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“Prayers for Ancestral Worship and Deities: A Daily and Monthly Guide”

Introducing the Art of Vietnamese Ancestral Worship: A Guide to Offering Incense and Prayers to the Land God and Ancestors The practice of offering incense and prayers to the Land God and ancestors is a beautiful tradition in Vietnamese culture. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive and detailed overview of the rituals involved in ancestral worship, offering guidance on the proper way to pay respect to one's family lineage and the gods.

Administrator

10 July, 2024

Incense offering to the Earth God and ancestors is a beautiful tradition in Vietnamese culture. A comprehensive and detailed guide to rituals and prayers for ancestors and deities.

1Significance of Ancestor Worship

Ancestor worship is an ancient Vietnamese tradition, an integral part of the culture and daily life. It is a way for descendants to honor and remember their deceased loved ones, with the date calculated according to the lunar calendar.

Ancestor worship is a crucial and necessary practice. It is a time to express sincerity and respect from the descendants to the ancestors. With the hope that the ancestors will bestow blessings of peace, good fortune, and prosperity upon the family.

Reference: Tet Holiday 2023

Significance of Ancestor Worship

2When to Use Ancestral Prayers

Ancestral prayers are typically used in the following situations:

Daily, weekly, or monthly worship of ancestors for their blessings and protection.
Prayers on the full moon or first day of each month.
Worship during Vietnamese holidays and festivals such as Tet Nguyen Tieu and Vu Lan.

When to Use Ancestral Prayers

Reference:

3How to Perform Ancestral Worship

To perform ancestral worship and create a solemn ceremony, you need to prepare the offerings, clean the house, and have the ancestral prayers ready. This will ensure that you can properly honor your ancestors.

During the prayer, whisper relevant information about the ceremony, including time, place, purpose, the honored deceased, names of family members, petitions, and promises.

How to Perform Ancestral Worship

4First Day of the Month Ancestral Prayer (Nominal Prayer)

“Nam mo A Di Da Phat! (3 times)

We bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven and the Ten Directions of the Buddha, the Buddha of the Ten Directions.

We respectfully bow to the Emperor of the Yellow Heaven and the Earth, the noble gods.

We respectfully bow to the local Earth God, the local Land God, and the Kitchen God, along with the noble gods.

We respectfully bow to our ancestors, our late father and mother (if parents are alive, replace with Ancestral Father and Ancestral Mother), and our dear departed.

The master of incense (we are named: …

Living at: .. Commune, … District, … Province…

Today is the first day of the month… in the year of the Yellow Pig 2019. Thanks to the grace of Heaven and Earth and the noble gods, we have prepared incense, flowers, tea, and fruits, and lit a sincere incense offering to the ancestors.

We respectfully invite: The local Earth God, the Great Kings of the Nine Directions, the local Land God, the Kitchen God, the Five Directions, the Dragon Vein, and the God of Wealth. Please descend to the altar and witness our sincerity and enjoy the offerings.

We respectfully invite our late father and mother, our dear departed of the … family, to witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings

and bestow blessings upon us.

We also invite the former and current owners of this house to join us and protect our family, bringing us good health, peace, and prosperity. Our offerings may be simple, but our hearts are sincere. We bow before the altar and ask for your blessings and protection.

Nam mo A Di Da Phat! (3 times)”

First Day of the Month Ancestral Prayer (Nominal Prayer)

5First Death Anniversary Prayer

First Death Anniversary Prayer

– We bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven and the Ten Directions of the Buddha, the Buddha of the Ten Directions.

– We respectfully bow to the local Earth God, the Great Kings of the Nine Directions.

– We respectfully bow to the Kitchen God, the God of the Eastern Kitchen.

– We respectfully bow to the local Land God and the local gods who govern this land.

– We respectfully bow to our noble ancestors of the Cao Tang family.

We, the descendants (state your name), aged (state your age), residing at (state your address), today is the … day of the … month of the … year (Lunar Calendar), mark the first death anniversary of (state the name of the deceased).

Time passes, and we no longer see your earthly form. The vastness of your grace is like the ocean and the sky. We forever remember your kindness in creating the foundation of our family and our lives. As we approach the first anniversary of your passing, we, your descendants, prepare offerings and incense to invite you to witness our sincerity and enjoy the offerings.

We sincerely invite (state the name of the deceased), who passed away on the … day of the … month of the … year (Lunar Calendar), buried at (state the burial place), to descend to the spiritual altar and witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings, and bestow blessings upon us, bringing peace and prosperity to our family.

We also invite our noble ancestors, our late father and mother, our dear departed of the … family, to witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings, and protect our family, bringing us good health, peace, and prosperity.

