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According to the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, at the moment of transition between the old and the new year (midnight on the 30th of the lunar December), families often hold outdoor New Year's Eve rituals (also known as dispelling the old year's negativity) to ward off the negative aspects of the old year and welcome luck and blessings for family members in the new year.
Rituals, Outdoor New Year's Eve Prayers for the Year of Canh Tý
What preparations are needed for the New Year's Eve ritual? How is the outdoor New Year's Eve prayer conducted for the Year of Canh Tý 2020? Find out the answers with Mytour in the article below.
The Most Accurate Outdoor New Year's Eve Ritual for the Year of Canh Tý 2020
1. Why perform the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual for the Year of Canh Tý 2020
According to folk belief, every year, the heavens send down an official to oversee earthly affairs. At the end of the year, after completing their tasks, the departing deity will hand over responsibilities to the incoming one. Performing the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual for the Year of Canh Tý 2020, as commonly practiced by households, symbolizes bidding farewell to the departing deity and welcoming the new one.
Usually, the New Year's Eve ritual for the Year of Canh Tý includes 2 main ceremonial altars: the ancestral altar inside the house and the outdoor altar.
2. What does the outdoor New Year's Eve altar include?
The outdoor New Year's Eve altar needs to be meticulously prepared to reflect the homeowner's sincerity and reverence. Common offerings for the outdoor New Year's Eve altar include: Boiled pig's head/chicken, square glutinous rice cake/sticky rice, pork trotters, cakes and sweets, fresh flowers, betel leaves and areca nuts, a bowl of clear water, a bottle of liquor + liquor cup, oil lamps/candles, a bowl of white rice, a plate of salt, gold and silver, and ritual offerings (if available).
For some Buddhist families, the outdoor New Year's Eve altar may consist of vegetarian offerings.
How to arrange the outdoor New Year's Eve altar: Organize the items neatly on the outdoor altar.
3. Outdoor New Year's Eve prayer for the Year of Canh Tý 2020
At the moment of New Year's Eve transition between the old and the new year, homeowners dress neatly, light lanterns/candles, open wine, and light incense outside, pay respects to heaven and earth, then light incense to pay respects to ancestors inside the house. After lighting the incense, homeowners place the incense in a bowl of rice and recite the outdoor New Year's Eve prayer for the Year of Canh Tý 2020 as follows:
Outdoor New Year's Eve prayer for the Year of Canh Tý
After conducting the outdoor rituals, homeowners also need to prepare ceremonial items for indoor rituals and recite the indoor New Year's Eve prayer for the Year of Canh Tý 2020 as follows
Indoor New Year's Eve prayer for the Year of Canh Tý 2020
Note: The 2020 New Year's Eve prayer text here by Mytour is extracted from the latest outdoor and indoor rituals, excerpted from the traditional Vietnamese prayer book published by the cultural information publisher.
4. Some points to note when performing the New Year's Eve ritual for the Year of Canh Tý 2020
* Is it better to perform the New Year's Eve ritual indoors or outdoors first?
According to spiritual researchers, on New Year's Eve, homeowners should perform the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual first to 'welcome the new, bid farewell to the old,' and then perform the indoor ritual.
* In which direction should the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual be conducted?
According to auspicious timing, during the 2020 New Year's Eve period (from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM), the favorable directions are South (the deity of harmony) and East (the deity of Wealth). Therefore, to attract more wealth and happiness, homeowners should place the ceremonial altar and face these directions while performing the rituals.
* Is it necessary to perform the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual in an apartment building?
Feng shui experts suggest that performing the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual requires ample space, open sky, and earth, with offerings placed close to the ground. Therefore, families in apartment buildings can take offerings to the communal courtyard for the ritual instead of performing it on upper floors or balconies.
Here, Mytour has shared with readers detailed information about the outdoor New Year's Eve ritual for the Year of Canh Tý 2020 and some essential rituals for arranging offerings, choosing the right direction for the New Year's Eve ritual, bringing luck and prosperity. We hope this knowledge will be helpful to you.
According to spiritual beliefs, relocating the ancestral altar is crucial and should be done correctly to avoid negative consequences. In the new year 2020, if you plan to buy a new house, relocate, or move the ancestral altar to a more auspicious location, you should refer to our article on auspicious dates for relocating the ancestral altar in 2020.
