Top 10 Essential Tips for the Most Accurate and Comprehensive Ong Cong Ong Tao Ritual

In Vietnamese folk beliefs, Thần Táo Quân (Ong Cong Ong Tao) actually has its roots from the three Chinese deities: Thổ Công, Thổ Địa, Thổ Kỳ of Taoism. Later, it was adapted into the legend of 'two lords and one lady'—the deities of Earth, House, and Kitchen. However, Vietnamese people still commonly refer to them as Táo Quân or Ong Táo.

The tale of Ong Táo is passed down through generations, recounting: 'A woman named Thị Nhi was married to Trọng Cao. Although their love was deep, they couldn't conceive a child. Trọng Cao, frustrated, began to mistreat his wife. One day, a trivial argument escalated, leading to physical abuse, and he chased Thị Nhi away. Thị Nhi, abandoned, wandered to another land and later encountered Phạm Lang. They fell in love and became a couple. As for Trọng Cao, regretful and remorseful, he set out to find his wife.

After days of searching, running out of rice and money, Trọng Cao had to beg along the way. Eventually, he coincidentally sought food at Thị Nhi's house when Phạm Lang was away. Thị Nhi recognized her long-lost husband. She invited him in, prepared a meal, and right at that moment, Phạm Lang returned. Fearful of her husband's suspicion, Thị Nhi hid Cao under the straw behind the garden. Unfortunately, Phạm Lang lit the straw to gather ash for the field. Seeing the fire, Thị Nhi panicked and rushed into the flames to rescue her ex-husband. Witnessing his wife jumping into the fire, Phạm Lang, out of love, followed suit. All three perished in the flames. Touched by their intertwined fates, Ngọc Hoàng appointed them as kitchen deities. Consequently, the new husband became Thổ Công overseeing kitchen tasks, the ex-husband became Thổ Địa overseeing household matters, and the wife became Thổ Kỳ overseeing market affairs.'

Vietnamese people often worship Ong Cong Ong Tao on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, the day when Ong Tao returns to heaven to report everything that happened in the household to Ngoc Hoang over the past year. The ritual to send Ong Cong Ong Tao to the sky usually takes place on the evening of the 22nd if a family does not have time to prepare on the exact day.

In reality, as Ong Cong Ong Tao still works on that day, most families can either worship on the 23rd of Lunar New Year annually or be more flexible. People often pass on the tradition of worshipping Ong Cong Ong Tao before noon on the 23rd of Lunar New Year, creating the conditions for the deities to report to the heavenly court as early as possible. Avoiding traffic jams or late reporting to Ngoc Hoang.

According to Vietnamese beliefs, Ong Tao or Tao Quan is a deity closely connected to each family, understanding everything happening and deciding fate, blessings, and misfortunes for them. Here, blessings are the proper standards, ethical behavior among people to bring good things to everyone around. Ong Tao also directly reports to Ngoc Hoang the good and bad deeds of the homeowners in the past year, representing the homeowners to ask for blessings in the coming year.

It is believed that on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, Tao Quan rides a carp turned into a dragon to the Heavenly Palace to report all the good and bad deeds of humans in a year for the Heavenly Palace to judge crimes and reward merits for all human beings. On New Year's Eve, Tao Quan returns to the mortal world to continue the task of taking care of the family hearth.

Since then, the day of Ong Cong Ong Tao has entered the subconscious of the Vietnamese people. On this day, people make a feast to express gratitude to the deities. At the same time, it is an occasion for everyone to gather together after a hardworking year. Therefore, every Vietnamese family often has the habit of worshipping Ong Cong Ong Tao on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, with the desire for luck and goodness for all members in the new year, leaving behind all the old things.

In addition to the main offerings mentioned above, depending on the nature and culture of each region, there may be additional supplementary offerings such as cakes, candies, and fresh flowers. Many families believe that, in addition to the necessary items for worshipping Ong Cong Ong Tao, it is essential to buy cakes and candies. This is so that Tao Quan can enjoy them and report smoothly and sweetly to Ngoc Hoang, making it more convenient. For families practicing vegetarian worship, additional offerings like flowers and fruits are also necessary.

Supplementary items can be added according to each family's customs and regional practices to suit economic conditions and time. Most importantly, worshipping Ong Cong Ong Tao requires sincerity. Therefore, besides preparing everything for the deities going up to the sky, homeowners need to be respectful and put their hearts on top. Whether the altar is simple or abundant, it expresses reverence, demonstrating the homeowner's virtuous heart, expressing gratitude to the three deities for blessing the family with safety, health, prosperity, and success. The wish for a more prosperous and peaceful next year is also conveyed.

On the 23rd day of every lunar December is a highly esteemed festival in Vietnam. Therefore, the altar for Ong Tao worship is often meticulously prepared by homeowners. Depending on the characteristics of each region, the altar for Ong Cong Ong Tao varies. However, here are the obligatory offerings seemingly present everywhere:

In the Central region, people offer a paper horse with a complete saddle and reins. In the South, it's simpler, with paper hats, robes, and swords.

• 3 Táo Quân hats: 2 winged hats for the two lords and 1 without wings for Táo bà. The colors of these hats may change based on the homeowner's Five Elements, adorned vibrantly and attractively.
• Imitation gold items (hats, robes, swords, some paper gold) along with old offerings, aiming to leave behind the old and start anew. Afterward, families will make new offerings to invite Ong Tao back to their homes.
• For families with children, they often offer boiled chicken, hoping for their children to grow up quickly, mighty, and healthy like the chickens.
• Especially, 3 live carp are considered the most crucial offerings for Ong Tao's journey to heaven. According to ancient custom, the 'carp turning into a dragon' is the means to help Ong and Ong bà Tao ascend to heaven quickly and easily. Thus, alongside the mentioned items, there's usually the presence of 3 live carp. After the ritual, they are released into ponds or lakes for liberation.

