Simple and Superstitious Tips on Decorating the Lunar New Year Altar

Decorating the ancestral altar is one of the meaningful activities during the Lunar New Year. Let’s find out the most standard ways to decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day and some important notes to avoid!

1Meaning of decorating the ancestral altar on Tet day

Decorating the ancestral altar on Tet day shows the respect of descendants to their ancestors

Decorating the ancestral altar usually takes place on the 23rd of Tet or on special occasions such as weddings, funerals, or baby showers…

Decorating the ancestral altar, along with offering incense, is one of the important activities. It not only represents the spiritual beauty of our people but also expresses the gratitude of descendants towards their ancestors.

At the same time, decorating the ancestral altar also represents the wish for a new year full of peace, prosperity, good health, and career advancement.

2Simple ways to decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day

Step 1 Clean the altar

Before starting to decorate the ancestral altar, you should clean the altar thoroughly to attract more fortune and blessings for the new year.

Before starting to decorate the altar, you should clean the altar thoroughly

Step 2 Prepare decorations for the ancestral altar on Tet day

Furthermore, when preparing offerings for the ancestral altar on Tet day, you should prepare enough offerings including:

• A set of clothes and fake gold money.
• A vase of flowers with lightly scented flowers like cherry blossoms or apricot blossoms, and especially cannot be without a branch of peach blossoms or apricot blossoms.
• A tray of fruits and offerings for worship.
• Preserved jams, betel, or vegetarian dishes, all are acceptable.

Offerings for the ancestral altar on Tet day are indispensable

Step 3 Decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day

• Decorate the ancestral altar with fruits.
• Decorate the ancestral altar with flowers.
• Decorate the ancestral altar with traditional cakes like square sticky rice cake or Chung cake.
• Decorate the ancestral altar with feng shui items.

Step 4 Check the position of the decorative items on the ancestral altar

When decorating the ancestral altar, you should note the following:

• Hoanh phi (horizontal scrolls) should be hung on the wall in the middle position compared to the altar, parallel sentences should be hung on both sides of the horizontal scrolls.
• A large incense burner should be placed in the middle, two small incense burners should be placed on both sides to create a three-tai posture, bringing plenty of wealth and good luck to the host.
• At the outermost corner, you can add candles or oil lamps.
• Incense table and ancestor photos should be placed on both sides or in front of the photos.
• Furthermore, for the center of the altar, you should place the incense bowl.
• Finally, you should place the offering bowls in front of the incense bowl and place two crane statues on both sides of the incense bowl.

Besides arranging the offering items, the five-fruit tray is also an indispensable part of the ancestral altar on Tet day. Due to cultural differences, the five-fruit tray on Tet day varies in each region. Our people believe that the number five represents sustainable and strong development, bringing prosperity and abundance to the host.

3Principles of arranging the ancestral altar on Tet day

Principles of arranging the ancestral altar on Tet day

The principle of “First place, second direction”

The position of the ancestral altar must be in a solid position. It is best to have a separate room called the altar room, if not, it can be arranged in the living room or the reception room, it should not be placed in the bedroom, dining room, or kitchen.

According to feng shui, the “First place” here means that the ancestral altar is placed in the calcified positions of the Nine Palace Eight Evil Stars positioning technique such as Yin Quy nhân, Yang quy nhân, Heavenly Wealth (if in the position of the Tai Lộc cư Lộc headquarter dethroned location is effective), and Heavenly Horse. Among them, Yin Quy is considered as the main position for placing the ancestral altar, followed by Yang quy, then wealth position, and the next is the 16 Huyen khong trach van palaces (Diện thọ, Tài lộc, Tử tức).

The principle of cleanliness to activate spiritual energy

The ancestral altar is the residence of the ancestors in the family, so it is usually placed in the central and highest position in the house.

Cleaning the ancestral altar is the first and most important task, which needs to be done carefully and meticulously. A separate broom or cloth should be used for cleaning the ancestral altar.

The ancestral space is a sacred space in the family, where many emotional memories between generations are kept. Therefore, keeping the ancestral altar clean, cool, not only shows the care and respect of the descendants to their ancestors but also takes care of their spiritual ego in each individual.

