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Grave tending is a cherished tradition among Vietnamese people, symbolizing reverence and gratitude towards ancestors and departed loved ones. To provide insight into the year-end grave tending ritual, what does it entail? When is the best time to tend graves in 2024, and what important considerations should be noted? Please read on in this article by Mytour!
1. What is grave tending? The significance of year-end grave tending customs
Grave tending involves cleaning, refurbishing, or embellishing the graves of ancestors or deceased relatives within the family. Year-end grave tending is typically performed in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year.
Grave tending customs reflect the profound cultural heritage of Vietnamese society, exemplifying gratitude, reverence, and a deep-rooted connection to ancestry and departed kin.
2. When is the best time to tend graves in 2024?
Gravesite cleaning is typically performed after the arrival of Ong Cong and Ong Tao, usually on the afternoon of the 29th or 30th of Tet. Families often choose auspicious dates and times for year-end grave visits, ensuring convenience and ample family gatherings.
3. Offerings and Rituals at Gravesites
3.1. Essential Offerings for Gravesite Visits
Families visiting gravesites should bring tools such as hoes, shovels, cloths for wiping, and clean water for clearing weeds and cleaning tombstones. Additionally, families traditionally prepare an offering table consisting of fresh flowers, candles, tea, wine, water, gold (paper horses, clothes, gold…), betel leaves, incense, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and fruits. Families may opt for vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings.
For vegetarian offerings, additional preparations include cakes, rice, salt, honey pots, sweet rice cakes…. Non-vegetarian offerings may include chicken legs, boiled chicken, or other meats depending on family preferences.
It's important to note that while offerings are made at the gravesite, they should be arranged beautifully and solemnly to express sincere reverence.
3.2. Ritual Prayers for Year-End Gravesite Visits
Ritual Prayer for Tending Graves to Seek Permission from Earth Deities, asking them to allow our ancestors to return home for Tet festivities
Homage to Amitabha Buddha!
Homage to Amitabha Buddha!
Homage to Amitabha Buddha!
I respectfully beseech:
Lord Kim Nien, the ruling deity (reading the specific name of the governing official of the year: Wood Star, the celestial warrior) Thai Tue Chi Duc Honored Deity, (reading the specific name of the ruling deity of the year: King Wei, the celestial governor) Chi Deity, (reading the specific name of the judiciary official of the year: Tieu Tao judiciary official) Judiciary Official.
Lord Ban Canh Thanh Emperor, all the Great Lords.
Lord Ban Xu Thanh City Spiritual Earth Deity,
The Five Directions, the Five Earth Dragon Veins, the Front Duke, the Rear Marquis, the Left Azure Dragon, the Right White Tiger, and the other guardian deities ruling this land.
I respectfully offer homage to the spirit of......
Today is the …. day of the 12th month, approaching the end of winter and the onset of the new year.
We are..............
Preparing offerings, fragrant flowers, ancestral tablets, ceremonial rituals, presenting to the Honored Deities, escorting the ancestral spirits of our family back here for the new year, for our descendants to serve during the celestial spring, to repay deep gratitude, and to show filial piety. We respectfully beseech the Deities' blessing. Harmonizing yin and yang, offering water and incense, expressing sincere intentions, we respectfully request confirmation.
Attention!
Excerpt from the ritual prayer for year-end grave visits, taken from page 10 of the book 'Traditional Vietnamese Ritual Prayers' published by Hong Duc Publishing House.
4. Important Notes for Year-End Gravesite Visits
- It is advisable to conduct year-end grave visits in the morning. Avoid going on gloomy days to prevent catching colds
- Avoid joking, teasing, or calling out names while visiting gravesites as it is considered disrespectful to the deceased
- Dress appropriately and solemnly to show respect for the deceased.
- Before cleaning, the head of the family or elders should light incense, seek permission, and recite the year-end grave visit ritual prayer. While waiting for the incense to burn out, descendants will clean the grave site thoroughly. When the incense burns two-thirds or completely, the head of the family will perform the gold transformation ritual and seek blessings.
- During the gold transformation, it's advisable to mention the name of the deceased so they can receive the items you intend to send.
- After returning from the grave visit, it's recommended to bathe, change into clean clothes to avoid negative energies clinging to you. Also, after leaving the cemetery, it's advisable to clean off any dirt from your shoes, clothes to avoid any misfortune in life
This article from Mytour has shared with you about the year-end gravesite visit and important considerations when visiting graves. We hope this article will provide useful information for you and your family. Thank you for reading!
