TL;DR: Tết Đinh Mùi 2027 has no 30th of the twelfth month: the twelfth month of the Bính Ngọ year is only 29 days, so the 29th of the twelfth month is Friday 5/2/2027 on the solar calendar. Giao thừa and the year-end ceremony therefore fall on the evening of 5/2/2027, while the first day of Tết is Saturday 6/2/2027. By custom, the giao thừa offering is made in the Tý hour, from 23:00 on the 29th of the twelfth month to 01:00 on the first day of Tết.
Why does Tết Đinh Mùi 2027 have no 30th day of the twelfth lunar month?
The twelfth lunar month of the year Bính Ngọ is a short month, with only 29 days: the 1st day of the twelfth lunar month is 8/1/2027, the 29th day is Friday 5/2/2027, and the very next day, Saturday 6/2/2027, is already the 1st day of Tết Đinh Mùi. A lunar month begins on the day of the new moon (sóc point), and two new moons are on average about 29.53 days apart, so some months have 29 days and some have 30. That is why the twelfth lunar month does not always have a 30th day.
Which day does New Year's Eve of Tết Đinh Mùi 2027 fall on?
New Year's Eve is the night of Friday 5/2/2027, in the early hours of Saturday 6/2/2027.
| Lunar date | Solar date | Weekday | Day stem-branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28th of the twelfth month | 4/2/2027 | Thursday | Giáp Dần |
| 29th of the twelfth month (year-end, New Year's Eve) | 5/2/2027 | Friday | Ất Mão |
| 1st day of Tết | 6/2/2027 | Saturday | Bính Thìn |
| 2nd day of Tết | 7/2/2027 | Sunday | Đinh Tỵ |
| 3rd day of Tết | 8/2/2027 | Monday | Mậu Ngọ |
Because the twelfth lunar month has only 29 days, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month is both the year-end day and the day of the New Year's Eve offering. Families have no 30th day for a separate ceremony, so the year-end offering tray and the New Year's Eve offering tray are usually combined into the same evening. This is worth noting when planning the family gathering and preparing the offerings.
What time is the New Year's Eve offering for Tết Đinh Mùi 2027?
According to common custom, the New Year's Eve ceremony is held in the hour of Tý, that is, roughly from 23:00 on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month to 1:00 on the 1st day of Tết. This is the period regarded as the moment when the old year turns into the new year, when yin and yang come into harmony.
Two moments should be distinguished: the clock moment of New Year's Eve is 0:00 on the 1st day of Tết, while the hour of Tý in the sexagenary cycle begins at 23:00 the previous night. That is why many families make the offering before 0:00, as soon as the hour of Tý begins, so as to see the old year off in time. Whether to choose exactly 0:00 or to make the offering early within the hour of Tý depends on each family's circumstances and habits; what matters is sincerity and careful preparation.
What is on the New Year's Eve offering tray for Tết Đinh Mùi 2027?
The New Year's Eve offering tray does not have to be a towering feast; it needs to express sincerity and purity. As suggested by Dr. Lưu Huyền Trang (Academy of Journalism and Communication), the offering tray should ensure three elements: sacredness (incense, flowers, lamps, water, wine), plenty (sticky rice, chicken, bánh chưng or bánh tét) and purity (fruit, betel and areca)[1].
A basic New Year's Eve offering tray usually includes:
- Incense, lamps, candles, fresh flowers
- A five-fruit tray
- Sticky rice, boiled rooster
- Bánh chưng or bánh tét
- Wine, water, betel and areca
According to culinary artisan Phạm Thị Ánh Tuyết, many families prepare two trays: one outdoors (vegetarian or with meat) and one indoors. The head of the household should make the offering to the deities outdoors first, and only then make the offering to the ancestors indoors[1].
What is different about the New Year's Eve prayer text for Tết Đinh Mùi 2027?
The difference lies in the names of the deities governing the year: in the New Year's Eve prayer texts currently in circulation, the year of the Goat invokes Tống Vương Hành Khiển, Ngũ Đạo Hành Binh Chi Thần, Lâm Tào Phán Quan. In folk belief, each year has a presiding deity who watches over the human world, changing according to the year's earthly branch, so the year Đinh Mùi invokes the same names as other years of the Goat.
The New Year's Eve prayer text usually opens with the rite of bowing to the Buddha, then pays respects to the deities of the old year and the new year. In the prayer, the head of the household should read clearly: now is the moment of New Year's Eve between the year Bính Ngọ and the year Đinh Mùi, that is, the old year is Bính Ngọ (2026) and the new year is Đinh Mùi (2027).
Below is a reference passage of the prayer text according to the book Văn khấn cổ truyền Việt Nam:
Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times). I respectfully bow to the Nine Directions of Heaven, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions. I respectfully bow to the future-born Maitreya Honoured Buddha. I respectfully bow to Bodhisattva Quán Thế Âm, who saves beings from disaster and suffering. I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven, the Earth Mother, and the honoured deities. I respectfully bow to the former year's Hành khiển, the former Hành binh deity, the former Phán quan. I respectfully bow to the current year's Hành khiển, the current year's Hành binh deity, the current year's Phán quan.[1]
After the prayer, the head of the household bows three times and burns votive paper. Depending on the prayer text of each locality or book, the names of the deities may be recorded differently, but on the whole they all follow the structure of seeing the old year off and welcoming the new year.
Who is Tống Vương Hành Khiển in the custom of the New Year's Eve offering?
Tống Vương Hành Khiển is the presiding deity invoked in the year of the Goat, together with Ngũ Đạo Hành Binh Chi Thần and Lâm Tào Phán Quan. In folk belief, there are twelve presiding deities corresponding to the twelve earthly branches, taking turns to watch over the human world, and the New Year's Eve ceremony is the moment of handover between the deity of the old year and the deity of the new year. This is a matter of religious belief, not a calendrical fact.
Why are some twelfth lunar months short and some full?
Whether a month is short or full is determined by the distance between two consecutive new moons, calculated in Vietnam time. The new moon that opens the twelfth lunar month falls on 8/1/2027, and the next new moon falls on 6/2/2027, 29 days apart by the calendar, so the twelfth lunar month of the year Bính Ngọ is a short month[2]. The twelfth lunar month of the following year, the year Đinh Mùi, begins on 28/12/2027 and also has only 29 days.
Frequently asked questions about Tết Đinh Mùi 2027
Is Tết Đinh Mùi 2027 a leap year?
No, the year Đinh Mùi 2027 is not a leap year in the lunar calendar. A leap year is one with an added leap month to synchronise the lunar calendar with the solar calendar, but the year 2027 is not such a year. However, whether the twelfth lunar month is short or full has nothing to do with leap years; it is a characteristic of each individual month based on the lunar cycle.
Is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month the last day of the year?
Yes, for Tết Đinh Mùi 2027, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month (5/2/2027) is the last day of the year Bính Ngọ. Because the twelfth lunar month is short, there is no 30th day, so all year-end and New Year's Eve rites take place on this day.
For the New Year's Eve offering, should one make the offering outdoors or indoors first?
According to artisan Phạm Thị Ánh Tuyết, the head of the household should make the offering to the deities outdoors first, and only then make the offering to the ancestors indoors[1]. This reflects the hierarchy in belief: honour Heaven and Earth first, and then the ancestors.
