Cúng cô hồn (offering to wandering spirits)
Also called: Cúng chúng sinh, Cúng thí, Văn tế thập loại chúng sinh, Văn chiêu hồn, Giật cô hồn
- Offerings to wandering spirits
Culture and belief A record of custom.
In folk belief, the seventh lunar month is when spirits with no one to worship them return, so every household sets a tray outdoors to share a portion with them. The three regions set different trays: the North offers vegetarian food with cháo hoa (plain rice porridge), Huế favors xôi (steamed sticky rice) and chè (sweet soup) and cut-paper votive paper, the South offers savory food and has the custom of giật cô hồn (scrambling for the spirits' offerings). The words include folk prayers and sacrificial orations, among them Nguyễn Du's Văn tế thập loại chúng sinh (Oration for the Ten Classes of Beings).
At a glance
- When it is held
- Seventh lunar month, from the 2nd to the full moon; in the South, offerings are also made on the 2nd and 16th of each month
- For whom
- Wandering spirits, souls without refuge, with no one to worship them
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Region:
Nationwide
- When
- Seventh lunar month, from the 2nd to before 12 noon on the full moon day; offered in the late afternoon or at dusk
- Where the offerings are set
- In the yard, in front of the gate; the tray is not placed inside the house
- Who makes the offering
- head of the household
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice and salt | |||
| Rice, salt | 1 bowl of rice, 1 plate of salt | Vegetarian | Scattered in the four directions and eight compass points when the ritual is finished |
| Votive paper | |||
| Vàng mã (votive paper) | |||
North
- Where the offerings are set
- In the yard, in front of the gate
- Who makes the offering
- head of the household
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Cháo hoa (plain rice porridge cooked thin) | Vegetarian | Required. Some guides say it is an indispensable dish |
| Bánh đa (rice cracker), kẹo dồi (peanut and sesame candy) | Vegetarian | |
| Vegetarian dishes | ||
| Popcorn, boiled sweet potato, boiled cassava | Vegetarian | |
| Objects | ||
| Small change, plain water | Vegetarian | |
Central
Huế, Huế, Folk practice
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household; sometimes an elderly person knowledgeable in sutras and chanting is invited
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice), chè (sweet soup), bánh phu thê (husband and wife cake), bánh ít (small sticky rice cake) | Vegetarian | Arranged elaborately, sometimes shaped like a lotus flower |
| Votive paper | ||
| Votive paper: paper money, clothes, shoes, paper conical hats made by cutting and pasting | Some guides say votive paper is the highlight of the central region | |
| Rice and salt | ||
| Rice, salt | Vegetarian | |
South
Folk practice
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household, the shop owner
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| A whole roast pig | Meat or fish | |
| Boiled chicken | Meat or fish | |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Bánh trái (cakes and fruits) | Vegetarian | |
| Fruit | ||
| Mía ghim (sugarcane cut into sections) | Vegetarian | Folk tradition says it is for the spirits to use as a walking stick |
Traders and shopkeepers, Folk practice, Offering to wandering spirits
- When
- The 2nd and 16th of the lunar calendar every month
- Where the offerings are set
- In the yard, in front of the house, shop, company
- Who makes the offering
- Small traders, business households
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Thin plain congee | 12 bowls, in some places 5 to 7 bowls | Vegetarian | |
| Cakes and candies, slab sugar, xôi (steamed sticky rice) or chè, puffed rice, potatoes, boiled corn, sugarcane | Vegetarian | ||
| Rice and salt | |||
| Rice, salt | one plate | Vegetarian | |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| water | three cups | Vegetarian | |
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Incense, two candles | |||
| Votive paper | |||
| Paper money and votive paper, clothes for sentient beings | |||
| Fruit | |||
| Fruit, flowers, betel leaves and areca nuts | Vegetarian | ||
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Chicken, roast pig | Meat or fish | Depending on means, the tray at a shop or company is usually fuller than the tray at home | |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Set up the offering tray outdoors
- Offer incense, read the prayer text
- Burn votive paper
- Scatter rice and salt in the four directions and eight compass points
Huế, Huế, Folk practice
- Arrange the tray
- Chant
- Scatter rice and salt
Southern Vietnam, Folk practice
- Arrange the offering tray, recite prayers
- After the offering, let children and passersby come and snatch the cô hồn offerings (snatch the offerings)
Southern Vietnam, Traders and shopkeepers, Folk practice, Offering to wandering spirits
- Set out the tray in the yard
- Light incense, read the prayer text
- Burn votive paper together with the prayer text sheet
- Scatter rice and salt
What is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Do not place the offering tray for wandering spirits inside the house
Northern Vietnam, Folk practice
- Avoid offering savory food to wandering spirits
Communities and regions
Sources
- Lễ cúng cô hồn tại 3 miền: bức họa đa sắc về văn hóa tâm linh của người Việt (vietcetera.com)
- Cúng cô hồn miền Nam và miền Bắc (docungtamlinh.com.vn)
- Cúng cô hồn hàng tháng, bài văn khấn (docungtamlinh.com.vn)
- Cúng cô hồn cần gì? Hướng dẫn chuẩn bị và thực hiện (didongviet.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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