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The Mid-Autumn Offering: A Ritual for Businesses and Organizations

"Looking to conduct a meaningful and impactful Hungry Ghost Festival offering at your workplace? We've got you covered with our comprehensive guide on how to perform this significant ritual at your office, store, or any other professional setting. Enhance your spiritual well-being and that of your colleagues with our meticulously crafted rituals. Check out our step-by-step guide now and elevate your spiritual practice this Hungry Ghost Festival."

Administrator

10 July, 2024

For business owners seeking smooth sailing and prosperity in their ventures, it is customary to prepare an offering on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. This ritual aims to bring good fortune and success in the coming year. To simplify this tradition, we provide you with a comprehensive guide on the offerings and prayers for this occasion, following traditional Vietnamese customs.

1. Offerings for the 15th Day of the Seventh Lunar Month at Businesses and Organizations

Offerings for the God of Wealth

Offerings for the God of Wealth

The basic offerings for the God of Wealth at businesses and organizations include:

Glutinous rice (gạo tẻ), paper money, cigarettes, and betel nuts.
A set of three dishes: boiled chicken, three boiled eggs, and three boiled fish.
Fresh flowers such as chrysanthemums, lotuses, or gerberas.
Small change, a plate of sliced betel nuts, small candles or incense sticks, and incense.
Three cups each of water and wine.
Fresh fruit: five different types of fruit to represent the five elements.
Betel leaves and areca nuts: one betel leaf and one areca nut.
Red sticky rice or mung bean sticky rice.

Additionally, you may choose to include grilled pork, roasted pig, or rice vermicelli as part of the offerings, depending on your cultural background and preferences.

Offerings for the Deceased (Hungry Ghosts)

Offerings for the Deceased (Hungry Ghosts)

Alongside the offerings for the God of Wealth, prepare a separate set of offerings for the deceased, which should include:

A tray of vegetarian food or sticky rice (red sticky rice or mung bean sticky rice), along with a bowl of sweet soup or plain white rice. If there is only a single ancestral tablet on the altar, place the offerings to one side and proceed with the ceremony.
A tray of five different types of fruit, along with star fruit, sugar cane, guava, and boiled corn, cassava, or sweet potatoes.
A plate of cakes, popcorn, and rice crackers.
A bowl of thin rice porridge.
Paper money and paper clothing for the deceased. Prepare at least ten to fifteen sets of paper money and twenty to fifty sets of paper clothing.
Incense and fragrant candles.
White rice and salt, along with five bowls and five pairs of chopsticks or spoons.
Sugarcane sections and green bananas.
Fresh flowers such as chrysanthemums, lotuses, or gerberas.

2. Prayers for the 15th Day of the Seventh Lunar Month at Businesses and Organizations

Prayers for the 15th Day of the Seventh Lunar Month at Businesses and Organizations

Prayer for the God of Wealth

“Nam mô a di Đà Phật! Nam mô a di Đà Phật! Nam mô a di Đà Phật!

We bow to the Nine Heavens and the Ten Directions, and to the Buddhas of the Ten Directions.

We respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven and the Empress of Earth, as well as to all the deities.

We bow to the East Kitchen God, the Guardian of the Stove.

We bow to the God of Wealth.

We bow to the deities and the Earth God who govern this place.

We, the faithful [your name],

residing at [your address],

today, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month of the year of the Water Rabbit [2023],

have prepared incense, flowers, and offerings to invite the God of Wealth to descend upon this place and witness our sincerity. We humbly ask for your blessings and protection, bringing us peace, prosperity, and success in our endeavors. May our wealth and fortune increase, our spiritual path expand, and our wishes be granted.

We offer these humble gifts with a sincere heart, bowing before you and asking for your blessings and protection.

Nam mô a di Đà Phật! (Bow three times)

Prayer for the Deceased (Hungry Ghosts)

Nam mô A Di Đà Phật! Nam mô A Di Đà Phật! Nam mô A Di Đà Phật!

We bow to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, the Venerable Maudgalyayana, the Local City God, the Earth God, the Stove God, and all the deities who govern this place.

Today, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month of the year of the Water Rabbit [2023],

we, the faithful [your name],

residing at [your address],

humbly ask that on this day of pardoning the deceased, the gates of the underworld be opened to allow the wandering souls without refuge, graves, or descendants to gather here and enjoy our offerings of food, tea, betel nuts, rice, fruit, lanterns, paper money, and colorful clothing. We ask for your blessings and protection, granting us good health, increasing our wealth, fulfilling our wishes, and bringing us good fortune.

Nam mô A Di Đà Phật! (Bow three times)

3. Proper Way to Burn Paper Offerings on the 15th Day of the Seventh Lunar Month

Proper Way to Burn Paper Offerings on the 15th Day of the Seventh Lunar Month

When burning paper offerings, do so gently and slowly, allowing the fire to consume the offerings completely. Avoid using sticks or rods to push or poke at the burning offerings, and always call out the names of the deceased while burning the paper money to show respect and sincerity.

Choose a clean outdoor space to burn the offerings, and wait for the incense to burn out before lighting the paper. Burn the offerings sequentially, starting with those for the household gods and then those for the ancestors. Before burning each set of offerings, bow three times and recite: “We offer this paper money, gold, and silver to the departed souls of our ancestors. Please accept our humble offerings. We respectfully inform the deities that we are sending the souls of the departed back to the underworld.”

For more detailed information, please refer to our website.

We hope that this guide has provided you with the information you need to perform the offerings and prayers effectively. Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference!

Frequently asked questions

The Mid-Autumn Offering is an ancient Vietnamese ritual performed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is believed that during this festival, the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, allowing ancestors and deities to easily bestow blessings and good fortune upon their living descendants. The ritual involves making offerings of mooncakes, fruits, and other traditional delicacies to these ancestral spirits and deities, expressing gratitude for their blessings and seeking their continued favor and protection.

Anyone can perform the Mid-Autumn Offering ritual, and it is typically done within families or organizations during the Mid-Autumn Festival season, which usually falls in September or early October. Businesses and organizations often perform this ritual to seek blessings for prosperity, success, and harmony in their ventures.

Performing this ritual is believed to bring about numerous benefits. On a spiritual level, it helps maintain a harmonious relationship with one’s ancestors and deities, ensuring their continued blessings and protection. On a more practical level, it is believed to bring good fortune, success, and prosperity to the performers, their families, and their businesses or organizations.

Traditional offerings include mooncakes, which are considered essential, as well as various types of fruits such as dragon fruit, mango, and pomelo. Other delicacies like cakes, candies, and biscuits can also be offered. It is believed that the ancestors and deities enjoy the sweetness and variety of these treats.

Yes, while there is no mandatory script, it is customary to express gratitude and respect to one’s ancestors and deities. People often thank them for their blessings, protection, and guidance throughout the year and seek their continued favor. Some may also make specific requests, such as for good health, success in business ventures, or harmony within the family or organization.