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Preparing the feast, reciting the invocation is an essential ritual in annual worship ceremonies. This longstanding spiritual tradition is how homeowners express sincerity towards deities and wish for peace for their loved ones during major holidays. Let Mytour Blog assist you in compiling comprehensive and detailed 8th Month Full Moon Festival invocations.
8th Month Full Moon Festival Invocation for Ancestors
Here is the Ancestral Invocation according to the traditional Vietnamese texts published by the Cultural Information Publishing House, widely used during the 8th Month Full Moon Festival.
'I respectfully pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Empress, and all revered deities.'
'I respectfully pay homage to the Celestial Supervisor, the Earthly Supervisor, the Kitchen Deity, and all revered deities.'
'I respectfully pay homage to the Ancestral Elders, Ancestral Matriarchs, elder brothers, elder sisters, younger brothers, younger sisters, both paternal and maternal relatives.'
'Our household believers are:……..name…….., residing at………address………'
Today is the 8th day of the lunar month, marking the Mid-Autumn Festival. With sincere hearts, our household believers prepare offerings, floral arrangements, fruits, and tea, lighting incense to offer before the altar.
We respectfully invite the Celestial Supervisor, the Earthly Supervisor, the Kitchen Deity, the Five Directions, Dragon Veins, and Wealth Deities. We humbly request your presence to witness our sincere offerings.
We respectfully invite our Ancestral Elders, Ancestral Matriarchs, and all departed ancestors, imploring your mercy to bless our sacred descendants, witness our heartfelt sincerity, and accept our offerings.
Our household believers also respectfully invite the preceding and succeeding generations who have resided in this house and on this land, past and present, to share in the blessings. We beseech you to grant us noble dignity, peaceful destinies, unhindered seasons, and prosperous festivities throughout the year.
We offer our sincere homage, bowing before the altar, humbly seeking divine protection and guidance.
We earnestly plead for mercy!”
Feast Offering for Ancestors on the 8th lunar month (Source: Internet)Invoking Spirits, Wealth Deities, and Earth Deities on the 8th lunar month
After setting up the altar, offering items for Spirits, Wealth Deities, and Earth Deities, and performing traditional rituals, earnestly recite the 8th lunar month invocation below.
“Homage to Amitabha Buddha
Homage to Amitabha Buddha
Homage to Amitabha Buddha! (3 bows)
I respectfully bow to the nine heavens, ten directions of Buddhas, and Buddhas of ten directions.
I respectfully pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Empress, and all revered deities.
I respectfully pay homage to the Eastern Deity.
I respectfully pay homage to the ancestral Earth Deity of this land, Dragon Veins.
I respectfully bow to the Five Directions, Five Elements, and Deities of Blessings and Virtue.
I respectfully pay homage to the ancestral and contemporary Earth Deities of wealth and fortune.
I respectfully pay homage to the overseeing Deities in this area.
Our household believers are:……..name…….., residing at………address………
Today is the… day of… month… year…, our household devoutly arranges flowers, ceremonial offerings, burns precious incense, offering fragrant prayers before the altar. We sincerely invite: Lord Kim Niên overseeing the Zodiac Year with noble virtue, the Grand Emperor overseeing the Heavenly Palace, the Eastern Commander-in-chief governing destiny, the Earth Deity of our household. Long Mạch Deity, the Five Directions, Five Elements, Deities of Blessings, and the overseeing Deities in this area.
We humbly implore Your Excellencies to graciously accept the heartfelt invitation, bear witness to the sincere hearts of our household believers, accept the offerings, and bless our entire family with peace and prosperity in work. May everyone enjoy peace and security, increase in wealth and fortune, expand spiritual knowledge, fulfill all desires, and align their hearts in unity.