4Taboos to avoid when decorating the ancestral altar on Tet day

You should dress neatly when decorating the altar on Tet day

Here are some things you should avoid, taboos when decorating the ancestral altar on holiday or Tet days:

• You should not choose fully bloomed flowers or artificial flowers to display on the altar. Additionally, you should also pay attention to trimming and arranging flowers to make them beautiful and balanced.
• In addition, when choosing incense burners, you should choose ones made of porcelain or copper to receive more luck and wealth, and absolutely avoid choosing incense burners made of jade.
• Furthermore, while arranging the offering items on the altar, you can adjust the incense burners if necessary.
• Moreover, decorative lights on the altar should have moderate brightness and it is best to have a yellow light color as it creates a warm and cozy atmosphere in your house.
• Especially, you should avoid leaving dirt and dust on the altar when decorating as it is considered disrespectful to the deities and deceased loved ones.

5How to decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day in the North

The ways to arrange the ancestral altar on Tet day in the North of Vietnam are usually more diverse and adhere to more principles compared to those in the South.

The central position on the family altar always includes a large copper incense burner and two smaller incense burners placed symmetrically, symbolizing the three-tai posture. Next are two canes or two oil lamps placed in the outermost corners, aiming to create a sense of harmony and completeness.

In addition, on the floral tray, it is necessary to prepare 2 vases of flowers placed on both sides of the altar to create balance and harmony. Besides, you must absolutely not present fake fruits on the altar as it is considered disrespectful and shows a lack of devotion.

Furthermore, in some Northern families, there is a tradition of placing 2 tall and leafy sugarcane plants on both sides of the altar to give a feeling of fullness and abundance. Regardless of how you want to arrange the altar, it must be completed before the 30th of Tet so that the whole family can stand in front of the altar and start lighting incense for the ancestors first!

How to decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day in the North

Regarding the offering tray, for Northern families, the ancestral offering tray on Tet is usually counted in normal units, including 4 bowls and 4 plates, 6 bowls and 6 plates, and 8 bowls and 8 plates. Depending on the size of the offering tray, the number of bowls and plates will be adjusted accordingly. Northern families usually arrange the offering tray with numbers 6 and 8 because according to feng shui, these numbers are considered lucky and bring good luck, while 4 bowls and 4 plates represent the four pillars, four seasons, and four directions. The bowls include a bowl of chicken soup, a bowl of intestines, a bowl of stewed meat (usually pork shank stewed with bamboo shoots), and a bowl of dried bamboo shoot soup. The plates consist of a plate of square sticky rice cake, a plate of sticky rice, a plate of boiled chicken, a plate of gio (Vietnamese pork roll), a plate of pickled onions, a plate of stir-fried or salad vegetables, and a plate of frying or dried meat.

Most Northern families will arrange these dishes on the ancestral offering tray, while adjusting one or two dishes to suit each family. It is important to note that on the ancestral altar on the 30th of Tet and the 1st day of Tet, a rooster must be used.

In terms of copper flower holders placed on the altar on Tet day in the North, they are usually made of peach blossoms and apricot blossoms. These two types of flowers symbolize prosperity, abundance, and the ability to dispel negative energies, and also bring a fresh life stream to the whole family.

In the five-fruit tray, people in the North always include two types of fruits: green bananas and pomelos, and the other three types of fruits can be chosen according to personal preference, such as kumquat, mandarins, apples, oranges, pears, dragon fruits, kiwis, etc., even chili peppers can be displayed on the Tet ancestral altar of people in the North as they come in diverse colors and fully represent the five elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

6Tips for cleaning and trimming incense sticks

Guide to cleaning the ancestral altar according to feng shui

Clean yourself: Before cleaning the ancestral altar, the homeowner needs to clean themselves, dress neatly to clearly express their sincerity. The house needs to be cleaned and expanded by opening all the doors inside the house.

Prepare cleaning tools: Prepare clean cloths and cleaning tools specifically for the ancestral altar. Proceed to clean the objects on the altar such as statues, incense, and worship items using diluted white wine and ginger.

Light incense to inform the ancestral spirits: Before cleaning the ancestral altar, it is necessary to light incense to inform the ancestral spirits and get their permission. Wait until the incense burns out before starting to clean the altar.

See details: 

Guide to trimming incense sticks

Step 1 Ask for permission from the ancestors or deities

Step 2 Clean the ancestral altar

Step 3 Trim the incense sticks

Step 4 Dispose of the ashes

Step 5 Light incense after completing the trimming

See details: 

7Images of beautiful and feng shui-decorated ancestral altars on Tet day

Above are the ways to decorate the ancestral altar on Tet day correctly and the precautions we have compiled. We hope this information is helpful to you. Wishing you good health!