Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain / CC0)
TL;DR: The Vu Lan (Ghost Festival) offering ceremony on the full moon of the seventh lunar month, also called the rite of pardon for wandering souls, is tied to the Buddhist story of Mục Kiền Liên saving his mother and to the Daoist belief in the day the gates of hell open. On this occasion the living set out trays of thin rice porridge, rice and salt, and paper money for souls with no place to rely on, expressing compassion and benevolence and the principle of remembering one's origins.
Offering to wandering souls on the full moon of the seventh month: the meaning of the lễ xá tội vong nhân (rite of pardon for wandering souls) in folk belief
What are the origins and spiritual meaning of the offering to wandering souls?
The full moon of the seventh lunar month has long been one of the most important occasions in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. This day is tied to two great festivals: the Vu Lan festival of filial piety in Buddhism and the lễ xá tội vong nhân (rite of pardon for wandering souls), commonly called the offering to wandering souls.
On the Buddhist origin, the Vu Lan festival comes from the Ullambana Sutra, which tells of the Venerable Maudgalyayana, a great disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to see his mother suffering in the realm of hungry ghosts because of her karma. When he brought rice down to offer to her, the rice turned into red flames. The Buddha taught him to invite monks from everywhere, and on the full moon of the seventh month to chant sutras and dedicate the merit, and only then would his mother be liberated. From that time, this festival became an occasion for children and grandchildren to show filial piety to their parents and ancestors. Bùi Xuân Mỹ (2001) in Tục thờ cúng của người Việt also records that the Trung nguyên festival on the full moon of the seventh month has its origin in the Vu Lan Bồn rite, following the Buddhist legend of the Venerable Maudgalyayana showing filial piety to his mother.
On the Daoist origin, it is believed that the full moon of the seventh month is the day of "Trung Nguyên", the time when Quan Đế Thánh Quân descends to the mortal world to judge merit and fault, and also the day when King Yama opens the gates of the Quỷ Môn Quan (Gate of Ghosts) and releases wandering souls back to the world of the living. For this reason, folk belief calls it the day of "xá tội vong nhân", the day when souls with no place to rely on, who are not worshipped or offered to, who died on the road or in the market, can return to receive the offerings of the living. This is a folk belief handed down by tradition, not something that has been verified.
Table comparing aspects of the offering to wandering souls on the full moon of the seventh month, according to the article.
| Aspect | Timing | Recipients | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offering to the Buddha and family ancestors | Morning | The Buddha, family ancestors | Vegetarian or non-vegetarian offering tray, indoors |
| Offering to chúng sinh (sentient beings) | Afternoon | Wandering souls | Offering tray outdoors, in front of the house |
| Vu Lan festival | Full moon of the seventh month | Parents, ancestors | Filial piety, Buddhist origin |
| Lễ xá tội vong nhân (rite of pardon for wandering souls) | Full moon of the seventh month | Souls with no place to rely on | Daoist origin, the Quỷ Môn Quan opens |
| Offering indoors | Daytime | Ancestors | Yang energy is strong |
| Offering outdoors | Evening | Helpless souls | Yin energy begins to rise |
The blending of two traditions
The Vietnamese people have skillfully merged the two traditions of Buddhism and Daoism into a single festival with two layers of meaning. In the morning, people usually make offerings to the Buddha and to family ancestors indoors with a carefully prepared vegetarian or non-vegetarian tray. In the afternoon, people set up an offering tray to chúng sinh (sentient beings) outdoors, in front of the house, for the wandering souls.
This division of time is not random. According to folk belief, daytime is when yang energy is strong, suitable for communicating with the higher powers and with deceased relatives. In the evening, when yin energy begins to rise, it is the time when wandering souls can easily receive the offerings. Offering indoors is to remember ancestors, and offering outdoors is to give alms to helpless souls whom no one worships.
What does the offering tray to wandering souls include?
The offering tray to wandering souls is usually laid out outdoors, not placed inside the house. Bùi Xuân Mỹ (2001) records that people usually arrange the offering to chúng sinh in the yard outside, in front of the veranda or at the edge of the street; the offerings are simple, such as bánh đa (rice crackers), bánh bỏng (puffed rice cakes), corn cobs, sweet potatoes along with boiled eggs, and better-off families add glutinous rice and sweet soup, and a pot of plain rice porridge is indispensable. Stacks of paper money along with stacks of paper cut into the shapes of clothes are commonly used as votive paper for the offering to chúng sinh. A flat woven tray or a winnowing basket is where the offerings are displayed; as for the porridge, people ladle it and pour it into jackfruit leaves or banyan leaves rolled into the shape of a funnel. When the offering is finished, poor people and children often come to grab and share those things, and the votive paper is also burned. Besides the offering at home, people also set up offering trays for the wandering souls at bridges, roadside shrines, communal houses and pagodas, calling it cúng cháo (offering of porridge).
