The custom of asking for divination sticks, drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the beginning of the year: A guide to the ritual and its cultural significance

The custom of xin xăm, rút xăm and hái lộc at temples in the new year: Ritual and cultural meaning

Xin xăm, rút xăm and hái lộc in the new year are a beautiful strand of spiritual culture that has sunk deep into Vietnamese life. Every time Tết comes and spring returns, people and households eagerly head to temples, shrines and đền to pray for luck and peace in the new year. Amid the bustle of the first days of the year, holding a fortune slip in your hand and hearing its interpretation is a way for people to hold a dialogue with the spiritual world and seek calm within. This article is a detailed practical guide to help you have a complete and meaningful xin xăm experience.

A summary table of the steps and points to note in the new year xin xăm ritual.

What is the cultural meaning of the xin xăm custom?

Xin xăm is not merely a form of divination; it is also a cultural and belief practice steeped in national identity. It reflects people's longing for a better life.

• Cầu may, giải hạn: People of old held that a fortune slip is a message from the deities and the Buddhas to instruct and guide people to avoid misfortune and receive good fortune in the new year. Drawing a good slip helped them feel more secure, while a bad slip was a reminder to live better and more carefully.
• Spiritual connection: This is an occasion for people to express their reverence toward the deities and ancestors, and also a chance to entrust their wishes and aspirations for the new year.
• A beauty of the spring days: The xin xăm custom helps create the bustling, joyful atmosphere of the first days of spring. Going to temple and xin xăm has become a beauty that is hard to do without during the traditional Tết of the Vietnamese, helping to bind community and family together.

According to the book Việt Nam phong tục by Phan Kế Bính (1973 reprint), in the first month of the lunar year, devout men and women going to worship at temples would often xin thẻ to see whether their fortunes were good or bad. The method of xin thẻ is described in steps: first use incense and offerings to worship the deities and the Buddhas, pray and state one's matter, then kneel before the altar and shake the tube of sticks until one stick springs out, take that stick and look at its number, then ask the temple keeper for a paper slip printed with the fortune for that number. The book also notes that the way of interpreting the sticks had many far-fetched lines, but later they sometimes proved accurate.

What does hái lộc in the new year mean?

Hái lộc is a widespread custom on New Year's Eve and in the first days of the year. Worshippers often pick a small young branch, called "lộc", in the belief that they have obtained the lộc of heaven and earth, granted by the deities and Buddhas. People of old held that no species multiplies and has such fierce vitality as plants. Each time spring returns, the abundant life force of the tree bursts forth as young shoots. Therefore hái lộc carries the meaning of wishing for a new year full of vitality, enduring health and luck, like plants putting out shoots and budding.

According to traditional custom, lộc picked from trees such as đa, sung, sanh and si is considered best. Lộc from tùng, cúc, trúc and mai will bring joy, happiness and health. In some places, people light a stick of incense and take it home to place on the family altar, calling it "hương lộc".

Today, many temples are conscious of protecting the landscape and encourage Buddhists and visitors not to break branches or pick leaves at will. Instead, many places give out lộc as ready-made branches, or hương lộc, to take home.

What offerings and clothing should be prepared when going to xin xăm?

In folk belief, preparing offerings carefully shows the reverence of the worshipper. However, the offerings need not be elaborate; the most important thing is still the heart.

• Hương (nhang): A bundle of fragrant incense to light on the Buddha's altar and the other altars.
• Fresh flowers: A vase of chrysanthemums or white lilies, roses, and so on, depending on circumstances and preference. Choose fresh flowers; do not use artificial flowers.
• Lamps or candles: A pair of small candles or tea lights to light.
• Fruit: A plate of fresh fruit (mâm ngũ quả) with brightly coloured fruits such as mango, papaya, orange, mandarin, apple, and so on.
• Trầu cau: A plate of trầu cau folded in phoenix-wing style (if circumstances allow).
• Clean water: A bottle or glass of clean water to offer.
• Vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings: Depending on circumstances and local custom. However, when going to a temple, vegetarian offerings (xôi, chè, cakes and sweets) are usually preferred as a sign of purity.

Clothing: Choose polite, modest, comfortable clothing in subdued colours, suitable for a solemn place. Avoid clothes that are too short, too tight or offensive.

What are the steps for carrying out the xin xăm ritual?

Step 1: Clothing and frame of mind

Before entering the temple, keep yourself in a reverent, solemn frame of mind. Turn off your phone or set it to vibrate, and avoid loud conversation or joking around within the temple grounds.

Step 2: Presenting offerings and lighting incense

• Go to the area with the main Buddha altar and place the offerings you have prepared neatly and reverently on the table.
• Light incense (usually 3 sticks or 1 stick, depending on local custom) and bow 3 times before the Buddha's altar.
• After that, you may light incense at other altars such as the altar of the Mẫu, the altar of the Thánh, and so on (if present), following the temple's instructions or observing the worshippers around you.

Step 3: Going to the xin xăm place and praying

• Find the area where the tube of fortune sticks is placed (usually in front of the main altar or the altar of the deities).
• Kneel or stand solemnly before the tube, join your palms and recite the văn khấn for xin xăm.

