The custom of asking for fortune sticks at the temple at the beginning of the year: Ritual and cultural significance
Asking for and drawing fortune sticks at the start of the year is a beautiful spiritual cultural practice deeply rooted in Vietnamese life. Every Tet holiday, people eagerly go to temples and shrines to pray for luck and peace for the New Year. Amid the lively atmosphere of the first days, holding a fortune stick and hearing its interpretation is a way for people to converse with the spiritual realm and seek inner peace. This article provides a detailed practical guide to help you have a complete and meaningful fortune-telling experience.
Cultural significance of the fortune stick custom
Fortune stick asking is not merely a form of divination but also a cultural and religious activity imbued with national identity. It reflects people's aspirations for a better life.
- Seeking luck and warding off misfortune: According to traditional belief, the fortune stick is a message from deities or Buddha to guide and advise people to avoid bad luck and welcome good fortune in the new year. Receiving a good omen helps them feel more confident, while a bad omen serves as a reminder to live better and be more cautious.
- Spiritual connection: This is an occasion to express reverence to deities and ancestors, as well as an opportunity to entrust one's wishes and aspirations for the new year.
- A beauty of spring: The fortune stick custom adds to the joyful and vibrant atmosphere of the early spring days. Visiting temples and drawing fortune sticks has become an indispensable tradition during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, strengthening community and family bonds.
Preparing offerings and attire
According to folk belief, careful preparation of offerings shows sincerity. However, offerings need not be elaborate; the most important thing is a sincere heart.
- Incense: A bundle of fragrant incense to offer at the Buddha altar and other shrines.
- Fresh flowers: A vase of chrysanthemums, white lilies, roses, etc., depending on conditions and preference. Choose fresh flowers, not artificial ones.
- Oil lamps or candles: A pair of small oil lamps or candles for lighting.
- Fruits: A plate of fresh fruits (five-fruit tray) with bright-colored fruits such as mango, papaya, orange, tangerine, apple, etc.
- Betel and areca nuts: A plate of betel leaves and areca nuts folded into phoenix shape (if possible).
- Clean water: A bottle or glass of clean water for offering.
- Vegetarian or meat offerings: Depending on conditions and local customs. However, when visiting a temple, vegetarian offerings (sticky rice, sweet soup, cakes, candies) are often preferred to express purity.
Attire: Choose modest, polite, comfortable clothing with subdued colors suitable for a sacred place. Avoid overly short, tight, or revealing clothes.
Steps to perform the fortune stick ritual
Step 1: Attire and mindset
Before entering the temple, maintain a reverent and solemn attitude. Turn off your phone or set it to silent, and avoid loud conversations or joking within the temple grounds.
Step 2: Offer and light incense
- Approach the main Buddha altar, place your offerings neatly and respectfully on the table.
- Light incense (usually three sticks or one, depending on local customs) and bow three times before the Buddha altar.
- Then, you may light incense at other shrines such as the Mother Goddess altar, the Saint altar, etc. (if available), following the temple's guidance or observing other worshippers.
Step 3: Go to the fortune stick area and pray
- Find the area where the fortune stick tube is placed (often in front of the main altar or the shrines of deities).
- Kneel or stand solemnly before the tube, join your palms, and recite a prayer. The prayer usually includes:
- I bow to the heavens in nine directions, to the Buddhas in ten directions, to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and to the deities and saints who govern this temple (or shrine).
- My name is..., age..., residing at...
- Today is... day... month... year..., I come here with sincere offerings to respectfully ask for a fortune stick to know about... (work, family, health, etc.).
- I humbly ask the deities to protect and guide me.
Step 4: Draw the fortune stick
- After praying, hold the tube with both hands and gently tilt it back and forth or shake it lightly until one stick falls out.
- Important note: Only take the first stick that falls out. Do not shake again or deliberately choose another stick if you are not satisfied. Doing so is considered disrespectful and diminishes the meaning of the ritual.
- If multiple sticks fall out at once, pick the one that fell closest to you or the first one that fell.
Step 5: Get the fortune paper and read the interpretation
- Note the number on the stick (e.g., 12, 34, 56...).
- Go to the area where the fortune papers are kept, find the matching number, and take it.
- Read the interpretation carefully. Most fortune papers contain content in Chinese characters and Nom or Vietnamese, describing good omens, bad omens, and advice.
Step 6: Express gratitude and dedicate merit
- After receiving the fortune paper, return to the altar, bow three times to thank the deities and Buddha for their guidance.
- Then, you may light incense at other shrines, walk around the temple, or participate in other prayer activities, such as writing wishes on cards and hanging them on trees (a common custom at many temples, e.g., Tu Van Pagoda in Hue), before leaving.
Interpreting the fortune stick and things to know
- Classification of fortunes: Fortune sticks are usually divided into grades: Superior (good), Middle (fair), and Inferior (bad). Each grade has sub-levels such as Superior-Superior, Superior-Middle, Superior-Inferior, etc. The fortune stick not only indicates good or bad omens but also contains advice and teachings on how to live and treat others.
- Do not be overly pessimistic about a bad fortune: Many people feel worried or sad when they get a bad fortune. However, cultural researchers and monks and Buddhists often advise that fortune stick asking is only a reference or a spiritual form of entertainment. A bad fortune is not a curse but a reminder to live more carefully, cultivate the mind, and do more good deeds to resolve misfortunes.
- Do not be overly complacent with a good fortune: Conversely, if you receive a good fortune, do not become overconfident or dependent. A good fortune is a mental encouragement, but success still comes from your own efforts and hard work in life.
Other important notes
- Regional differences: The fortune stick custom may vary between regions and temples or shrines. Some places allow free shaking of the tube, while others instruct to draw one stick. Therefore, observe or ask the person in charge to act accordingly.
- Fire safety: When lighting incense or burning votive paper (if any), be extremely careful. Only light incense in designated areas, keeping a safe distance from flammable items. Burn votive paper only in designated incinerators, not randomly within the temple grounds, to avoid fires.
- Do not push or shove: On peak days like the first day of Tet or the Full Moon of the first lunar month, crowds are large. Maintain order, do not push or shove, and yield to others to create a civilized and polite atmosphere.
- Maintain a stable mind: Come to the temple with a pure and benevolent heart. Do not overemphasize the good or bad of the fortune stick, but regard it as advice and an interesting spiritual experience during the early days of the year.
- The custom of writing wishes and hanging cards: At many temples today, besides drawing fortune sticks, there is the custom of writing wishes on small cards and hanging them on trees. This is a meaningful activity that conveys good wishes for oneself, family, and loved ones.
In summary, asking for fortune sticks at the beginning of the year is a beautiful spiritual cultural practice worthy of respect and preservation. Perform this ritual with sincerity, understanding, and civility to have a New Year full of joy and peace.
