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What’s Included in the 2024 Giáp Thìn New Year’s Eve Offering Kit?

The New Year's Eve ancestral worship ritual is incomplete without joss paper offerings. As we usher in the Year of the Dragon in 2024, what should be included in the joss paper offering set, and how should the ritual be performed?

Administrator

16 July, 2024

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Tet New Year’s Eve offerings are a traditional ritual on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Preparing offerings, incantations, and gifts for Tet New Year’s Eve is something that many people pay attention to. Among these, votive paper is an indispensable gift. Join us to explore what the votive paper set for Tet New Year’s Eve in the year of the Dragon 2024 includes and how to offer it through the following article.

See also: Tet New Year’s Eve offerings for the year of the Dragon 2024: Customs, offerings, and incantations

1What does the votive paper set for Tet New Year’s Eve include?

The votive paper set for Tet New Year’s Eve will vary in different regions. A standard Tet New Year’s Eve votive paper set includes: votive money, betel and areca nuts, wine, tea, incense and candles, and a chuon mua hat. You can buy the standard votive paper set for Tet New Year’s Eve at votive paper shops.

Tet New Year’s Eve votive paper set

2How to offer votive paper for Tet New Year’s Eve 2024

Incantation for offering votive paper on Tet New Year’s Eve

When offering Tet New Year’s Eve gifts, you should recite the following incantation:

Homage to Amitabha Buddha (3 times)

Homage to Maitreya Buddha

Homage to the Eastern Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Vaiduryaprabha

Homage to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who saves suffering beings

We bow to the Nine Heavens, the Ten Directions of the Buddha, and the Ten Directions of the Buddha

We bow to the Jade Emperor, the Goddess of the Earth, the Dragon Veins, the Kitchen God, and the Gods and Goddesses

Our ancestors, the inner and outer spirits, and the noble spirits

Now, at the turn of the old year of the Rabbit and the new year of the Dragon.

We are: … born in: …, under the sign of: … years old, living at: … street/ward …, commune/ward …, district/town/city …, province/city …

As the New Year’s Eve moment has come, now, according to the law, we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, at the first hour of the Rat in the early spring, celebrating the New Year. We, the believers, sincerely prepare incense, flowers, and offerings, and respectfully offer them to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, dedicate them to the Gods and Goddesses, and present them to our ancestors. We burn a stick of heart incense and sincerely invite you.

We respectfully invite the City God, the Great Kings, the Local Earth God, the Happiness God, the Blessings God, the Five Directions and Five Soils, the Dragon Vein Wealth God, the Kitchen God and his wife, and the Gods and Goddesses who govern this place. Please descend to the altar and accept our offerings.

We also invite our noble ancestors, the High Ancestors, the High Ancestresses, our uncles, brothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins, both inner and outer families, and the noble spirits, to descend to the spirit bed and accept our offerings.

We invite the spirits of the previous and current owners of this land to come to the altar and witness the new spring and accept our offerings.

May we, the believers, be healthy and prosperous in the coming year, and may all things go well and our families be prosperous and peaceful.

We sincerely pray, and offer this humble gift, please bear witness.

Homage to Amitabha Buddha (3 times, 3 bows).

After the three incense sticks have burned out, offer the votive paper.

When offering the votive paper, recite the following incantation:

“May the ancestors accept this humble offering of votive money and treasures…”

“May the deities accept this humble offering and guide the ancestors’ spirits back to the underworld.”

Recite clearly and audibly so that the deities and ancestors can receive the votive paper.

Guidelines for burning votive paper on Tet New Year’s Eve

After lighting the incense and reciting the incantation, immediately offer the votive paper while the incense is still burning (do not wait for the incense to burn out before offering the votive paper). Take the votive paper and the incantation to a well-ventilated and clean area. Read the incantation for offering the votive paper and proceed to burn the votive paper and the incantation. Then, sprinkle a little wine or rice on top so that the deities and ancestors can receive the money and use it in the underworld.

3Do we offer votive paper right after Tet New Year’s Eve?

Do we offer votive paper right after Tet New Year’s Eve?

According to the beliefs of many families, after offering Tet New Year’s Eve gifts, we should not offer votive paper right away but wait until the 3rd or 10th day of the new year to perform a thanksgiving ceremony and then offer the votive paper.

However, there are also some localities that have the custom of offering votive paper on New Year’s Eve. People believe that offering votive paper after the ceremony allows the deities and ancestors to immediately receive the sincerity of the host.

4Notes on offering votive paper on Tet New Year’s Eve

Notes on offering votive paper on Tet New Year’s Eve

Offer votive paper while the incense is still burning to show respect to the ancestors and deities. Waiting for the incense to burn out before offering votive paper is considered disrespectful.
The incantations and texts used during the Tet New Year’s Eve ceremony should be burned together with the votive paper and must be burned first.
Offer votive paper in a well-ventilated and clean area to prevent fires. After offering the votive paper, clean up the ashes and make sure the fire is completely extinguished.
When offering votive money, offer the gifts for the deities before offering the gifts for the family.

The above is some information about the votive paper set for Tet New Year’s Eve and how to offer it. We hope that this article has provided you with useful information.

Frequently asked questions

The traditional New Year’s Eve offering kit for the Lunar New Year in Vietnam is called a ‘Giap Thin Offering Kit’. It is significant as it is believed to bring good luck, fortune, and prosperity for the upcoming year. The kit usually includes a variety of traditional foods, fruits, and symbolic items that are offered to the ancestors and deities on the eve of the new year.

The essential items in the 2024 Giap Thin offering kit are five kinds of fruits (including apricots, plums, peaches, and two types of apples), dried young bamboo shoots, pork pie, Vietnamese ham, chicken pie, pork spring rolls, two types of steamed glutinous rice cakes (one with mung bean and one with black bean), pickled onions, and a bottle of Banh Tet wine.

Yes, there are specific traditions and rituals associated with the preparation and presentation of the offering kit. For example, it is customary to prepare the kit a day in advance and to set it up on a tray or altar, along with incense and candles. The kit is usually offered to the ancestors and deities on the eve of the new year, and it is believed that they will bring blessings and good fortune for the coming year.

The five kinds of fruits included in the kit are believed to represent the five elements of nature – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each type of fruit is chosen for its unique characteristics and symbolic meaning. For example, apricots represent wood and are believed to bring good health, while plums represent fire and are associated with wealth and prosperity.

While it is traditional to include the specific items mentioned in the kit, it may be acceptable to make minor adjustments to suit personal preferences or availability. However, it is generally advisable to follow the traditional list as closely as possible to maintain the symbolic significance and ritual value of the offering.