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The First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year, also known as Tet Nguyen Tieu, is a significant festival for the Vietnamese people. Hence, preparing offerings must express sincere reverence to the deities and ancestors. Here, Media Mart will guide you on what not to place on the altar during the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year.
1. Imitation Vegetarian Dishes
Families with Buddhist altars cannot do without a vegetarian feast. However, it's essential to remember that a vegetarian feast should consist of purely vegetarian dishes. Offering imitation meats such as fake shrimp, fake meat, or fake fish signifies lingering desires and superficiality.
In addition, vegetarianism is considered a way to nurture both the mind and body, simple yet highly effective. However, preparing vegetarian dishes is relatively complex and more challenging than preparing meat dishes. Therefore, you should carefully consider before offering purely vegetarian dishes during the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year.
2. Pig's Head
Many families during the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year often offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. However, it's crucial to avoid using pig's heads. Folk beliefs suggest that offering pig's heads is generally unfavorable as it may affect the family's fortune. Instead of pig's heads, you can offer items such as chicken, sticky rice, bamboo shoot soup, or noodles.
3. Artificial Flowers and Fruits
Our ancestors have long said that offering throughout the year is not as significant as on the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year. Every year, on this day, families prepare offerings with sincere reverence to present to the ancestral altar, expressing gratitude and seeking peace, luck, and prosperity for the year ahead.
Folk beliefs suggest that the altar on the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year does not require excessive preparation. Depending on the economic conditions of many families, they can choose various quantities and dishes as long as they demonstrate sincere reverence. However, you should avoid presenting artificial flowers or fruits.
Offering fake items to worship the Buddha or ancestors is considered one of the major taboos. Therefore, it's advisable to acquire fresh fruits with a pleasant aroma for offering.
4. Counterfeit Money
Besides savory and sweet offerings, families often present both positive and negative money on the altar during the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year.
Homeowners should refrain from placing positive money on the offering table, avoiding counterfeit or illegally sourced money earned from unlawful activities or against moral principles. Therefore, when placing money on the altar, the quantity is not important; what matters is the homeowner's sincerity towards the deities and Buddhas.
Here are the taboos that should not be placed on the altar during the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year for your reference. Remember to keep them in mind and apply them. Don't forget to follow Media Mart for quick updates on the most useful information.
