Vietnamese knowledge, page 8

Vía Ngọc Hoàng on the 9th of the First Lunar Month and Worship at Chùa Ngọc Hoàng in Ho Chi Minh City
Vía Ngọc Hoàng falls on the 9th day of the first lunar month. How people worship at Chùa Ngọc Hoàng in Ho Chi Minh City, and the temple's history.

What Are Impermanence, Suffering and Non-Self? The Three Marks of the Teaching in Buddhism
Impermanence, suffering and non-self are the three marks of the teaching: body, mind and world all change, are unsatisfactory and have no fixed self.

How does the first-visitor custom differ between the North, Huế and the South of Vietnam?
Xông đất, xông nhà and đạp đất are one new-year custom. Books on the North, Huế and the South differ on its name, lộc-picking and the vào khem wait.

Who Should Officiate the Death Anniversary Ritual: Eldest Son, Younger Son, Daughter, or Daughter-in-law?
A giỗ is not only the eldest son's duty. Younger sons, daughters and daughters-in-law can all hold the rite, depending on family circumstances.

When is a grave exhumed for reburial, and after how many years? Custom and what to know
Exhumation for reburial usually follows the end of mourning, often after three to five years; current rules require at least 36 months. What to know.

How Are Rice Offerings Made on the First Three Days of Tết? Accounts from the North, Huế and the South
Cúng cơm ba ngày Tết covers the first, second and third day rites: Nguyên đán, Chiêu điện, Tịch điện and the Tạ ceremony, with regional differences.

How Do Outdoor and Indoor Giao Thua Offerings Differ? Rituals, Offering Trays, and Regional Variations Across Three Regions
Outdoor and indoor New Year's Eve offerings differ in who is invited, where the rite is held and the prayer text. Each region has its own symbolic dishes.

What to Prepare for a Death Anniversary Ceremony? Offerings, Offering Tray, Prayer Text, and the Order of the Day
What does a giỗ require? Offerings, the offering tray, the prayer text and the order of the day, drawn from Vietnamese historical sources.

Making Offerings One Day Early or on the Exact Day: The lễ tiên thường and the lễ chính kỵ
The custom of offering a day early is called lễ tiên thường, with the main chính kỵ the next day. Its origin, distinctions and meaning.

Year-End Offering in Three Regions: Dates, Offering Trays and Meaning
Cúng tất niên is the year-end offering that thanks the ancestors and sees off the old year: the day, the trays of three regions, the prayer and its meaning.

How do the weekly tuần thất rites, the 49-day rite and the 100-day rite differ?
Tuần thất is seven weekly offerings over 49 days; the 49th day is chung thất; the 100th day is tốt khốc, the end of weeping. Origins and how each is done.

How long is the mourning period? Mourning terms and attire by kinship
How long is mourning, and which mourning dress goes with each degree of kinship? The rules in three old Vietnamese ritual books, up to trừ phục.

What to Bring to a Giỗ and How to Invite Guests Properly
What to bring to a giỗ and how to invite guests: gifts for the altar, who is invited, and how customs differ between families and regions of Vietnam.

Can You Combine Death Anniversaries and Hold One Joint Offering for Several Ancestors? Customs, Rituals and Proper Conduct
Combining death anniversaries into one day is a practical choice for families whose children work far away. Here is what is reasonable and what to watch for.

What to Do When a Loved One Dies: The Sequence of Traditional Vietnamese Funeral Rites from the Moment of Death to Burial
What to do when a family member dies: the order of a traditional Vietnamese funeral, from shrouding and mourning dress to burial and the later rites.

How Do Families in Vietnam's Three Regions Hold the Year-End Ancestor-Welcoming Ceremony on the 30th of Tet?
The rite on the afternoon of the 30th of Tet invites ancestors home for the New Year. North, Central and South differ mainly in the feast and the fruit tray.

Erecting the Tet Neu Pole and Lowering It on the Seventh Day: Origins, Meaning, and Practice
The Neu pole is raised on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and lowered on the 7th of the first month, closing Tet. Its origins, meaning.

When Is the Votive Paper Burning Ceremony to See Off Ancestors After Tet, and What Should You Prepare?
Burning votive paper to see off ancestors after Tet usually falls between the 3rd and 10th of the first lunar month, most often the 3rd. What to prepare.

Vegetarian death anniversary offering tray: when should you hold a vegetarian giỗ and what dishes go on it?
A vegetarian giỗ uses plant dishes like gỏi cuốn, canh kiểm, bánh bèo and lẩu nấm, fitting when the deceased ate chay or the family follows Buddhism.

What goes on the first death anniversary (tiểu tường) offering tray and how does it differ from an ordinary death anniversary?
Giỗ đầu (tiểu tường) is the first death anniversary, with a tray of cơm úp, boiled egg, chicken, xôi and vàng mã, more solemn than an ordinary giỗ.

What offerings go on the đại tường memorial tray and how is mourning ended?
Giỗ hết đại tường marks the end of two years of mourning. It covers the offering tray, how to arrange it, and the sequence for xả tang in Vietnamese custom.

What Dishes Are on a Northern Vietnamese Death Anniversary Offering Tray and How Is It Arranged?
A Northern Vietnamese gio tray usually features boiled chicken, sticky rice, bamboo shoot soup, spring rolls, and a bowl of rice with a boiled egg.

What dishes are on a Southern Vietnamese death anniversary offering tray, and how is a Nam Bộ gio ceremony held?
What goes on a southern Vietnamese giỗ tray and how a Mekong Delta death anniversary is held: the dishes, the two days, and the portions guests take home.

Death Anniversaries in Central Vietnam: the Hue-Style Tray and the Joint 7th-Month Giỗ in Quảng Nam
How is a death anniversary kept in Central Vietnam? The tiên thường and chính kỵ rites, the joint 7th-month giỗ in Quảng Nam, and Hue dishes on the tray.