Our offerings may be simple, but our hearts are sincere. We bow before the altar and ask for your blessings and protection.

Respectfully announced!

6Pre-Anniversary Ancestral Prayer

Pre-Anniversary Ancestral Prayer

We bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven and the Ten Directions of the Buddha, the Buddha of the Ten Directions.

– We respectfully bow to the Emperor of the Yellow Heaven and the Earth, the noble gods.

– We respectfully bow to the Kitchen God, the God of the Eastern Kitchen.

– We respectfully bow to the local Land God and the local gods who govern this land.

– We respectfully bow to our ancestors of the … family.

We, the descendants (state your name), aged (state your age), residing at (state your address), today is the … day of the … month of the … year (Lunar Calendar), mark the death anniversary of (state the name of the deceased)

Though you have departed from this world, we still remember you fondly. Time passes, and we approach the anniversary of your passing. The vastness of your grace is like the ocean and the sky. We forever remember your kindness in creating the foundation of our family and our lives. Tomorrow is the anniversary of your passing, and today, we, your descendants, prepare offerings and incense to invite you to witness our sincerity and enjoy the offerings.

We also invite our ancestors, our late father and mother, our dear departed of the … family, to witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings, and protect our family, bringing us good health, peace, and prosperity.

We invite the local Land God, the Kitchen God, and the local gods to witness and enjoy the offerings.

Our offerings may be simple, but our hearts are sincere. We bow before the altar and ask for your blessings and protection.

Respectfully announced!

7Ancestral Prayer for the Hungry Ghost Festival

Ancestral Prayer for the Hungry Ghost Festival

Nam mo A Di Da Phat (3 times).

We bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven and the Ten Directions of the Buddha, the Buddha of the Ten Directions.

We respectfully bow to our ancestors and dear departed.

We, the descendants (state your name), residing at (state your address), today is the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the Vu Lan festival during the Trung Nguyen festival. We remember our ancestors, grandparents, and parents who gave birth to us and built our family and legacy, allowing us to enjoy their blessings.

We are grateful for their immense grace and kindness, and we offer incense, flowers, tea, fruits, gold, and silver as a token of our appreciation. We light a sincere incense offering and invite the ancestors, our late father and mother, our dear departed of the … family, our uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and all the souls of our relatives to witness our sincerity, enjoy the offerings, and bestow blessings upon us, bringing good health, peace, prosperity, and harmony to our family.

Our offerings may be simple, but our hearts are sincere. We bow before the altar and ask for your blessings and protection.

Nam mo A Di Da Phat (3 times)

8Notes on Ancestor Worship

Ancestor worship is an important ritual, so proper preparation is necessary. Additionally:

For significant anniversaries, such as the death anniversary of a parent, grandparent, spouse, or child, a pre-anniversary ceremony is held the day before. This day is called the Pre-Anniversary Day.

On the pre-anniversary day, offerings are first made to the Land God and then to the ancestors. Prayers are said to invite the honored deceased and the ancestors of the family to attend the anniversary ceremony.

During the anniversary ceremony, offerings are first made to the honored deceased, then to the ancestors of the family, from the highest to the lowest generations, and finally to the family gods.

Notes on Ancestor Worship

The above are the ancestral prayers that we would like to share with you. We hope that this information will be useful for your ancestor worship and bring good luck and prosperity to your family!

Frequently asked questions

Ancestral worship is a traditional practice of venerating one’s ancestors and deities. It is a way to show respect, seek blessings, and maintain a connection with one’s cultural roots. This practice is important as it helps individuals stay connected to their heritage, gain a sense of belonging, and find guidance and comfort from their ancestors.

Ancestral worship can be performed daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on an individual’s preference and cultural traditions. A daily practice can involve simple prayers or offerings, while more elaborate rituals can be reserved for special occasions or monthly observances.

Ancestral worship offers a range of benefits. It can bring a sense of peace and comfort, especially during difficult times, as individuals feel supported by their ancestors. It also promotes a connection to one’s cultural heritage and a sense of continuity with the past. Additionally, ancestral worship can foster a sense of community and shared identity among those who participate in the rituals.

Key practices include setting up an altar dedicated to ancestors, offering prayers and respects, making offerings of food and drinks, burning incense, and performing rituals on significant dates, such as death anniversaries or cultural festivals.

Creating a comfortable space for ancestral worship at home involves choosing a quiet and peaceful area, setting up an altar with photographs or mementos of ancestors, adding decorations that symbolize your cultural heritage, and ensuring the space is clean and welcoming. You can also include items that were significant to your ancestors or that represent their personalities or achievements.