Incense offering is a traditional custom for Vietnamese people on the first day of the month, carrying profound spiritual significance. Each incense stick is lit not only to honor ancestors but also to wish for a peaceful, lucky, and smooth new month.
People usually prepare a simple offering of fresh flowers, fruits, a cup of water, and incense, presenting them to the ancestral altar with sincerity. This ritual is not only a spiritual practice but also a cultural beauty that reflects the virtue of “remembering the source of water when you drink it” and the belief in a good beginning.
This year, the first day of the fifth lunar month falls on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. According to Feng Shui expert Phung Phuong, there is only one auspicious time to light incense on this day, which is between 7 and 9 am (Hour of the Dragon).
This is considered the most suitable time to offer incense, conveying wishes for smoothness and success, inviting good fortune, and fulfilling aspirations. However, if one cannot perform the ritual at this hour for any reason, they can still light incense at another time of the day. What truly matters is sincerity and a kind heart towards the ancestors; as long as one’s heart is sincere, lighting incense at any time will bring peace and ease.
Auspicious Directions and Times for Setting Out
Additionally, according to the Feng Shui expert, we should also pay attention to the auspicious directions and times for setting out on this day.
When undertaking important tasks on the first day of the fifth lunar month, it is advisable to move towards the direction of the Joy God (Hỷ Thần), which brings joy and a relaxed mindset, making tasks go more smoothly. This direction is Southwest.
Setting out towards the direction of the Wealth God (Tài Thần) can attract financial opportunities and career success. This direction is East.
There are three auspicious time frames for a safe and fortunate journey, which are as follows:
Hour of Speedy Joy (Giờ Tốc Hỷ): 7-9 am and 7-9 pm. During this hour, you will encounter smoothness in your work, especially for urgent matters.
Hour of Great Peace (Giờ Đại An): 3-5 am and 3-5 pm. The Hour of Great Peace has a calming nature, bringing peace and luck. Therefore, setting out during this hour can bring tranquility and ease, especially for those traveling long distances.
Hour of Small Luck (Giờ Tiểu Cát): 11 am-1 pm and 11 pm-1 am. Setting out during the Hour of Small Luck will bring profit and good fortune, especially for those in business.
Along with these notes for the day, it is also important to do good deeds and bring positive things to others. When your heart is kind, your mindset will be more relaxed, and you will be able to accomplish more with ease.
3 Things to Do to Invite Wealth and Luck
Offer Incense for Peace
One of the first important things to do is to offer incense for peace. With sincerity, light an incense stick at your ancestral altar or go to a temple to offer incense and pray for health, peace, and smoothness in all matters. Although it is just a small ritual, it carries profound spiritual value, expressing gratitude to your ancestors and belief in spiritual protection for the new month.
Clean and Refresh Your Living Space
Next, cleaning and tidying your house is also highly valued on the first day of the month. Not only does it make your living environment neater and brighter, but it also symbolizes dispelling bad luck and welcoming positive energy and good fortune. You can clean the ancestral altar, change the water, put a vase of fresh flowers, or add a gentle fragrance to create a cozy and refreshing atmosphere.
Go to the Temple and Do Good Deeds
If you have time, visiting a temple to pray is a choice that many people uphold on the first day of the month. This is a time to calm your mind and pray for your family’s health, happiness, and smooth sailing in their endeavors. Additionally, you can do small acts of kindness, such as helping those in need, releasing captive animals, or simply offering a kind word of blessing—all of which nurture your benevolent heart and create blessings for the future.
Prayer for the First Day of the Fifth Lunar Month
Prayer for Incense Offering on the First Day of the Fifth Lunar Month, Year of the Snake, 2025
Nam Mo A Di Da Phat! (Recite 3 times and bow 3 times)
– I bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven and the Ten Directions of the Buddha, the Ten Directions of the Buddha.
– I respectfully bow to the Huang Tian Hou Tu and the noble gods.
– I respectfully bow to the City God, the Land God of this place, the Kitchen God of this family, and the noble gods.
– I respectfully bow to my ancestors, my late grandfather and grandmother, and my late uncles and aunts (if your parents are still alive, replace with late grandfather and grandmother)
Your faithful (us) name: …… Living at: ……
Today is the first day of the fifth lunar month of the year 2025, which falls on the first day of the month. Thanks to the grace of Heaven and Earth, the noble gods, and the ancestors, we sincerely prepare offerings, incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, and light a heart-incense stick in front of the altar.
We respectfully invite: The City God, the Great Kings of the Nine Directions, the Land God of this place, the Kitchen God of this family, the Five Directions, the Dragon Vein, and the Wealth God. Please descend to the altar to witness our sincerity and accept our offerings.
We respectfully invite our late grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, and other ancestors to witness our sincerity and accept our offerings with compassion.
We also invite the former and current owners of this house to come to the altar, enjoy the offerings, and protect our family so that we may always be healthy, peaceful, lucky, and prosperous in our endeavors, and live in harmony.
Our offerings are simple, but our hearts are sincere. We bow before the altar and ask for your protection and blessings.
Nam Mo A Di Da Phat! (Recite 3 times and bow 3 times)
The information in this article is for reference only.
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