According to the advice of the monks, the order of prayers should begin with great matters: first pray for national peace and prosperity, favourable weather, and the end of epidemics, and only then pray for peace and health for yourself, your family and those around you. For only when the nation is at peace can the people, including you, live in settled comfort. The Buddhas and the Thánh do not demand large or plentiful offerings; the most important thing is sincerity. Most Venerable Thích Minh Quang, permanent vice abbot of Bái Đính temple, stressed that going to worship the Buddha is so that body and mind may be at ease, with less greed, anger and ignorance, and a less troubled mind.

The content of the prayer usually includes:

• I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of the Buddhas, I bow to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, I bow to the deities and sages who govern this temple (or đền, miếu).
• My name is..., age..., residing at...
• Today is the... day of the... month of the... year, I come here to sincerely present offerings and respectfully ask permission to draw a fortune slip to learn about... (work, family matters, health...).
• I bow and ask that you protect and support me, and teach me what I should know.

Step 4: Xin xăm

• After finishing the prayer, hold the tube of sticks with both hands and slowly tilt it back and forth or shake it gently until one fortune stick falls out.
• Important note: Take only the single first stick that falls out. Never shake again or deliberately choose another stick if you are not pleased with it. That act is considered disrespectful and robs the xin xăm of its meaning.
• If several sticks fall out at once, you may pick up the one that fell nearest or the one that fell first.

Step 5: Taking the fortune slip and reading the interpretation

• Look at the number written on the stick (for example: number 12, 34, 56...).
• Go to the area where the fortune slips are kept, find the matching number and take it out.
• Read the interpretation on the slip carefully. Most slips have content in Hán and Nôm characters or in Vietnamese script, describing good omens, bad omens and advice.

Step 6: Giving thanks and hồi hướng

• Once you have the slip, you should return to the altar and bow 3 times to thank the deities and the Buddhas for granting you their guidance.
• After that, you may go and light incense at other altars, stroll around the temple or take part in other prayer activities such as writing wishes and hanging them on a tree (a popular custom at many temples, for example Từ Vân temple in Huế) before leaving.

Interpreting the fortune slip and things you should know

• Classification of slips: Usually, slips are divided into grades: Thượng (good), Trung (fair), Hạ (bad). Within each grade there are different levels such as Thượng thượng, Thượng trung, Thượng hạ, and so on. A slip does not stop at announcing good or bad fortune; it also contains advice and teaching on how to live and how to treat others.
• Do not be too pessimistic about a bad slip: Many people feel anxious and sad when they receive a bad slip. However, cultural researchers and the monks and Buddhists themselves often advise that xin xăm is only a form of reference, an entertainment with a spiritual character. A bad slip is not a curse but a reminder for each person to live more carefully, cultivate the mind and character, and do many good deeds to transform their fate.
• Do not be too complacent about a good slip: Conversely, if you receive a good slip, you should not rely on it or become careless. A good slip is a source of spiritual encouragement, but success still comes from your own effort and striving in life.

Which trees should lộc be picked from when going to temple in the new year?

According to traditional custom, lộc picked from trees such as đa, sung, sanh and si is considered best, bringing the finest things. Lộc from tùng, cúc, trúc and mai will bring joy, happiness and health.

However, today many temples advise against breaking branches or picking leaves at will, in order to preserve the landscape. Instead, you can receive a branch of lộc or hương lộc prepared in advance by the temple to take home.

Other important notes

• Regional differences: Going to temple in the new year is a common Vietnamese custom, but there are differences between the two regions:

• Distortions to avoid: Today, going to temple to xin lộc in the new year has many distortions that go against culture. Many people bring a "worldly mind" into the temple, placing real money and fake money on the altar of the Three Jewels, stuffing money into the hands and mouths of statues, and calmly burning votive paper within the temple grounds. Praying for personal gain is placed first, instead of seeking peace within one's own state of mind. The monks also advise limiting the burning of incense and votive paper because the smoke affects the environment, the statues and the altar objects. The money spent on votive paper should be saved to help those in desperate circumstances.
• Fire safety: When lighting incense and burning votive paper (if you do), be extremely careful. Light incense only in designated places, keeping a safe distance from flammable objects. When burning votive paper, burn it only in the separate burner area; do not burn it carelessly within the temple grounds, to avoid causing a fire.
• Do not push or shove: On peak days such as the first day of Tết or the full moon of the first lunar month, the number of worshippers is very large. Keep order, do not push or shove, and yield to one another to create a civilised, polite atmosphere.
• A steady mind: Come to the temple with a pure, good-hearted frame of mind. Do not place too much weight on whether the slip is good or bad; instead treat it as a piece of advice, an interesting spiritual experience in the first days of the year.
• The culture of writing wishes and hanging cards: At many temples today, alongside the xin xăm custom, there is also the custom of writing wishes and desires on small cards and hanging them on a tree. This is a meaningful activity that helps entrust good wishes for yourself, your family and your loved ones.

In short, xin xăm in the new year is a beautiful strand of spiritual culture worthy of being treasured and preserved. Carry out this ritual sincerely, knowledgeably and civilly for a start to the new year full of joy and peace.