Ideal Time for Duanwu Festival Prayers, 2025
For Vietnamese people, the Duanwu Festival is a significant traditional holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This festival is rooted in the ancient belief of protecting crops from pests and purifying the body to prevent diseases. This time of the year marks the seasonal transition, when the weather changes, diseases thrive, and people are more susceptible to illnesses.
Duanwu Festival 2025, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, corresponds to Saturday, May 31st, on the Gregorian calendar. As this holiday conveniently lands on a weekend this year, families will have more flexibility to perform the ceremonial prayers.
Typically, the noon period, ranging from 11 am to 1 pm, is considered the ideal time for families to hold Duanwu Festival prayers. During this time of the day, the sun and the earth are closest, resulting in the highest concentration of yang energy and the hottest temperature. Our ancestors believed that this was the opportune moment to eradicate pests.
According to the perpetual calendar, the auspicious hours on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 2025 include Zi (11 pm–1 am), Chou (1 am–3 am), Mao (5 am–7 am), Wu (11 am–1 pm), Shen (3 pm–5 pm), and You (5 pm–7 pm).
However, the hours of Zi and Chou occur during the night and are therefore not suitable for performing Duanwu Festival prayers.
The Wu hour, or noon, is the most popular choice for families. Alternatively, you may opt for the Mao hour, which is considered a financially auspicious time, making it ideal for praying to the Gods of Wealth. On the other hand, the Shen hour is a convenient choice for families who cannot perform the prayers in the morning.
Depending on your specific circumstances, you can choose the most suitable hour for your prayers, ensuring that you demonstrate sincerity and devotion during the ceremony.
Four Things to Do on Duanwu Festival
On the Duanwu Festival, our ancestors performed prayers and carried out specific tasks to eradicate pests, protect crops, and safeguard human health. Here are four traditional practices associated with this festival:
- Duanwu Festival Prayers
On this festival, families prepare a ceremonial offering with traditional dishes such as glutinous rice wine, bamboo leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumplings, duck meat, and fresh fruits. These offerings are presented to deities and ancestors, seeking blessings for a prosperous year, abundant harvests, smooth endeavors, and good health for the family. The choice of offerings may vary depending on family customs and regional traditions. It is essential to approach the ceremony with reverence and respect, and there is no need for extravagant displays.
- Pest Eradication Rituals
Our ancestors employed specific foods like glutinous rice wine and fruits to eradicate pests. In the North, people perform this ritual immediately after waking up.
Upon waking, children are given fruits, boiled eggs, and a small amount of glutinous rice wine while still in bed, before they perform their morning hygiene routine. Adults, on the other hand, rinse their mouths three times and then consume boiled eggs and glutinous rice wine to ward off pests. They follow this with the consumption of fruits to eliminate any remaining pests.
- Herbal Bathing
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, it is customary to bathe with water infused with specific herbs to eliminate pests and protect health. Common herbs used for this purpose include perilla, basil, Chinese mugwort, and bamboo leaves. This herbal bath induces sweating, providing a refreshing and relaxing experience, leaving the body feeling clean and fragrant.
- Hair Washing and Herbal Steam Therapy
The aromatic herbs used during the festival are also employed for steam therapy and hair washing. Herbs like pomelo leaves, perilla, lemongrass, bamboo, and Chinese mugwort are used to create a steam bath, which helps prevent colds. Washing your hair with water boiled from these herbs results in smooth and shiny hair.
This information is for reference only.
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