According to Vietnamese beliefs, every lunar December 23rd, people offer 3 carp to Ong Tao as a means for Tao Quan to return to the sky. Carp, a freshwater fish, is closely associated with the material and spiritual life of the Vietnamese. In the ancient Vietnamese subconscious, carp could transform into dragons and soar, so they chose carp as the 'riding animal' for Ong Tao instead of horses or buffaloes. Additionally, some believe carp have a yin nature, harmonizing with the moon - the cosmic energy of heaven and earth. Therefore, they chose it as a means for Ong Tao to fly back to heaven and report to the Heavenly Palace.

After completing the ritual, families release the carp into rivers or ponds with the symbolism of 'carp turning into dragons,' surpassing challenges, symbolizing perseverance, and conquering knowledge to achieve success. This practice not only reflects a beautiful cultural aspect but also demonstrates the precious compassion of the Vietnamese people.

In each region of Vietnam, the tradition of offering a salty feast is diverse and colorful, depending on the characteristics and specialties of each region. However, the following salty dishes seem to be basic offerings in almost every region: 1 plate of rice, 1 plate of salt, boiled pork shoulder, 1 bowl of mushroom soup, 1 plate of mixed stir-fry, 1 plate of gio lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), 1 plate of red sticky rice, 1 plate of candied fruit (quince, coconut, jujube, persimmon), 1 teapot of lotus tea, and three cups of wine. Depending on individual circumstances, some families may opt for a salty ceremony (with chicken rice, boiled chicken legs, mushroom dishes, bamboo shoots...) or a vegetarian ceremony (with betel leaves, flowers, fruits, gold and silver paper...) to bid farewell to Tao Quan.

According to ancient customs, for families with young children, they also offer a boiled chicken to Tao Quan. This chicken must be a young crowing rooster, symbolizing a wish for the child to grow up with determination and vitality like the crowing rooster. However, depending on conditions and circumstances, each family can prepare a suitable ceremony for offering to Ong Cong Ong Tao.

Traditionally, Vietnamese people often perform the ceremony to send Ong Tao to the heavens at their homes. Usually, they choose the kitchen because it is believed to be the place where Ong Tao resides, a misconception that needs to be avoided. According to feng shui experts, the ceremony for Ong Cong Ong Tao should be conducted at the altar of Tao Quan, or if not, at the altar of deities or ancestors, or outdoors, but not in the kitchen.

If you live in a rented or shared house, you don't need to perform the ceremony as the landlord will take care of it. However, if you rent a separate house without a shared landlord, you should conduct the ceremony to show your gratitude.

In some places, many families have the habit of offering Ong Tao and burning gold paper money for Tao Quan to make their journey smoother. The more they send and burn, the more they hope Ong Cong - Tao will have better conditions and make everything on the heavenly path more convenient.

Today, environmental pollution is increasingly affecting the health of people in urban areas. Releasing fish along with throwing plastic bags into ponds inadvertently worsens environmental pollution. Therefore, to keep the environment cleaner, on the day of offering to Ong Tao, people are advised to dispose of fish waste in designated trash cans and not indiscriminately dump it into the river. In addition, burning gold paper money is for the deceased, while Ong Cong Ong Tao belongs to the Heavenly Realm, so burning will not be effective - that is the consensus of many experts. Many families even spend hundreds or millions on gold paper money with the desire for blessings, which is extremely wasteful and has a significant impact on the surrounding environment. If you want to burn, burn the gold foil paper type, and be mindful of the necessary quantity to avoid unnecessary consequences.

When organizing the Tao Quan offering ceremony, in addition to the necessary offerings, there must be a precise and excellent invocation to express the wishes of the homeowner in the old and new year. It is important to note not to chant 'Nam mô A Di Đà Phật' in the ritual because Ong Tao is a deity, not a Buddha. Therefore, a separate invocation is needed:

Dear Supreme Deities

Dear Five Deities, Eastern Azure Deity, Southern Vermilion Deity, Western White Deity, Northern Black Deity, Central Yellow Deity.

Dear heavenly generals, heavenly commanders, heavenly soldiers, heavenly horses, heavenly carriages, heavenly messengers, heavenly bearers. Dear mountain deities, dragon deities, earth deities, earth workers, Ong Tao generals, earth spirits.

Today is the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the Year of ... Binh Than. It is the day Ong Tao returns to the heavens.

The believer's name is ... born on ... day, ... month, ... year, native of ... permanent address...

With sincere gratitude, I respectfully request a few offerings, incense, and candles to invite the Supreme Deities, Five Deities, heavenly generals, commanders, soldiers, horses, and all the deities in heaven and on earth to witness and support the ceremony to send the Earth God Ong Tao back to heaven.

Dear Earth God, earth deities, earth spirits, Ong Tao generals, earth workers, I respectfully request your presence to witness and support. Thanks to your blessings in the past year, we have been healthy and happy, with good luck in everything. Today, I perform the ceremony with deep respect to send you back to heaven, praying to the Supreme Deities, Five Deities, and all the heavenly and earthly deities for the well-being, prosperity, and happiness of my country, homeland, family, and relatives.

I pray to the Supreme Deities, Five Deities, and heavenly and earthly deities to witness my sincere heart.

Wishing the Supreme Deities, Five Deities, and all deities a prosperous heavenly and earthly year! (I am grateful, I am grateful, I am grateful)

After the ceremony, bow 9 times. Then, step back before turning away.