The basic offerings include:
- Thin porridge (plain rice porridge cooked thin, without seasoning), usually divided into many small bowls
- Rice, coarse salt, a little of each
- Paper money, votive paper, paper clothes for the dead
- Popcorn, cakes and sweets, fruit
- Filtered water or plain rice wine
- Three sticks of incense, two small candles
- A little loose change (real money) scattered outside after the offering
People avoid offering non-vegetarian foods such as meat and fish on the tray for wandering souls, because of the belief that those souls have been hungry and thirsty for a long time, and if non-vegetarian food is offered they may easily give rise to greed and be unable to be liberated. Thin porridge, rice and salt are plain things, symbolizing pure almsgiving without self-interest. This is a folk belief, not something everyone is required to follow.
On the prayer text, although each region has different prayer texts, the general content usually includes these parts: invoking the name of the Buddha, asking permission from the local land deity, asking permission from the spirits of the surrounding area, calling the wandering souls to come and receive the offerings, and finally burning the votive paper and sending the souls on their way. What matters is that after the offering is done, people do not bring the offerings into the house but leave them there or take them away to scatter, because offerings made to wandering souls should not be brought into the living space.
What is "cướp cháo lá đa" and why is a person without children called by that phrase?
"Cướp cháo lá đa" (grabbing porridge from banyan leaves) is a folk expression referring to the misery of souls whom no one makes offerings or memorial rites for, who must fight over a little porridge at offerings to wandering souls. According to Toan Ánh (2001) in Phong tục thờ cúng tổ tiên trong gia đình Việt Nam, our custom holds that the dead for whom no one makes offerings or memorial rites must go "cướp cháo lá đa" at offerings to wandering souls, which are usually held on the occasion of vào hè or ra hè, as well as the full moon of the seventh month or the end of the year. At offerings to wandering souls, bồ đài (leaf cones) made from banyan leaves are used to hold the porridge presented as offerings; at these rites, wandering souls along with hungry and thirsty ghosts who have no one to make offerings or memorial rites for often lie in wait, trying to rush in and grab that little bit of porridge. Therefore, Toan Ánh records that a person without children is often cursed by enemies as "đồ cướp cháo lá đa" (a grabber of porridge from banyan leaves). Pagodas and people with compassionate hearts often hold offerings to wandering souls, with the aim that souls for whom no one burns incense may have a place to come and receive.
Folk beliefs about kindness and spiritual fear
The offering to wandering souls reflects a view of the Vietnamese people that is both humane and practical. On one hand, it is an act expressing compassion, sharing with unfortunate lives in the world beyond. The ancients held that "của cho không bằng cách cho" (it is not the gift but the manner of giving that matters), and giving alms to souls is also a way to accumulate merit for oneself and one's family.
On the other hand, the element of self-protection in this belief cannot be denied. Folk belief holds that in the seventh month, souls are released more freely, and if they are not properly offered to, they may harass, cause trouble or bring misfortune to the living. Therefore, offering to wandering souls is also like "buying insurance" in the spiritual sense, hoping for peace. This is a folk belief, not something that has been proven.
What are the taboos during the seventh month?
Besides making offerings, folk tradition also passes down to one another many taboos during the month of wandering souls:
- Do not hang clothes out at night for fear that souls may "borrow" them to wear
- Do not burn paper money indiscriminately inside the house, only burn it in designated places
- Do not eat on the sly, do not sit alone before the altar at midnight
- Avoid going out late at night, especially to deserted places
- Do not pluck leg hair or cut fingernails at night
However, from a modern perspective, many cultural researchers hold that these taboos mainly serve to remind people to be careful, to live uprightly and not to act thoughtlessly at a time that is spiritually sensitive.
The contemporary humane value of the offering to wandering souls
Today, although society has modernized a great deal, the offering to wandering souls on the full moon of the seventh month is still maintained in most Vietnamese families, from the countryside to the city. In urban areas, people may make simpler offerings but still keep the main spirit of the rite.
The most precious thing about the lễ xá tội vong nhân (rite of pardon for wandering souls) lies not in whether the offering tray is large or small, but in the heart turned toward goodness. When a person sets out a tray of thin porridge for souls whom no one worships, they are practicing compassion in the most concrete way. When a person makes offerings to ancestors on this day, they are reminding themselves to remember their roots, and the grace of birth and upbringing.
The offering to wandering souls is therefore not merely a superstitious ritual, but a beautiful feature of culture, a way the Vietnamese people express a philosophy of life: being grateful to those who have passed away, pitying the helpless and always turning toward goodness. Preserving this beauty with proper understanding, without extremism, is precisely how we preserve the soul of the nation in modern life.
Overview article on the topic: What Does Vietnamese Folk Belief Encompass?
