Tieu means night.) The Lantern Festival is the first full moon night of a year (the full moon day of the first lunar month). The Lantern Festival is also called the Shangyuan Festival because there is also the Trung Nguyen Festival (the full moon of the seventh lunar month) and the Ha Nguyen Festival (the full moon of the tenth lunar month).

Because of the influence of three religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism), Vietnamese people also have the Shangyuan Festival which we often call the Full Moon Festival in January:

"On the full moon of January, whoever is diligent will carry it,

On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, some people carry it, some don't.

Full moon in October, ten people, ten baskets.

2. The full moon of January in the Vietnamese mind

The ancient and modern Vietnamese who follow Confucianism consider the Full Moon Festival in January as the Trang Nguyen Festival. On the occasion of the brightest moon of the year, the king held a grand banquet in the royal garden, inviting the Trang Nguyen to attend the festival, to enjoy the scenery and flowers, to compose poems, to praise the beauty of nature and the king's virtues that brought peace and prosperity.

Vietnam Poetry Day - the cultural beauty of the Vietnamese Full Moon Festival in January...

For nearly 10 years now, the Vietnam Writers Association has chosen the 15th day of the first lunar month as Vietnam Poetry Day to honor poetry. All provinces and cities celebrate Poetry Day as a festival and the poem Nguyen Tieu by President Ho Chi Minh is always the opening "speech" to welcome...

For Buddhists, although the Full Moon of January is not an important Buddhist festival compared to the Full Moon of April (Buddha's birthday) and the Full Moon of July (Vu Lan), it coincides with the Shangyuan Festival and the Lantern Festival in folklore. At the same time, this day is the first full moon of the new year, the most suitable time to pray for peace for the whole year, so it attracts the participation of many Buddhists and the entire population.

3. Worshiping customs on the 15th day of the first lunar month

In folklore, with the majority of people following the custom of ancestor worship, the Full Moon of January is first understood simply as the big full moon day.

Depending on beliefs and professions, some families worship Buddha, some worship the local god, the god of wealth, or the spirits of the dead... But no one can forget to set up a tray of offerings to worship their ancestors, express filial piety to grandparents and parents, and thank the heavens for blessing their children with safety and prosperity...

Worshiping on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

The ancestral worshiping tray on the 15th day of the first lunar month will vary according to each family's beliefs and region...

Buddhist families will make offerings and eat vegetarian food. Offerings often include vegetables, betel and areca nuts, sweet rice, bean dishes, stir-fried soup, etc.

In rural temples and villages, the food served only uses fermented bean paste, fruits cooked with tofu, peanuts, and peanut oil, without adding many spices, so when eating, people often tell each other: to eat vegetarian food, you have to mix many dishes into one bowl to be delicious.

In the Central region, many people who do not follow Buddhism offer sweet rice and savory dishes on the full moon day. The savory dishes also include rice and soup dishes, although not as sumptuous as on Tet holiday…

A common cultural feature of the 3 regions of North, Central and South of the Full Moon Festival in January is the flow of people from old to young, going to the temple to pray for peace in the spring. This is considered a beautiful custom, a cultural activity of the Vietnamese people.

Full Moon Festival in January. Illustrative photo.

No one knows whether the prayers reach the underworld or not, but everyone believes that after going to the temple at the beginning of the year or returning from a festival, their souls are lit up and tomorrow life will be more beautiful.

Although the changes of heaven and earth have occurred and are occurring, the moon of January remains intact, round and bright in the spring sky. The old moon is the new moon, the full moon is the waning moon. When the winter moon wanes, the spring moon awaits. That is the moon that shines on the first full moon festival that begins a year: the 15th day of the first lunar month!

Peace

(Synthetic)