The Art of Fruitful Offerings: An Ancient Ritual’s Unspoken Rule

3 November, 2024

Note on Superstitions

Burning incense with bananas is a familiar custom. Bananas are often found in the center of the five-fruit platter of many Northern families. For many families, important holidays like Tet and the 15th of August would not be complete without bananas.

Bananas are a common fruit in Vietnamese cuisine. Banana trees are a familiar sight in every village. Bananas are also inexpensive and easily accessible.

Offering bananas as incense is more than just presenting a fruit or a local produce; it symbolizes a plea for protection and support. For Northerners, bananas are the most common fruit in their five-fruit platter.

However, when burning incense with bananas, one should pay attention to the following:

Choosing a Beautiful Green Banana is Important

– There are many varieties of bananas, including banana peppers, seed bananas, leaf bananas, royal bananas, and Western bananas. Northerners typically choose the long, curved banana peppers, while Central people abstain from banana peppers and opt for royal bananas or those presented to the king. Therefore, when selecting bananas for incense, one should be mindful of regional cultural differences.

– Bananas are attractive and are usually used at home and not at the cemetery: In the past, people would not bring bananas to the cemetery when burning incense. Bananas were mainly placed on the ancestral altar at home. They were also not used for hungry ghost rituals. Folklore suggests that bananas attract souls, and burning them at the cemetery may invite ghosts into the house. Thus, elders advised against bringing bananas to cemeteries.

– Choose a whole bunch of bananas for incense, not individual fruits: When offering bananas, present them as a whole bunch, not separated. Separating them is considered a sign of disunity and fragmentation. Bunches with missing or bruised bananas are also not suitable for incense.

– Do not assemble or stack multiple banana bunches as they may fall and bring bad luck.

How to Choose a Beautiful and Auspicious Banana for Incense

Bananas for incense should be ripe, firm, and green but not overripe. Never use ripe bananas as they tend to fall off and attract small insects, disrupting the peace and cleanliness of the worship area.

Green bananas are sturdy and can support other fruits. Moreover, unripe bananas are not suitable as they are aesthetically unpleasing and considered bad feng shui.

Opt for bananas with stems, symbolizing good luck and aesthetics. When washing bananas, be careful not to remove the stems.

Select banana bunches with an odd number of fruits, as odd numbers represent the positive Yang energy, bringing good luck and prosperity. Even numbers, on the other hand, represent the negative Yin energy, indicating stagnation.

Avoid bananas with curved, crooked, or conjoined fruits.

When offering bananas, be mindful of the timing. Bananas should be presented before they ripen, as ripe bananas can emit an unpleasant odor, and the top of the bunch may rot, dripping liquid onto the altar and disrupting the sanctity of the worship area.

When preparing bananas for incense, avoid placing them on the ground. When washing the bananas, ensure you clean the crevices of the fruits without getting them too wet before placing them on the worship plate.

Reference information for divination