Lễ cầu tài, cầu lộc (ceremony to pray for wealth and fortune)
Also called: Xin lộc, Xin lộc buôn bán, Cầu tài lộc đầu năm
- Cầu an, giải hạn (prayers for peace, rites to ward off misfortune)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, at the beginning of the year and when starting a business, traders prepare offerings to pray for good sales, and pray at the Tam Bảo altar, before the deities of the place of business, or before the ancestors. In the Mekong Delta, pilgrims go to Bà Chúa Xứ shrine at núi Sam to pray for peace and safety and for good fortune.
At a glance
- When it is held
- Beginning of the year; the first and the fifteenth day of the lunar month (mùng một, ngày rằm); the festival season of Bà Chúa Xứ in An Giang
- For whom
- Tam Bảo (Three Jewels); thần linh bản cảnh (local deities), Chúa Đất (Lord of the Land), Thần Tài (God of Wealth); gia tiên (ancestors); Bà Chúa Xứ (southwestern Vietnam)
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Region:
Nationwide
- When
- At the beginning of the year and when one needs to pray for business
- Where the offerings are set
- At the shop, at home; at the beginning of the year, at the pagoda or temple (đền)
- Who makes the offering
- Người buôn bán, gia chủ
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | |||
| Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray) | 5 loại trái cây | Vegetarian | |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Nước lọc, trà, rượu | Vegetarian | ||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Cakes and candies | Vegetarian | ||
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Nhang (incense) | |||
| Flowers | |||
| Vase of flowers (yellow chrysanthemums, đồng tiền flowers) | |||
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Boiled chicken | Meat or fish | Not mandatory | |
South
Mekong Delta, An Giang, núi Sam, Châu Đốc, Mother Goddess worship (Tứ Phủ)
- When
- The season of the Bà Chúa Xứ festival at núi Sam (late in the fourth lunar month) and when going on pilgrimage
- Where the offerings are set
- Bà Chúa Xứ shrine at the foot of núi Sam
- Who makes the offering
- Khách hành hương
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense and lamps, betel leaves and areca nuts, fruit | Vegetarian | |
| Rice and salt | ||
| Bông, gạo, muối | Vegetarian | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Roast pig | Meat or fish | Arranged in a separate area in the shrine |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Arrange the offerings
- Lighting incense, reading the prayer text to ask for good fortune
Mekong Delta, An Giang, núi Sam, Châu Đốc, Mother Goddess worship (Tứ Phủ)
- Writing one's name, age, and prayers for peace, good fortune, and wealth on paper
- First make offerings to the nine generations and seven ancestors, then to the Lady, then to the earth deities and Thổ Địa (according to the guide's words in the report)
- Asking for the Lady's blessing (pre-wrapped votive paper) to bring home
What is avoided
- Offerings at the pagoda are only vegetarian; meat offerings are made only at temples (đền) of the Saints
Communities and regions
Sources
- Top 5 bài khấn xin lộc buôn bán dễ nhớ và chuẩn nhất (voh.com.vn)
- Lễ cầu an và cầu tài lộc đầu năm mới (baophapluat.vn)
- Nạn 'cò cúng' mùa vía Bà (vnexpress.net)
- Khám phá An Giang trong mùa lễ hội vía Bà Chúa Xứ núi Sam (mytour.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
More ritesDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, the life cycle, village and ethnic rites.Open