How to Prepare and Perform the Kitchen Gods' Offering on the 23rd of the Twelfth Lunar Month According to Customs of Three Regions

What is the meaning of the ông Công ông Táo worship ceremony?

According to folk belief, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month each year is when ông Công (the deity who governs the land) and ông Táo (the three deities who watch over the kitchen) ascend to the heavenly court to report to the Jade Emperor on the good and bad deeds of the household throughout the past year. The ông Công ông Táo worship ceremony is not only a spiritual rite but also the opening milestone for Tết Nguyên đán (Lunar New Year), expressing the family's reverence and gratitude to the deities who have blessed them with a prosperous year, while also praying for a peaceful and lucky new year.

In Việt Nam phong tục (Vietnamese Customs) by Phan Kế Bính (1915), another legend is passed down explaining the origin of the three Táo quân: it is told that a married couple, due to poverty, had to part ways, and the wife later remarried a wealthy man. During a worship ceremony, while votive paper was being burned in the courtyard, the former husband came to beg for food, and the wife, moved by compassion, brought out rice, grain, and money for him. Learning of this, the new husband suspected his wife, and the wife, out of shame, threw herself into the fire and died. The former husband, still deeply attached by their old bond, also threw himself into the fire and died after her. Then the later husband also threw himself in out of love for his wife, and so all three perished together. The Jade Emperor, moved by the loyalty of all three, granted them the title of kitchen kings. Also according to this book, the ancients, following these two legends, would on that day buy two hats for the men and one hat for the woman to worship, and buy a carp to serve as a horse for the Táo quân to ride to the heavenly court.

This is a widespread custom among the Vietnamese, though depending on the region and each family's circumstances, the way of preparing and conducting the ceremony has certain differences. This article provides a reference guide based on common traditional customs, helping you conduct it as properly as possible.

Comparison table of how to arrange the offering tray for ông Công ông Táo according to the customs of the three regions.

How should one choose the day and time frame for conducting the ceremony?

The main day of the ceremony is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Many families believe the ceremony should be completed before 12 noon on the 23rd, because after this time, the Táo quân have already ascended to the heavenly court. Since the main day often falls on a weekday, quite a few busy families may choose to worship early, from the 21st or 22nd of the twelfth lunar month. Worshipping early does not diminish the meaning of the ceremony, as long as the household conducts it during the daytime with careful preparation and reverence.

For families who wish to choose an auspicious hour, they may refer to the auspicious time frames of the day to conduct the ceremony. However, if they cannot choose the exact auspicious time frame, the household can still worship at the most convenient time. The ceremony should not become a pressure or too heavy a burden in form, because the most important thing remains the sincerity of the household.

What offerings need to be prepared for the ông Công ông Táo offering tray?

The offerings for the ông Công ông Táo ceremony may differ between regions, but overall they all express the household's reverence. Below is a list of the most common offerings, which you can flexibly adjust to suit your family's customs:

• The set of hats, robes, and boots (shoes) for the Táo quân: Usually there are 3 sets, including 2 hats for the Táo ông (with dragonfly wings) and 1 hat for the Táo bà (without dragonfly wings). Many families may worship only one set of ông Công's hat with two dragonfly wings as a symbol. The colors of the hats and robes may change according to the five elements of each year.
• Carp: This is an indispensable offering in most families, symbolizing the vehicle that carries the Táo about to heaven. There are two forms of use: using paper carp to burn as votive paper together with the hats and robes, or using a live red carp released in a bowl of clean water placed beside the offering tray, which after the ceremony is taken to a river or lake for release.
• Votive paper and gold: Including votive paper money and paper gold ingots for the household to burn after the ceremony.
• Incense, lamps, candles: Fragrant incense and red candles to light during the ceremony.
• Fresh flowers: Usually chrysanthemums or roses, arranged on the offering tray.
• Fruit: A tray of five fresh fruits representing prosperity and completeness.
• Betel and areca: A pair of betel and areca to express respect.
• Rice and salt: A small plate of each, symbolizing abundance.
• Clean water: A cup of water or a pot of tea to offer.
• Savory offering tray: Including traditional dishes such as boiled chicken, sticky rice, fried spring rolls, giò lụa, bamboo shoot soup or mọc soup, mixed stir-fry, pickled onions... Depending on the family's circumstances and regional customs, it may be a savory tray or a pure vegetarian tray.

For a vegetarian tray, the commonly seen dishes are sticky rice, sweet soup, thèo lèo candy, along with vegetable and root soups. This is the choice of families who wish to keep the ceremony pure and not use savory foods.

How does arranging the offering tray according to the customs of the three regions differ?

Depending on regional customs, the offering tray may have certain differences. Below are the common distinctive features you can refer to:

• The North: The offering tray is usually arranged elaborately and more completely, with many traditional dishes such as bánh chưng, giò lụa, fried spring rolls, boiled chicken, gấc sticky rice, miến mọc soup. A live carp is released in a bowl of clean water placed beside the offering tray.
• The Central: The offering tray is somewhat simpler but still has full offerings. The dishes often carry the distinctive flavors of the Central region such as bánh tét, boiled pork, rice paper rolls. Central Vietnamese people often pay attention to arranging the offering tray in a balanced, harmonious way.
• The South: Southerners often use a somewhat simpler offering tray, not too elaborate in form. The dishes may include bánh tét, thịt kho tàu, lotus root salad. In addition, many Southern families also prepare a set of paper offerings with more vivid colors than in the North.

The important thing is that the offering tray should be prepared carefully, cleanly, and arranged solemnly on the ancestral altar or a separate altar for the Táo quân, not placed below the kitchen.

