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Offering flowers is an essential ritual when paying homage to ancestors and deities during significant festive periods. Discover how to arrange flowers on the altar with grace, sophistication, and heartfelt dedication. Let our article guide you through the process.
Decorating the Altar with Flowers for Tet
Arranging flowers for ancestral altars during Tet
During Tet celebrations, every household prepares fresh flower arrangements for their altars. Fresh flowers not only add warmth and beauty to the space, welcoming spring, but also carry special symbolism in feng shui.
Offering fresh flowers on the Tet altar symbolizes the homeowner's respect for divine beings and ancestors. At the beginning of the new year, everyone hopes to leave behind past troubles, anticipating a smooth and prosperous future for their families. This sentiment is reflected in the household's decoration of altars and ancestral shrines to welcome the new year.
However, arranging flowers for the altar comes with specific considerations that homeowners need to grasp. Because the altar is a solemn area, dedicated to ancestral worship in every family. Here are the key points to note when arranging flowers for the altar.
- Types of flowers to choose for Tet altar decoration: Apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, bougainvillea flowers, chrysanthemums, orchids, red roses, money plant flowers, safflowers, lilies, water lilies, cherry blossoms, lotus flowers. These are all flowers with auspicious meanings, suitable for the solemn space of the altar, and they also represent the upcoming spring season.
- Some Tet altar flower arrangement ideas for readers to consider:
Arranging Flowers for Ancestral Altars on Memorial Days
On memorial days, arranging flowers on the altar is simpler. Because this is a day of remembrance for the deceased, most people will use yellow chrysanthemums for those who had families. As for those who died young without families, white chrysanthemums are used.
On memorial days, homeowners should avoid using flashy flowers or inappropriate colors. It's best to use white and yellow flowers to create a solemn atmosphere.
Arranging Flowers for Ancestor Altars on Vu Lan Festival
Yellow chrysanthemums are often used during Vu Lan Festival
Vu Lan Festival falls on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. According to Vietnamese tradition, this day is marked by various activities such as releasing captive animals and praying for the deceased. The legend of Vu Lan Festival is closely associated with yellow and white chrysanthemums, so on this day, people also prioritize offering yellow and white chrysanthemums.
Arranging Flowers for Ancestor Altars on Full Moon and the 1st Day of the Lunar Month
On the full moon or the 1st day of the lunar month, there will be more diverse options of flowers for you to choose from. Just avoid flowers with superstitions placed on the altar. Otherwise, the choice of flowers can be flexible according to the season and the homeowner's preference.
Note on Flowers Not to Place on the Altar
Types of Flowers to Avoid Placing on the Altar
- Cactus Flower (Dahlia): Ancient beliefs associate cactus flowers with spirits and ghosts, so despite their beauty and fragrance, they are not suitable for altar offerings.
- Jasmine Flower: Jasmine is a wildflower found along roadsides, and there's a saying, 'Jasmine blooms in buffalo dung,' making it inappropriate for altar offerings.
- Hydrangea Flower: This flower symbolizes transience and quick withering, so it's highly discouraged to place it on the altar.
- Lily Flower: Some people avoid placing lilies on the altar because the word 'lily' sounds similar to 'farewell' or 'parting'.
- Orchid Flower: Orchids evoke notions of frivolity and flirtation, making them unsuitable for altar offerings.
- Forbidden Flower: Despite its beautiful and captivating colors, the forbidden flower should not be placed on the altar. Its name is not appropriate and does not suit the solemnity of the area.
In addition to the aforementioned flowers, homeowners should also refrain from using artificial flowers. Artificial flowers lack freshness and are prone to gathering dust over time. Placing them on the altar fails to demonstrate the reverence of descendants towards their ancestors.
Guide to Arranging Altar Flowers
After selecting the types of flowers for the altar, readers can refer to methods for arranging them beautifully and in accordance with altar feng shui principles.
Method 1: Arranging Yellow Chrysanthemums and Huệ Ta Flowers
Combining yellow chrysanthemums and huệ ta flowers to offer to the ancestral altar
- Preparation:
- 10 Stalks of yellow chrysanthemums
- 10 Stalks of huệ ta flowers
- Fortune plant leaves
- Tall vase for flower arrangement
- Procedure:
- Step 1: Clean the flower vase, fill it with water to ⅔ full, add 1 B1 tablet to keep the flowers fresh longer.
- Step 2: Cut the stems of yellow chrysanthemums and huệ ta flowers at a 45-degree angle. Estimate the height of the stems to be proportional to the vase, neither too high nor too low.
- Step 3: Alternate the arrangement of yellow chrysanthemums and huệ ta flowers evenly and naturally.
- Step 4: Decorate with fortune plant leaves around the mouth of the vase.
Method 2: Arranging Orchids
Orchids are often chosen by many homeowners to arrange and offer on the altar
- Preparation:
- 20 Branches of bougainvillea flowers, available in red or yellow
- Fortune plant leaves for decoration
- Tall slim glass vase
- Foam, glue, tape
- Procedure:
- Step 1: Soak the foam in water, use tape to secure the foam tightly to the mouth of the vase.
- Step 2: Cut the bougainvillea flowers to fit the height of the vase. Then select the 3 straightest branches to insert into the center of the foam.
- Step 4: Choose branches with moderate curves, cut them shorter than the 3 middle branches, then insert them on the sides. Continue cutting the outer branches shorter gradually, arranging them evenly and covering the foam completely. Ensure symmetry between the two sides when inserting.
- Step 5: Utilize additional leafy parts of the flowers to decorate the mouth of the vase, covering any exposed foam at the bottom.
Things to avoid when arranging ancestral altar flowers
There are some things readers should keep in mind when arranging flowers for the ancestral altar:
- Avoid choosing withered flowers. Withered flowers are neither beautiful nor auspicious as they symbolize decay.
- Avoid placing bulky flower vases on the altar that obscure the images of the deceased.
- Choose flowers appropriate for the occasion: weddings, festivals, memorial days, etc.
Above are the methods for arranging altar flowers for weddings, festivals, and memorial days. We hope you will select the appropriate flowers to decorate according to each event to show respect for your ancestors.
Thank you for reading. We look forward to seeing you again in our upcoming content.
