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As the year-end approaches, Vietnamese families are busy preparing rituals to bid farewell to Ông Công Ông Táo and send him off to the heavens. So, what is the date of Ông Công Ông Táo Tet 2024 in the Gregorian calendar? Let's explore through the following article by Mytour to organize tasks and prepare thoroughly for this important occasion.
1. When is Ông Công Ông Táo Tet?
Ông Công Ông Táo Tet is one of the significant festivals before the Lunar New Year. According to tradition, Ông Công Ông Táo Tet is celebrated on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, annually. At this time, the Kitchen Gods will ride carps to heaven to report all the happenings, big and small, in the family to the Jade Emperor.
2. What is the date of Ông Công Ông Táo Tet 2024?
According to the perpetual calendar, Ông Công Ông Táo Tet 2024 falls on Friday, February 2, 2024. In case the household members have commitments on this day, they can also make offerings to the Kitchen Gods before the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
>>>Read more: In 2024, when is the best time to offer prayers to Ông Công Ông Táo?
3. What does the Ông Công Ông Táo offering tray include?
The offerings for the Kitchen Gods include:
- Three hats for the Kitchen Gods: Two for the male Kitchen Gods with wings and one for the female Kitchen God without wings
- Clothing and shoes: Two sets for males, one set for females
- Kitchen God couplets: Two pairs of male couplets, one pair of female couplets
- Fresh fruits, betel leaves
- Incense, candles, rice wine, or tea
- Carp: Symbolizing the means of transportation for the Kitchen Gods to fly to heaven
The Ông Công Ông Táo offering tray does not need to be elaborate; it's the sincerity of the household that matters. Depending on the family's circumstances and the region's culture, families can prepare either meat or vegetarian offerings for the Kitchen Gods.
For families wishing to offer meat dishes, the traditional Kitchen God offering tray includes:
- Boiled rooster with wings crossed, holding a decorated chili or rose (can be replaced with boiled pork or roasted duck)
- Red sticky rice (can be replaced with purple sticky rice, mung bean sticky rice, or glutinous leaf rice)
- Boiled pork knuckles
- Square glutinous rice cake (Bánh chưng)
- Pork bone soup with bamboo shoots (or mushroom soup)
- Stir-fried mixed vegetables
- Fried pork sausage, pork bologna
- A bowl of rice and a bowl of salt
- Many families also add desserts like lotus seed sweet soup or floating dessert, dried fruit cakes.
Additionally, you can prepare a vegetarian offering tray consisting of: 1 tray of five fruits, 3 bowls of sweet soup, 1 plate of sticky rice, fresh flowers, water, red candles, and 3 live carps.
Those following this philosophy do not offer burnt offerings, burn money or paper carps. After lighting incense, the homeowner will release the carps into the river.
4. Mistakes to avoid when offering prayers to Ông Công Ông Táo
- After offering prayers, release the carps in clean, clear water. Only release the carps, not plastic bags, gently and slowly.
- Ông Công Ông Táo is a deity, not a wandering soul, so do not burn offerings meant for the deceased.
- When offering prayers to Ông Công Ông Táo, only seek blessings for the family, avoid negative requests, refrain from seeking wealth or excess.
- The offering tray for Ông Công Ông Táo does not need to be extravagant; what matters is the sincerity and reverence during the ritual. Burning excessive gold, paper phones, paper cars... serves no purpose and only wastes money, greatly impacting the environment.
Above are the dates for Ông Công Ông Táo Tet, Ông Công Ông Táo Tet 2024. Hopefully, through the information shared by Mytour, you can organize your time to prepare thoroughly for the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
