How to Arrange the Worship Tray for Tết Đoan Ngọ (5th day of 5th lunar month)

What is Tết Đoan Ngọ?

Tết Đoan Ngọ, also known as Tết giết sâu bọ (the festival for killing insects), takes place on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year. This is a traditional custom of the Vietnamese people, based on the belief that on this day, insects that destroy crops and human health thrive most strongly. For this reason, people often hold offerings and present ritual items to eliminate insects and to pray for everyone's good health and a bountiful harvest. The book Việt Nam phong tục (1915) by Phan Kế Bính mentions Tết Đoan dương, when children had their fingernails and toenails dyed with móng leaves; in the early dawn, people used glutinous rice wine, boiled eggs, kê, bánh đa, peaches, plums, watermelon along with coconut water, while adults drank wine mixed with a little tam thần đơn or hồng hoàng, a custom called killing insects.

The custom of offering on Tết Đoan Ngọ is very rich, and each region has its own variations. In general, however, the offering tray usually includes basic items such as glutinous rice wine, bánh tro, fruit, duck meat and chè. This article will guide you in detail on how to prepare and arrange the offering tray, helping you follow tradition correctly, though you should also stay flexible according to your conditions and local customs.

A summary table of the common offerings in the Tết Đoan Ngọ tray and their characteristics.

What offerings should be prepared for the Tết Đoan Ngọ tray?

Before arranging the offering tray, you need to prepare the following offerings in full. Note that the quantity and types may vary depending on the region and the family's circumstances, but the offerings below are the most common:

• Glutinous rice wine (also called rượu cẩm, rượu nếp cái hoa vàng): usually fermented from glutinous rice, with a sweet and sour taste, used for drinking and for offering. This is an important offering, representing purity.
• Bánh tro (bánh gio): a cake made from glutinous rice soaked in ash water, wrapped in banana leaves or dong leaves, shaped like a pyramid or a cylinder. This cake is considered indispensable.
• Seasonal fruit: usually lychee, plum, peach, mango, watermelon... choose fresh, clean ones with attractive colours. Each region may choose its typical fruit. Many families also choose seasonal sour fruits such as plums, sấu, hog plum, green mango, sapodilla. Fruit should be arranged whole, not sliced.
• A cup of clean water: placed on the altar, next to the wine cup.
• Duck meat (boiled or roasted duck): a common dish in the Đoan Ngọ tray in the North, representing abundance. In the South, it is sometimes replaced with pork or chicken.
• Chè (chè kê, mung bean chè, or chè trôi nước): a sweet, refreshing dish.
• Incense, fresh flowers, candles: to light and to create a solemn atmosphere.
• Trầu cau: (depending on the region) expresses respect, usually present on offering occasions.
• Votive paper and joss money: to be burned after the offering, representing sending to the spirit world (if the family follows folk belief).

How should the Tết Đoan Ngọ offering tray be arranged?

How should the space and the offering tray be prepared?

First, you need to choose a clean tray or table, and you can use a large platter. The space where the tray is placed should be a solemn place in the house, such as the ancestral altar or the altar of the deities. If there is no separate altar, it can be placed in the middle of the house on a high table. If the house worships both Buddha and the ancestors, arrange a separate vegetarian tray for Buddha and a tray for the ancestors; the ancestral tray may include savoury dishes.

Some families also set out a small tray outside in the yard or in front of the door (bánh tro, fruit, glutinous rice wine), based on the belief of "destroying insects" out in the garden and fields.

How should the offerings be arranged on the tray correctly?

