Tet Thanh Minh, or the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, is a significant day in the religious beliefs and ancestral worship of the Vietnamese. This festival is an opportunity for descendants to honor their roots and remember their departed ancestors. The primary activity during this festival is cleaning and tending to the graves.
On Thanh Minh day, the family head usually prepares flowers and fruits to take to the graves of their ancestors. However, there are some types of fruits that are considered taboo and should be avoided during this festival, which the family head must take note of.
What are the four types of fruits considered taboo for the Thanh Minh festival?
Artificial Fruits and Flowers
While artificial fruits and flowers may look aesthetically pleasing and require less maintenance, they are not suitable for ancestral worship during the Thanh Minh festival. It is believed that using such items shows a lack of respect and sincerity towards one’s ancestors. Therefore, it is best to avoid using artificial offerings during this important festival.
Bitter, Sour, and Spicy Fruits from the Gourd Family
Fruits like bitter melon, chili peppers, sour sop, and star fruit that belong to the gourd family and have bitter, sour, or spicy flavors are also not recommended for offerings. These flavors are associated with the bitterness and sourness of life, and using them as offerings can be seen as disrespectful and inappropriate. It is believed that using such fruits may bring bad luck and show a lack of respect for the deceased.
Avoid Fruits from the Gourd Family
Pears
Pears are another type of fruit that is best avoided. The Vietnamese word for “pear,” when spoken, sounds similar to the word for “separation” or “parting.” Offering pears during the festival may symbolize separation from the departed souls, which can be emotionally challenging for the living descendants. Therefore, pears are usually not chosen as offerings during sacrificial rituals.
Durian
Durian is a delicious and expensive fruit, as reflected in the Vietnamese proverb, “one durian can buy three chickens.” However, it is not suitable for ancestral worship due to its strong odor and thorny appearance, which may be considered disrespectful and invite ridicule from others.
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