Prayers on the 1st and 15th of every month
According to traditional customs, on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, Vietnamese families often prepare offerings to worship gods and ancestors. Below is the shortest and most standard prayer for these two holidays.
Prepare offerings
The time of the ceremony can be flexible depending on the conditions of each family. Many families usually hold the ceremony on the afternoon of the 30th (for the 1st) or the afternoon of the 14th (for the 15th) of the lunar calendar.
Regarding offerings, there are two main ways to prepare: vegetarian offerings and non-vegetarian offerings. Vegetarian offerings often include simple items such as fresh flowers, incense, candy, betel, clean water and fresh fruit. For non-vegetarian offerings, families can prepare pork, chicken and wine.
No matter how the offering tray is prepared, the most important thing is the sincerity of the person performing the ceremony. Sincerity in the heart will bring sacred meaning to this ceremony.
The prayer to ancestors on the 1st and 15th of every month according to the book Traditional Vietnamese Prayers - Culture and Information Publishing House is as follows:
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times)
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, the Mother of Earth, and all the deities.
I respectfully bow to you, the local tutelary god, the local earth god, the local kitchen god and all the other deities.
I respectfully bow to my ancestors, father, mother, and all the spirits (if my parents are still alive, replace them with my ancestors).
Our family name is:... living in:... commune,... district,... province.
Today is the first day of the... month of the year At Ty 2025. I, the believer, thanks to the grace of heaven and earth, the gods, and ancestors, sincerely prepare offerings, incense, flowers, tea, fruit, light a stick of incense and offer it before the altar.
We respectfully invite: Your Majesty the Local Guardian Spirit, Your Majesty the Local Earth Spirit, Your Majesty the Kitchen God, the Five Directions, the Dragon Vein, and the God of Wealth. We humbly ask you to come down before this altar and witness our sincerity in enjoying these offerings.
We respectfully invite our ancestors, paternal and maternal ancestors, and all the spirits of our ancestors... to have mercy on our sacred descendants and come back to witness our sincerity and enjoy our offerings.
I respectfully invite the previous and current owners of this house to come to this altar and enjoy the offering, and bless our family with good health, peace, prosperity, and family harmony.
We respectfully bow before the altar and ask for your protection and blessing.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times).
Prayers on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month to worship the Land God and the gods
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times)
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, the Mother of Earth, and all the deities. I respectfully bow to you, the Eastern God. I respectfully bow to you, the Land God of Dragon Veins.
I respectfully pay homage to the Five Directions, Five Lands, and Gods of Fortune and Virtue. I respectfully pay homage to the God of Wealth and Land in Front and Back. I respectfully pay homage to the Gods who govern this area.
We, the believers, are... residing at...
Today is the full moon day, month... year...
I, the believer, sincerely prepare offerings of flowers, incense, gold, silver, tea, fruit, burn incense sticks and present them before the altar.
We respectfully invite: Your Majesty, the current ruler of the year, the local Thanh Hoang and all the great kings, the Dong Tru Tu Menh Tao Phu god, the local Tho Dia and Long Mach god, the Five Directions, Five Soils, the God of Fortune and Virtue, and the deities governing this area.
We humbly ask you to hear our invitation, have mercy on us, come down before this altar, witness our sincerity, receive our offerings, bless us with peace and happiness in our families, success in our work, peace for everyone, increased wealth and prosperity, spiritual growth, all requests answered, and wishes fulfilled.
We respectfully bow before the altar and ask for your protection and blessing.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times)