Why is carp used in the ông Táo ceremony?

Carp is used in the ông Táo ceremony because folk belief holds that the carp is the vehicle that carries the Táo quân to heaven. According to the common understanding, the carp leaps over the Dragon Gate and transforms into a dragon to carry the Táo ông up to the heavenly court, so many families choose to buy a live carp, and after the ceremony take it to a river or lake for release.

The book Việt Nam phong tục by Phan Kế Bính (1915) also clearly records this custom: on that day, people buy two hats for the men and one hat for the woman to worship, and buy a carp to serve as a horse for the Táo quân to ride to the heavenly court. Thus, whether imagined as a horse or as a dragon, the role of the carp is still to carry the deities to the heavenly court.

Should one worship three sets of hats or one set of Táo quân hats?

According to tradition, the ceremony uses three sets of hats, including two hats for the Táo ông with dragonfly wings and one hat for the Táo bà without dragonfly wings. The book Việt Nam phong tục by Phan Kế Bính (1915) records exactly this: two hats for the men, one hat for the woman.

Today, many families worship only one set of ông Công's hat with two dragonfly wings to symbolize all three deities. This way of doing things is not wrong in terms of sincerity, it is merely simplified for convenience, as long as the household clearly understands the meaning and maintains a reverent heart when conducting the ceremony.

What is the detailed step-by-step sequence for conducting the ceremony?

After fully preparing the offerings and the offering tray, you can conduct the ceremony according to the following sequence of steps:

Step 1: Clean and arrange the altar

Before conducting the ceremony, the household should wipe the altar clean and replace the water cup with a fresh one. If the altar has a lot of dust or the incense sticks have filled up, this should be handled beforehand. This expresses reverence and prepares a solemn space for the ceremony.

Step 2: Arrange the offerings on the altar

Arrange the offering tray, flowers and fruit, and the prepared offerings on the altar in a balanced and visually pleasing way. The set of hats, robes, and boots for the Táo quân and the votive paper and gold are placed in front of or beside the offering tray. If using a live carp, place the bowl of fish in a solemn position beside the offering tray or below the altar.

Step 3: Light incense and read the prayer text

The household should dress neatly, modestly, and cleanly, maintaining a solemn and reverent state of mind. Light incense (usually 3 sticks), lamps or candles, then stand before the altar and read the prayer text to send off ông Công ông Táo. The content of the prayer usually begins with words of thanks to the deities for blessing the family with peace and health over the past year, then asks for forgiveness for things not yet complete and prays for protection in the new year. When reading the prayer text, the voice should be loud, clear, and distinct.

A complete prayer usually has four parts. The first part is self-identification: what your name is, where you reside, and that today is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. The second part respectfully announces the offerings that have been prepared, including incense, flowers, tea, fruit, and the offering tray presented to the deities. The third part is a request for the deities to accept the offerings, report good things about the family in heaven, and bless the new year with peace and luck. The fourth part concludes with a bow asking for witness. You can look up the full version in traditional prayer text books to read it in full.

Step 4: Wait for the incense to burn down and burn the votive paper

After reading the prayer text, the household waits for the incense to nearly burn down (about 1/3 of the incense stick) and then conducts the farewell rite. After that, burn the votive paper (hats, robes, boots, votive paper and gold) in a safe place, usually a dedicated votive paper burner or a corner of the courtyard, away from flammable objects. Note to ensure fire safety during the burning of votive paper. For families who worship purely vegetarian according to the Buddhist school, they may not offer and burn votive paper, hats, robes, gold, and paper carp.

To be safer, votive paper should be burned in a metal pot or bin so that embers do not fly out, and the votive paper should be divided into small portions and burned gradually instead of burning too much at once.

Step 5: Release the carp

After burning the votive paper, the household takes the live carp to a pond, lake, river, or stream with a clean water source to release it. When releasing the fish, it should be gently placed at the water's edge so the fish can swim away on its own, absolutely not dropped from a height and not released together with the plastic bag into the water. After releasing, the bag that held the fish should be taken home and disposed of in the proper place. The household may linger to observe for a moment to make sure the fish has swum away safely. At the moment of releasing the fish, one should keep the mind pure and silently pray for the release so that the Táo quân's journey to heaven goes smoothly.

What are the notes and taboos when worshipping ông Công ông Táo?

For the ceremony to take place fully and express proper reverence, you should note a few things:

• Regarding time: The ceremony should be completed before 12 noon on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. If worshipping early on the 21st or 22nd, it should also be conducted during the daytime.
• Regarding the worship space: The offering tray should be placed on the ancestral altar or a separate altar for the Táo quân should be set up, not placed below the kitchen.
• Regarding clothing and attitude: Dress modestly, cleanly, and maintain a solemn, reverent attitude throughout the ceremony, especially when reading the prayer text.
• Regarding safety when burning votive paper and lighting incense: When burning votive paper, it should be burned in a safe place, far from flammable objects such as curtains, wooden tables and chairs, and dry plants. Do not burn too large a quantity of votive paper at once. When lighting incense, be careful so that the incense does not fall onto flammable objects. Always have someone watching during the burning of votive paper, and before leaving, the embers should be completely extinguished.
• Regarding releasing the fish: Do not release the carp from a height or release it in places with polluted water. Do not throw the plastic bag into rivers or lakes, take it home and dispose of it in the proper place.

The ông Công ông Táo worship ceremony is a beautiful traditional cultural feature of the Vietnamese people. Whichever way it is conducted, the most important thing remains the reverence and care of the household, along with the wish for a new year of abundance, happiness, and peace.

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