TL;DR: In 2027, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month (Bính Ngọ year) falls on Saturday, 30 January. Folk custom usually holds the farewell rite for the Kitchen Gods before 12 noon on the 23rd, and many families choose to offer early from the evening of the 22nd or at dawn on the 23rd. After the rite, the carp should be released gently into a clean river or lake, not thrown from a height.
On which day and at what time should the 2027 ông Công ông Táo offering be made?
The 23rd day of the twelfth month of the year Bính Ngọ falls on Saturday, 30 January 2027. For families who make the offering early, the 21st of the twelfth month is Thursday 28 January and the 22nd is Friday 29 January.
Folk custom does not fix a single hour for the whole country, but many cultural researchers and widely circulated guides advise making the offering before 12 noon on the 23rd day of the twelfth month, since it is believed that after the Ngọ hour (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) the deities have already returned to heaven. Some families choose to make the offering early, from the evening of the 22nd or at exactly midnight on the 23rd, for convenience with work, and use paper carp instead of live carp.
What days of the week and what can chi do the 21st, 22nd and 23rd days of the twelfth month of the year Bính Ngọ fall on?
This year the 23rd of the twelfth month falls on a weekend, while the two days before it are Thursday and Friday. The auspicious hours column follows the convention of the traditional calendar; these are not hours at which the offering must be made.
| Lunar date | Solar date | Day of the week | Can chi | Auspicious hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st of the twelfth month | 28/1/2027 | Thursday | Đinh Mùi | Dần, Mão, Tỵ, Thân, Tuất, Hợi |
| 22nd of the twelfth month | 29/1/2027 | Friday | Mậu Thân | Tý, Sửu, Thìn, Tỵ, Mùi, Tuất |
| 23rd of the twelfth month | 30/1/2027 | Saturday | Kỷ Dậu | Tý, Dần, Mão, Ngọ, Mùi, Dậu |
The auspicious hours in the table are calculated according to the rules of the traditional calendar, with each day having six good time slots alternating with six bad ones. Even so, choosing the hour for the ông Táo offering depends mainly on the family's convenience and on the belief that it must be completed before the Ngọ hour, not necessarily on hitting the auspicious slot exactly.
Why is the 23rd day of the twelfth month chosen for the ceremony to see off ông Táo?
According to Vietnamese folk belief, ông Táo (Táo Quân) consists of three deities: Thổ Công, Thổ Địa and Thổ Kỳ, who govern the land, the house and the kitchen. Every year, on the 23rd day of the twelfth month, these deities ride a carp that turns into a dragon up to the Heavenly Court to report the household's good and bad deeds so that the Jade Emperor can decide rewards and punishments. For this reason, Vietnamese people hold the ceremony to see ông Táo off to heaven, praying that the deities will speak well of the family.
The legend of "two lords and one lady" explains why the offerings usually include three sets of hats and robes: two sets with fly-shaped wings for the Táo lords and one set without wings for the Táo lady. However, many families today make the offering with just one symbolic set of hats and robes, so long as it is sincere.
Should the ông Táo offering be made early or on the 23rd day of the twelfth month itself?
There is no mandatory rule, but the common custom is to make the offering on the 23rd day of the twelfth month itself, before 12 noon. Making the offering early, from the evening of the 22nd or the early hours of the 23rd, stems from the work needs of modern families and is accepted by many people, who hold that the send-off ceremony must be completed before the deities "set off".
Some opinions hold that ông Công (the earth deity) should be worshipped at the main altar and ông Táo in the kitchen, but in practice most families make a combined offering at the ancestral altar or the kitchen altar. This difference does not affect the nature of the ceremony, so long as the household is sincere.
What does the 2027 ông Công ông Táo offering tray include?
The basic offerings include incense, flowers, fruit, betel and areca, water, votive paper money and three sets of Táo Quân hats and robes (two lords and one lady). In addition, a live carp or a paper carp is an indispensable offering, symbolising the means by which ông Táo returns to heaven. The savoury offering tray depends on each family's circumstances and usually includes boiled chicken, gấc sticky rice, giò chả (Vietnamese sausage), bamboo shoot soup and fried spring rolls. In the central region, many families offer paper horses instead of hats and robes; in the south, the paper set "cò bay ngựa chạy" (flying stork, galloping horse) symbolises the horse carrying ông Táo by land and the stork carrying him to heaven[2].
Where should the carp be released after the ông Táo offering?
After the offering, the carp should be released in a river, pond or lake with clean, unpolluted water. According to the Venerable Thích Đức Thiện, those releasing the fish should not stand above and pour or throw the fish down, because the fish may die when hitting the water surface; instead, choose a spot at the water's edge and gently tilt the bowl or bag so the fish can swim out by itself[1]. Do not release it together with a plastic bag, to avoid environmental pollution[1].
After releasing the fish, stay a little while to see whether it has swum away, so that it does not get stuck. The book Phong tục Thờ cúng của người Việt also advises releasing the fish in a cheerful, gentle spirit, and one may pray for a peaceful new year[1].
What taboos should be noted when making the ông Táo offering?
According to folk belief, one should not make the offering after 12 noon on the 23rd day of the twelfth month, for fear of missing the hour when the deities return to heaven. One should not use dead carp or paper carp as a substitute if one is able to offer live carp, but if one is busy, paper carp is still accepted. Avoid releasing fish in a rush or throwing plastic bags into ponds and lakes. Some places avoid making the ông Táo offering later than the 23rd, believing that this is a "late send-off" and not good for the family.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2027 ông Táo offering need to be at an auspicious hour?
It is not mandatory. Auspicious hours are only a suggestion according to the traditional calendar, while the actual custom is to make the offering before 12 noon on the 23rd day of the twelfth month. A family can choose a convenient hour during the morning of the 23rd.
What if one cannot make the offering on the 23rd day of the twelfth month?
One can make the offering early, from the evening of the 22nd or the morning of the 23rd, so long as it is before the Ngọ hour. Many modern families choose to make the offering on the evening of the 22nd because they cannot arrange the morning, and this is regarded as acceptable.
Where is the right place to release the carp?
Release it in a river, pond or lake with clean, unpolluted water, gently at the water's edge, not thrown from above[1]. Avoid releasing the fish into dirty water or releasing it together with a plastic bag.
