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Typically, cleaning the altar is performed on full moon days or the 1st day of each month before offering sacrifices and lighting incense to honor ancestors. However, at the end of the year, this task receives much more attention and care from families. The ritual of cleaning and trimming incense sticks should be carried out solemnly and respectfully on auspicious days and at good hours. Below is the schedule of the auspicious day for cleaning the altar in 2023, inviting readers to refer to ensure that trimming incense sticks and arranging incense bowls are done correctly, bringing luck and prosperity to the whole family.
Auspicious Day for Trimming Incense Sticks in 2023: Welcoming the Quy Mao Tet with Prosperity
Tidying the ancestral altar and trimming incense sticks is deeply rooted in Vietnamese folklore.
The act of cleaning the ancestral altar and arranging offerings is a daily practice, often observed on full moon days or the first day of each lunar month, varying according to family customs.
However, the thorough cleaning and arranging of the ancestral altar on the last day of the year is a common ritual practiced by most Vietnamese families, except those following Christianity or Catholicism.
Cleaning the ancestral altar and trimming incense sticks is usually done on the last days of the year, after the ceremony to see off the Land Genie and the Kitchen Gods return to Heaven. The ritual should be conducted with solemnity by the head of the family (usually male) with reverence and gratitude.
- Read more: What is cleaning the ancestral altar?
2. Auspicious days for cleaning the ancestral altar in 2023
According to Mytour's research, at the end of 2023, besides the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month (the day to see off the Land Genie and the Kitchen Gods), there are also 3 auspicious days, the 24th, 26th, and 28th of the twelfth lunar month, suitable for homeowners to clean the ancestral altar. Specifically:
- On the 23rd of the 12th lunar month in 2022, which falls on Saturday, January 14, 2023, in the Gregorian calendar.
- On the 24th of the 12th lunar month in 2022, which falls on Sunday, January 15, 2023, in the Gregorian calendar.
- On the 26th of the 12th lunar month in 2022, which falls on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in the Gregorian calendar.
- On the 28th of the 12th lunar month in 2022, which falls on Thursday, January 19, 2023, in the Gregorian calendar.
Details of auspicious dates and times for trimming incense sticks in 2023 are as follows:
Auspicious days for cleaning the ancestral altar in 2023 according to the lunar and Gregorian calendars
3. Important considerations when cleaning the ancestral altar and trimming incense sticks in 2023
Cleaning the ancestral altar and trimming incense sticks should not be done arbitrarily but must adhere to certain rules. To avoid ancestral reprimands, homeowners need to pay attention to the following issues:
- Folk belief holds that the incense bowl is a sacred place in the family, rarely moved. Therefore, before trimming incense sticks, the head of the family needs to offer sacrifices, report, and respectfully ask the ancestors to temporarily step aside while the descendants clean the ancestral altar and trim the incense sticks.
- The number of old incense sticks to leave on the altar for male homeowners is 7, 17, 27, or 37, and for female homeowners is 9, 19, or 29, 39.
- Cleaning should be done with fragrant water such as commercially available five-spice powder water or natural leaves such as ginger, grapefruit leaves, lemongrass, bok choy, ...
- After trimming, the incense sticks should be taken away for burial, not discarded in unsanitary places such as trash cans or drains. The ash from the incense sticks should then be buried at the base of a tree or spread in a cool, peaceful place with water.
Above is all the information about the auspicious dates for cleaning the ancestral altar in 2023 and things to note when trimming incense sticks. Before trimming, homeowners should refer to choose auspicious dates and auspicious hours to perform the spiritual work of the family, avoiding mistakes that could lead to ancestral reprimands affecting health and prosperity.