• Place the incense bowl (if there is one) in the central position at the back, in the highest place, to represent the connection with the deities and ancestors.
• Place fresh flowers on both sides of the incense bowl, in a vase or jar, and choose chrysanthemums, lilies or lotus flowers.
• Place candles (candles or oil lamps) in front of the incense bowl, symmetrically on both sides, creating a warm light.
• Place the main offering tray in front, including:
• Glutinous rice wine poured into a cup or left in a small bottle, placed in the middle of the tray.
• Bánh tro arranged one by one or stacked, placed next to the wine.
• Fruit washed clean, drained, arranged on a plate or separate tray, and can be arranged in an attractive shape.
• Duck meat, if available, sliced or left whole, placed on a large plate beside the tray.
• Chè scooped into a bowl or glass, placed in the remaining position.
• Trầu cau (if available) placed in one corner of the tray.
• Place votive paper and joss money (if available) in a separate corner, or it can be placed under the tray, avoiding mixing it with the food.

You should arrange the offerings so that they are harmonious, balanced and not overlapping. The tray does not need to be too elaborate, as long as it is clean and neat.

What is the order for performing the Tết Đoan Ngọ offering?

Step 1: Choosing the offering time

According to folk belief, you should make the offering at chính ngọ (from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) because this is when yang energy is strongest, fitting the meaning of eliminating insects. However, many families make the offering in the early morning or in the evening, depending on circumstances. The important thing is sincerity. You should make the offering before the whole family's meal, because according to custom, the dishes for killing insects are eaten after the ceremony.

Step 2: Cleaning and arranging

Before the offering, you should wipe and clean the altar and the worship space. Then arrange the offering tray according to the instructions above. Check again whether the offerings are complete and whether the candles have been lit.

Step 3: Lighting incense and reading the prayer text

Light the incense (usually 3 sticks) and the candles. Then stand before the altar, join your hands in reverence, and read the prayer text. If you do not know a specific prayer, you can pray silently along the following main points:

• Respectfully ask the deities and ancestors to come and witness your sincerity.
• Pray for the health of the whole family, to eliminate insects and drive away illness.
• Pray for good crops and smooth work.

You can find standard prayer texts in books or on reputable websites, but note that you should not make up content. If you do not have one, praying with sincere feeling is also fine.

Step 4: Waiting for the incense to burn out and burning the joss money

After lighting the incense, wait for it to burn out (about one round of incense, meaning 15 to 30 minutes) before lowering the tray. During this time, you can kneel and bow or stand solemnly. After the incense has burned out, take the votive paper and joss money to burn in a safe place, such as an outdoor incense bowl or an incinerator. Safety note: when burning joss money, place it in an open area, away from flammable objects, with someone watching, and extinguish it completely after it has burned out. Do not burn it indoors.

Step 5: Lowering the tray and sharing the blessed offerings

After burning the joss money, lower the offering tray. The offerings can be used for the whole family to eat together, called thụ lộc. According to custom, eating glutinous rice wine, bánh tro and fruit in the early morning or after the offering is meant to "kill insects" in the body. However, you should not eat too much, especially children and people with stomach conditions. Eating glutinous rice wine, bánh tro and sour fruit to "kill insects" in the body is a folk belief with symbolic meaning, and there is no scientific evidence for that effect.

What are the important notes when making the Tết Đoan Ngọ offering?

• There is no single template: The offering tray can differ between regions. For example, the North usually has duck meat, while the Central and Southern regions may add bánh ú tro or local specialities. The Central region may add bánh ít and chè kê; in the South, many families add sticky rice, chè and tropical fruit such as rambutan and durian. You can read more in Comparing Đoan Ngọ Festival customs across Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam for clarity. You should consult your family's and local customs to adjust.
• Safety comes first: When using incense, candles and joss money, always ensure fire and explosion safety. Do not let children come into contact with fire. After the offering, extinguish the incense remnants completely.
• Sincerity is what matters most: However you prepare the offerings, the most important thing is the host's reverence. Do not be too bound by form; consider this an occasion for the family to gather and remember its roots.

If there is no bánh tro, what can it be replaced with?

Bánh tro can be replaced with bánh ú, bánh ít, or sticky rice and chè. What needs to be kept is that the tray has enough incense, flowers, water, glutinous rice wine and seasonal fruit. This substitution does not take away the meaning of the offering, as long as the host is sincere.