According to Vietnamese custom, in the previous days Lunar New YearFamilies often organize New Year’s Eve offerings to invite grandparents and ancestors to return to celebrate Tet with their children and grandchildren. After 3 days of Tet, golden ceremony It is a day of worship to see off grandparents and ancestors back to the underworld.
Previously, the festival turn to gold Usually done on the 3rd or 7th day of the New Year (opening of summer). However, today, depending on the convenient time and beautiful day, suitable for the owner of each family, this worshiping day is held between the 3rd and 10th of January, there are also families who choose choose to worship early on the 2nd.
In 2023, you can do offerings on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th of January. Homeowners can refer to the beautiful time frames below:
3rd day of Tet (Tuesday, January 24th of the solar calendar): Quy Mao time (5am-7pm), Binh Ngo hour (11am-13pm), Mau Than time (15h-17h), Ky Dau time (17h-19h) ).
The 4th day of Tet (Wednesday, January 25 of the solar calendar): Mao Hour (5am-7pm), Horse Time (11am-13pm), Than Time (15pm-17pm), Rooster Time (17am-19pm).
The 5th day of the Lunar New Year (Thursday, January 26 of the solar calendar): Mao Hour (5am-7pm), Snake Time (9am-11am), Than Time (15pm-17pm), Dog Time (19h-21h).
The 8th day of Tet (Sunday, January 29 of the solar calendar): Dragon time (7am-9am), Snake time (9am-11am), Than time (15pm-17pm), Rooster time (17h-19h).
What should be prepared to make gold offerings?
Depending on each family, the preparation of items in the ceremony of offering gold to see off grandparents and ancestors is also different. However, there are essentials that you must have to offer to the altar.
First, you should prepare a tray of five fruits, incense, lamps, candles, confectionery, betel nut, tobacco, tea, money, votive paper, vase of fresh flowers, 2 sugarcane plants. According to folk beliefs, 2 sugarcane trees offered on the golden day will serve as a pole for grandparents and ancestors to carry offerings, or for the elderly to support walking. It will also become a weapon once morest demons when they intend to steal gold coins.
In addition, you also need to make more trays of rice to offer to the elderly. Depending on the culture of each family, you can choose to make savory rice or vegetarian rice. For a tray of savory rice, a rooster, a bowl of soup, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, spring rolls, etc. As for a tray of vegetarian rice, the pure dishes are mainly stir-fried vegetables, mushrooms, beans, and spring rolls. vegetarian…
With the idea of ”the ceiling is so negative”, following the end of the week of incense, the owner will burn the prepared votive paper so that the old people in the golden stream can spend money. Today, the burning of votive papers in the gilding ceremony is also recommended to be minimized to avoid wasting money and affecting air quality and living environment. More importantly, to avoid the risk of a fire.
Today’s worship does not attach too much importance to rituals, but mainly comes from the sincerity of the owner. Only when our mind is directed towards good, what we do will be lucky and peaceful.