What is Cao Dai Founding Day and why is it tied to the tenth lunar month full moon?
Cao Dai Founding Day commemorates the Hoang khai Dai dao Tam Ky Pho Do, counted from the Binh Dan year 1926, and is organized by the Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh Holy See around the full moon of the tenth lunar month, tied to the Ha Nguon festival. It is not a fixed date on the solar calendar: the lunar date is the original marker, so the corresponding solar date shifts each year.
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsAccording to a Vietnam News Agency bulletin published on 15 November 2024, the Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh Holy See held the centenary of the Hoang khai Dai dao Tam Ky Pho Do, recording the marker "14/10/Binh Dan 1926-14/10/Giap Thin 2024"1. A Nguoi Lao Dong report of the same day also recorded the event as taking place "on the night of 14 and the morning of 15 November", that is two consecutive sessions2.
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe way the 1926 marker is recorded is not entirely consistent across sources: some record 14/10 Binh Dan, while calendrical cross-checks usually place the tenth month full moon of Binh Dan on 15/10. This article therefore gives both ways of recording it and does not assert a single date for the 1926 founding marker.
What are the three great Nguon festivals of Cao Dai?
The three great Nguon festivals are Thuong Nguon, Trung Nguon and Ha Nguon. All three fall on full moon days and all are held with a Dai Dan offering to Duc Chi Ton, Duc Phat Mau and the Than, Thanh, Tien, Phat at Tay Ninh Holy See and thanh that across the country3.
| Great festival | Lunar date | Venue according to the source |
|---|---|---|
| Thuong Nguon | Full moon of the first month | Tay Ninh Holy See and thanh that across the country3 |
| Trung Nguon | Full moon of the seventh month | Tay Ninh Holy See and thanh that across the country3 |
| Ha Nguon | Full moon of the tenth month | Tay Ninh Holy See and thanh that across the country3 |
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsAs for the ritual at a local parish, a Thanh Nien article recorded that at Sai Gon Thanh That (Cho Quan ward, Ho Chi Minh City), the Trung Nguon festival on the seventh month full moon has these steps: in the morning a vegetarian banquet for fellow adherents; around 10 a.m. the ritual of hanh phap giai oan tam thanh; at 12 noon the offering to the Altar, the offering to Cuu Huyen That To and the lighting of lamps in sacrifice to fallen soldiers and compatriots who died in disasters3. This is a record at one specific thanh that, not a description applying to all places of worship.
How does the Ha Nguon festival differ from Trung Nguon in its offerings?
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsA notable difference lies in the presentation of petitions. According to the article cited above, on the seventh month full moon Cao Dai adherents do not present petitions praying for Cuu Huyen That To, because that was done on the first month full moon; the Trung Nguon festival prays only for chon hon of all grades, compatriots who died in disasters and fallen soldiers3. This division shows that the three Nguon festivals do not overlap in their prayers, even though they share the same Dai Dan ritual framework.
How was the 2024 centenary of the Hoang khai Dai dao held?
The 2024 centenary took place in two sessions: the evening of 14 November and the morning of 15 November on the solar calendar, at Tay Ninh Cao Dai Holy See, Tay Ninh province. This was the occasion of a full century counted from the 1926 Binh Dan founding marker according to the Holy See's way of recording it.
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsAccording to the Vietnam News Agency bulletin, attendees included representatives of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the Central Mass Mobilization Commission, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, several central and local ministries and branches, along with thousands of Cao Dai adherents at home and abroad1. Speaking at the ceremony were Dau su Thuong Tam Thanh, Head of the Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh, and Vu Hoai Bac, Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs12.
According to Nguoi Lao Dong, at the ceremony Vu Hoai Bac presented a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Home Affairs to the Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh Holy See2. The Vietnam News Agency bulletin recorded that the Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, authorized by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, presented flowers congratulating the centenary of the Hoang khai Dai dao1.
| Marker | Recorded content | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 (Binh Dan) | Marker of the Hoang khai Dai dao Tam Ky Pho Do, recorded as 14/10/Binh Dan by the Holy See; some cross-checks place the tenth month full moon on 15/10 | Vietnam News Agency bulletin1 |
| 2024 (Giap Thin) | Centenary ceremony, held on the night of 14 and the morning of 15 November on the solar calendar at Tay Ninh Holy See | Vietnam News Agency bulletin1, Nguoi Lao Dong2 |
How are the huong an procession and the Dai Dan offering at the Holy See carried out?
According to sources recording the great festival, the huong an procession goes from the Chinh mon gate into the Holy See, led by the Thien Nhan flag, followed by the Dai Dan offering and the Tu Linh dance. These are the rituals described within the framework of the great festival at Tay Ninh Holy See.
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe order of the ceremony at the great festival consists of a huong an procession from the Chinh mon gate into the Holy See with the Thien Nhan flag at the front, then the Dai Dan offering and the Tu Linh dance. This article only recounts what the sources say about the festival and does not go into explaining the doctrinal meaning of each ritual.
Why are most rituals tied to the full moon day?
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Cao Dai ritual practice, the full moon is the common marker for all three great Nguon festivals, and the Dai Dan is offered on that very day at Tay Ninh Holy See and its thanh that3. Choosing the full moon as the marker keeps the lunar festival date stable, while the solar date changes from year to year, exactly as in the case of the 2024 centenary falling in mid-November on the solar calendar12.
Scale of organization and adherent figures cited at the 2024 ceremony
The figures below on adherents, places of worship and visitors are those cited by the Holy See at the 2024 centenary, tied to a specific point in time, not continuously updated data.
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsAccording to the speech of Dau su Thuong Tam Thanh, Head of the Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh, cited by both newspapers, the Dai dao Tam Ky Pho Do of Tay Ninh Holy See has more than 3 million adherents in the country, with 451 thanh that and 173 temples to Duc Phat Mau in 39 provinces and cities12. Also according to Nguoi Lao Dong, the Cao Dai religion of Tay Ninh Holy See has more than 5,800 male and female dignitaries and more than 35,000 functionaries of various ranks2.
On visitors, Nguoi Lao Dong recorded that Tay Ninh Cao Dai Holy See received 2,900,000 domestic visitor arrivals; 177 delegations from 91 countries and more than 74,000 foreign visitors; the total charitable relief funds cited were 180.5 billion dong2. These are the source's figures at the time of reporting in November 2024.
Points to note when looking up this festival
When looking it up, one should distinguish three layers of information that are often mixed: the original lunar marker of the founding day, the corresponding solar date of each year, and the scope of organization. The lunar marker is the stable part; the solar date is the shifting part; and the scope of organization, according to the sources, covers Tay Ninh Holy See and thanh that across the country, where the detailed ritual at each parish may differ, as in the case of Sai Gon Thanh That3.
On place names, Tay Ninh Cao Dai Holy See is located in Tay Ninh province, a current provincial-level administrative unit. Sai Gon Thanh That is recorded by the source as belonging to Cho Quan ward, Ho Chi Minh City, with the note "the old district 5 area"3. This way of recording reflects that administrative unit names have changed through successive reorganizations, so when looking up a specific location one should cross-check the current name against the old name in parentheses.
Kind of knowledge: SchoolSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsOn the full name, the sources use both forms: "Hoang khai Dai dao Tam Ky Pho Do" and "hoang khai Dai dao Tam ky Pho do"12. This festival is also referred to together with the name Ha Nguon when it coincides with the tenth lunar month full moon, and with the names of the three great Nguon festivals when speaking generally of the religion's system of full moon festivals during the year3.