We offer our sincere devotion, bowing respectfully before the altar, seeking divine protection and support.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! (recite 3 times with 3 bows)
Offering prayers for the 8th lunar month at organizations and offices
If conducting the ritual at an organization or office, you will use a similar ritual text as the one for offering to Deities, Wealth Deities, and Earth Deities. However, this ritual for the 8th lunar month will have some changes in the addressing part.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha
Namo Amitabha Buddha
Homage to Amitabha Buddha!
I pay homage to the nine skies, ten directions of Buddhas, and the Buddhas of ten directions.
I respectfully bow to the Heavenly Emperor and Earth Empress, all revered deities.
I respectfully bow to the Eastern Lord, the Administrator of Fate, the Divine Army Commander.
I respectfully bow to the Wealth Deity.
I respectfully bow to the divine spirits, the Earth Deity governing this land.
As the Director of the company (or other title) ......name........, residing at ......address........
Today is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the year of the Quy Mao.
I, as the host, earnestly prepare floral offerings, precious items, gold, tea, and other offerings, laid out before the altar to respectfully invite the Wealth Deity.
We humbly implore the Wealth Deity to show mercy to the devotees, to descend before the altar, bear witness to their sincere hearts, accept the offerings, and bless the devotees with security, prosperity, flourishing family life, increasing wealth, expanding spiritual knowledge, fulfilling all wishes, and aligning their hearts with virtue.
We offer our sincere prayers and humbly seek divine blessings.
Namo Amitabha Buddha
Homage to Amitabha Buddha
Homage to Amitabha Buddha!
Offering rituals for the 8th lunar month at organizations and offices (Source: Internet)Suggestions for meaningful mid-autumn festival altar offerings
In addition to the ritual of reading the prayer for the 8th lunar month, preparing the altar offerings is also crucial. Typically, the altar offerings for the 8th lunar month will be arranged and prepared according to the customs of each locality and the conditions of each family for the most suitable arrangement. The dishes in the altar offerings can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Basic items typically found in the altar offerings for the 8th lunar month include:
- Boiled chicken
- Sticky rice
- Mien soup
- Mooncakes
- Fresh flowers
- Fresh fruits such as ripe bananas, pomelos (symbolizing auspiciousness), red apples (representing abundance), pomegranates (symbolizing fertility), litchis (representing good luck),…
Furthermore, you can select seasonal foods and prepare dishes suitable for your family to prepare for the altar offerings. The altar offerings may not need to be elaborate, but they should be complete and meticulous to express the sincere intentions of the household.
Altar offerings for the 8th lunar month (Source: Internet)Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing an auspicious time for offering altar offerings for the 8th lunar month will bring blessings and prosperity to the household. Below are some favorable time frames you can consider:
Mao Hour (5 – 7 a.m.): Time of the Devil’s Tomb, Heavenly Gate of Quy Dang.
Thin Hour (7 – 9 a.m.): Time of the Heavenly Pivot, Four great time slots.
Ty Hour (9 – 11 a.m.): Time of the Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Gate of Quy Dang, Auspicious stars.
Mui Hour (1 – 3 p.m.): Time of the Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Gate of Quy Dang.
Dau Hour (5 – 7 p.m.): Time of the Devil’s Tomb, Auspicious stars of Heavenly At, Heavenly Quy stars, Earthly Quy stars.
Unlike the offerings for the Lunar New Year or the 7th lunar month, it doesn’t matter whether altar offerings for the 8th lunar month are conducted indoors or outdoors. Depending on the regional culture and the family’s customs, you can choose where to arrange the altar offerings.
Typically, altar offerings for the 8th lunar month are placed on the Buddha altar or the ancestral altar indoors. Alternatively, the household can also conduct the offerings outdoors to express gratitude upwards and seek blessings for loved ones.
With these prayers for the 8th lunar month and Mid-Autumn Festival, you'll be able to easily perform this spiritual ritual during each annual ceremony to express sincerity and wish the best for your family. For more articles on similar topics, don't forget to follow Mytour – Vietnam's leading information website.
