Invocation at Temples and Shrines for Luck and Prosperity

Temples, Shrines, Ancestral Altars hold cultural and spiritual significance in various regions of Vietnam. During festivals, holidays, or monthly rituals, people often visit these places to seek peace, luck, and prosperity for themselves, their families, companies, nations, and communities. Detailed information on invocations at Temples, Shrines, Ancestral Altars, including Thanh Hoang prayers, Cong Dong invocation, and Tam Toa Thanh Mau ritual, will be shared by Mytour below.

Village Altar Invocations, a collection of prayers for temple visits, featuring various shrine invocations, ancestral altar rituals, and more.

1. Rituals at Temples and Shrines

Temples and shrines have a rich history, often dedicated to deities, city protectors, and revered ancestors. Since the nation's founding, these places have played vital roles, and during festivals and special occasions, Vietnamese people habitually visit these sites to express gratitude and seek blessings for the upcoming year.

* Rituals for City Protectors at Temples and Shrines

For your reference, explore the invocation to the City Protector below:

* Invocation for the Công Đồng Council (Great Council of Five Officials)

The following is the invocation for the Công Đồng Council that you can use as a guide:

* Invocation for the Holy Mother Triad

The invocations below are for reference purposes. Readers can review them and use them when visiting Temples and Shrines:

These village temple invocations can be applied at any Temple, Shrine, or Sanctuary you visit.

Readers can explore more specific invocations, such as the invocation for the West Lake Sanctuary or the invocation for Đình La Khê that we have introduced.
 

2. Offerings during Temple Visits at Temples and Shrines

In addition to invocations, the preparation of offerings during visits to village temples and shrines dedicated to deities, saints, guardian spirits, and the Holy Mother is crucial. Following traditions from ancient times to the present, you can acquire vegetarian offerings, fruits, and ceremonial salt, varying in size, to present to the divine beings.

- Vegetarian Offerings: Comprising incense, flowers, tea, fruits, and symbolic items. Vegetarian offerings are used to worship Buddhas, Bodhisattvas (if present), or to dedicate to the Holy Mother.

- Ceremonial Salt: Including cooked chicken, sausages, and other items, used to offer to the Công Đồng Council. It is also used for rituals dedicated to the City Protector and Agricultural Spirits.

- Offerings for Ancestral Spirits: Consisting of symbolic items like incense, fruits, flowers, tea, gold-colored items, and children's toys.

The preparation of these offerings is not mandatory, depending on individual circumstances and intentions.

3. Ritual Presentation when Visiting Temples and Shrines

* Sequence of Ritual Presentation

- Typically, individuals will present offerings first, meaning the worship of the Earth Deity and temple guardians.

- Arrange the offerings for the ritual at various temples and shrines.

- Place the offerings on altars: Use both hands with respect to present the offerings and place them on the altar. Arrange the offerings from the main altar to the outermost altar.

- After placing all the offerings on the altars, proceed to light the incense.

- Conduct the ritual from the main altar to the outermost one, concluding with the ancestral altars for the Holy Mother and guardian spirits.

Tips for offering rituals at Temples and Shrines

* Lighting Incense

- Those attending the ritual should light incense from the center outward; the main altar in the middle is lit first before proceeding to the altars on both sides. The number of incense sticks is odd, usually 3 sticks.

- After igniting the flames, use both hands to present the incense horizontally across the forehead, bow three times, then plant the incense using both hands. If there's a joss stick holder, it can be held in the center of the hand or placed on a tray.

* Reciting Invocations: Refer to the invocations at Temples and Shrines that we introduced above. Note that when gilding, the invocations and joss sticks are gilded first.

* Lowering the Ritual

- After the invocations, rituals at the altars, and exploring the scenic beauty of temples and shrines, when one week of incense is finished, it can be extended for another week. Then, bow three times and lower the symbolic items to gild. After gilding the gold and silver, only then proceed to lower other offerings.

- Lower the ritual in sequence from the outermost altar to the main altar.

- Offerings at the altars dedicated to the Holy Mother and guardian spirits should not be taken home.
 

4. Considerations when Visiting Temples, Shrines, Sanctuaries, and Palaces

Not only when visiting Temples and Pagodas but at any location, people need to consider:

- Dress modestly and respectfully; avoid wearing revealing or offensive attire;

- Avoid laughing, playing, running, or speaking too loudly;

- Refrain from cutting across those engaged in rituals or kneeling in worship;

- When performing rituals, avoid kneeling behind those standing while lighting incense;

- Do not bring items such as hats, scarves, or bags when entering the Three Jewels to pay respects to the Buddha. Also, avoid placing ceremonial salt in the main hall area;...

- When offering flowers, avoid using wild or miscellaneous flowers; opt for fresh flowers like lotus or chrysanthemums.

In this way, those visiting spiritual sites such as Temples and Shrines must pay careful attention to their attitude and conduct rituals with utmost seriousness and courtesy. Invocation at Temples and Shrines serves as a reference, which you can read and use.

Furthermore, you can explore invocations for offering to Ngọc Hoàng during the ceremony on the 9th day of the Lunar New Year to wish for a prosperous and fruitful year.