Cúng căn (age-milestone offering) at 3, 6, 9, 12 years old
Also called: Cúng đốt, Cúng dứt căn
- Life-cycle rites
Culture and belief A record of custom.
According to many current guides, cúng căn is the ceremony following the cúng Mụ (offering to the Midwife Goddesses) for đầy tháng and thôi nôi, thanking the 12 Bà Mụ for protecting the child through each age milestone. The 12-year-old time is called dứt căn, the last cúng Mụ.
At a glance
- When it is held
- In the years the child turns 3, 6, 9 and 12 years old, around the lunar birthday
- For whom
- The 12 Bà Mụ (Midwife Goddesses) and Đức Ông; if the house has altars, also offer to Buddha, deities, and ancestors
- Who makes the offering
- Grandparents or parents
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
- When
- In the years the child turns 3, 6, 9, 12 years old; the 12-year-old time is called dứt căn, held on a larger scale
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray), vase of flowers, nhang (incense), pair of candles, rice, salt | Vegetarian | ||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | |||
| Trầu cau têm cánh phượng (betel leaves and areca nuts folded in phoenix-wing shape) | 12 small portions and 1 large portion | Vegetarian | |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Tea, wine, water | 3 cups of each kind | Vegetarian | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Boiled chicken with crossed wings or roasted pig | Meat or fish | Vegetarian households may make a vegetarian tray | |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| xôi (steamed sticky rice) | 12 small portions and 1 large portion | Vegetarian | |
| Chè (sweet soup) | 12 small portions and 1 large portion | Vegetarian | Required. For boys, chè đậu trắng (white bean sweet soup), for girls, chè trôi nước (floating rice-ball sweet soup); some guides note not to change to another kind of chè |
| Bánh kem (cream cake) | 1 piece | Optional. Not a traditional offering | |
| Votive paper | |||
| Bộ giấy cúng căn (set of paper offerings for cúng căn): giấy cúng Mụ (paper for the Midwife Goddesses), shoes, paper clothes, sớ (petition), giấy độ thế Nam or Nữ (paper for salvation of male or female) | 1 set | ||
| 12 roi ngựa giấy màu (colorful paper horse whips, bông chi) | 12 pieces | Varies by region; after the offering, toss onto the roof (according to some guides) | |
| Objects | |||
| Books, notebooks, pens | Optional. Placed additionally at the 6-year-old offering, when the child enters first grade | ||
Steps of the rite
- Arrange the offering tray to the Bà Mụ facing the main door; if the house has altars to Buddha, deities, and ancestors, add small trays at those altars
- Pour tea, wine, water; an adult lights three incense sticks and reads the prayer text
- The mother holds the baby and bows three times; if the child is older, the child bows by themselves
- When two-thirds of the incense has burned, burn paper money, skirts and clothes, shoes, horse whips
Where the sources differ
- Which calendar to use for calculating the date: one guide notes it must follow the lunar birthday, some places move the date back by 'gái lùi 2, trai lùi 1' (girls back 2, boys back 1); another guide notes either lunar or solar is fine
- Time of offering: one guide notes morning or noon, best from 9 to 11 o'clock; another notes early morning or at sunset
Communities and regions
Sources
- Cúng căn là gì? Lễ vật cúng căn 3, 6, 9, 12 tuổi (docungtamlinh.com.vn)
- Cúng căn 6 tuổi cho bé trai, bé gái (docungviet.vn)
- Văn khấn cúng căn (xoichesaigon.com)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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