On December 23 every year, Vietnamese people perform a ritual to bid farewell to the Kitchen Gods, reporting to the Jade Emperor the good and bad deeds in the human world. On this day, people usually offer a carp as the main means for the Kitchen Gods to ascend to heaven. After the ritual, people will release the carp in rivers and lakes as a form of liberation.
Releasing carp on the day of worshiping the Kitchen Gods is considered a cultural beauty, reflecting the kindness and goodwill of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, let’s not lose this beauty of the nation through inappropriate actions. Instead, let’s do more meaningful things such as assisting people in releasing fish properly, promoting cultural awareness to those around us and the future generations, so that scenes like this will no longer exist in the future.
1. The significance of releasing carp
According to the Buddhist monks in Vietnam, liberation awakens filial piety and the goodness of human beings. Liberation means seeing creatures being confined, imprisoned, affecting their lives and endangering their lives, which leads to a surge of compassion, seeking ways to redeem their lives.
In addition, in the Vietnamese belief, “fish crossing the dragon gate” or “carp turning into a dragon” also symbolizes the rise, representing the spirit of overcoming difficulties, perseverance, determination, and readiness to achieve success.
Therefore, releasing carp on the day of worshiping the Kitchen Gods is not only a cultural beauty that shows people’s respect for the Kitchen Gods, but also reflects the precious compassion of human beings.
2. Releasing carp in the wrong way
Despite its good meaning, many people misunderstand or “intentionally ignore” the true significance, making the cultural beauty diminish.
You may notice that on bridges across rivers and lakes, people start to come and release carp on December 23. However, what we don’t expect is that those fish are not actually released but still remain in plastic bags. And if they are released, given the height of the bridges, the fish will have difficulty surviving.
This action contradicts the divine significance, reflecting the compassion of human beings. Because by releasing fish in this way, not only does it directly cause the fish to lose their lives, but it also pollutes the environment, affecting other creatures.
3. Releasing carp in the right way
According to folklore, carp should be released before 12 noon on December 23 in order for them to reach the Celestial Court. Therefore, early in the morning on December 23, the lead person starts the offering and releases fish into nearby rivers.
- Absolutely do not release fish on bridges or high points. This action is very ugly and may cause the fish to die after being released.
- When releasing fish, use your hand to slowly tilt the mouth of the plastic bag or fish container under the water surface for the fish to swim out on their own. If not, place the fish in the palm of your hand and gently release it. Avoid dumping or throwing the fish, as this may cause the fish to die. Also, it is important not to throw the plastic bag into the lake.
- Do not release fish in polluted environments, as the fish will have less chance of survival.
- When releasing fish, choose places with fewer fishermen to avoid their greed for catching fish.
- After releasing fish, take a moment to observe if the fish has swum away properly, to avoid situations where the fish may get stuck or swim in the wrong direction and get washed ashore.
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