Dâng sao giải hạn (offering to the ruling star to ward off misfortune)
Also called: Cúng sao, Cúng sao giải hạn, Giải sao, Nhương tinh giải hạn, La Hầu, Kế Đô, Thái Bạch, Thái Dương, Thái Âm, Mộc Đức, Thổ Tú, Thủy Diệu, Vân Hán (Vân Hớn)
- Cầu an, giải hạn (prayers for peace, rites to ward off misfortune)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
In folk belief, each year every person has one of nine stars ruling their fate; some stars are considered good, some are considered bad; in a year when a bad star appears, a dâng sao (offering to the star) ceremony is held to cầu giải hạn (pray for the warding off of misfortune). The ceremony is held at home or at a pagoda or temple (đền), with the number of candles, the colour of the paper tablet and the direction of the offering specific to each star. Press sources note that pagodas regard this as a folk custom, not a Buddhist ritual.
At a glance
- When it is held
- The day of each star every month according to the lunar calendar; at the start of the year it is usually done together on the full moon of the first lunar month
- For whom
- The tinh quân (star lord) of the ruling star of the year (one of nine stars), together with Ngọc Hoàng Thượng đế (Jade Emperor), Tử Vi Đại đế (Great Emperor of the Purple Star), Nam Tào (Southern Dipper), Bắc Đẩu (Northern Dipper)
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Region:
Nationwide
Folk practice
- When
- Each star has one lunar day every month: La Hầu the 8th, Thái Bạch the 15th, Kế Đô the 18th, Thổ Tú the 19th, Thủy Diệu the 21st, Mộc Đức the 25th, Thái Âm the 26th, Thái Dương the 27th, Vân Hán the 29th; at the start of the year it is usually done together on the evening of the full moon of the first lunar month
- Where the offerings are set
- At home or at a pagoda or temple (đền); one guide instructs to make the offering outdoors, and if the house has no yard, to set it out on the rooftop or right by the door
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household; in some places a master is asked to perform the ceremony
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Incense, flowers, fruit, phẩm oản (offering cakes) | Vegetarian | ||
| Candles or lamps, arranged in the shape of the star | Thái Dương (Sun) 12, Thái Âm (Moon) 7, Mộc Đức (Jupiter) 20, Vân Hán (Comet) 15, Thổ Tú (Saturn) 5, Thái Bạch (Venus) 8, Thủy Diệu (Mercury) 7, La Hầu (Rahu) 9, Kế Đô (Ketu) 21 candles | Required. The number of candles according to each star | |
| Votive paper | |||
| votive paper and paper money | |||
| Paper hats of the same colour as the tablet | |||
| Objects | |||
| Coins | 36 coins | ||
| A paper tablet recording the title of the star lord | Required. Colors by star: yellow (Thái Dương, Thái Âm, Thổ Tú, La Hầu, Kế Đô), green (Mộc Đức), red (Vân Hán), white (Thái Bạch), black (Thủy Diệu) | ||
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts, wine, water, rice, salt | Vegetarian | According to one source | |
Folk practice
- When
- The 8th day of the first lunar month, by custom the gathering day of the stars; source guides say the offering is made in the evening, from 21 to 23 o'clock
- Where the offerings are set
- Outdoors (yard, rooftop, balcony); where there is no outdoor space, the offering is made indoors. Many people hold the rite at a pagoda
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Hương (nhang) (incense) | |||
| Nến (đèn cầy) (candles) | for an offering for the whole household, 3 candles; for an individual offering, the number of candles follows each star | La Hầu (Rahu) 9, Kế Đô (Ketu) 20 or 21, Thái Dương (Sun) 12, Thái Âm (Moon) 7, Mộc Đức (Jupiter) 20, Vân Hớn (Rahu's tail) 15, Thổ Tú (Saturn) 5, Thái Bạch (Venus) 8, Thủy Diệu (Mercury) 7 | |
| Flowers | |||
| Fresh flowers | 3, 5 or 7 flowers | Some guides note that yellow chrysanthemums are commonly used | |
| Fruit | |||
| Ngũ quả (five-fruit tray) | Vegetarian | ||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | |||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | 5 fruits, 5 leaves | Vegetarian | |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Rượu (rice wine), water | Vegetarian | ||
| Votive paper | |||
| votive paper and paper money | Some guides note 10 sheets of votive paper money | ||
| Rice and salt | |||
| Rice, salt | Vegetarian | ||
| Objects | |||
| Bài vị (spirit tablet) written on coloured paper according to each star | |||
North
- When
- At the start of the year, around the full moon of the first lunar month
- Where the offerings are set
- At a pagoda, temple (đền) or phủ (Mother Goddess shrine)
- Who makes the offering
- The pagoda or a ritual master performs the ceremony together for many families that have registered their names
South
Southeast, TPHCM, Hóc Môn, Folk practice
- When
- Evening of the 8th day of the first lunar month
- Where the offerings are set
- At a pagoda (the article describes chùa Đông Linh, Hóc Môn)
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Objects | |
| Sớ cầu an (petition for peace and safety) | The person asking for the star rite to be carried out wears the petition on the head |
| Incense, lamps, candles | |
| Đèn cầy (candles) | |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Write the tablet with the title of the star, paste it on a stick planted in a glass of rice, and place it in the middle at the innermost side of the offering table
- Arrange the candles in the shape of the star, facing the direction of the star: Thái Dương faces East; Thái Âm, Thổ Tú, Thái Bạch, Kế Đô face West; Mộc Đức faces East; Vân Hán faces South; Thủy Diệu, La Hầu face North
- Light incense, read the prayer text; as the tablet is written, so is the prayer text read
- When the ceremony is done, burn the votive paper, and burn the prayer text and the tablet as well
Northern Vietnam, Folk practice
- The family goes to the pagoda or temple (đền) to register the name of the person whose star needs to be resolved
- The master performs the star offering for many people at one time
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Prepare the offerings, arrange the candles according to the star
- Light incense, recite the prayer text or read the sớ (petition)
- After the rite, burn the votive paper money, the prayer text and the spirit tablet together
Southeast, TPHCM, Hóc Môn, Folk practice
- The person asking for the star rite to be carried out (called nhương chủ in the article) comes to the pagoda on the evening of the 8th
- Present the petition, wear the sớ cầu an (petition for peace and safety) on the head
Where the sources differ
- The number of candles for the star Mộc Đức: 20 flames, offered on the 25th (one guide); 15 flames, offered on the 29th, red tablet, facing South (the book introduction in Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam, matching the figure that guide gives for the star Vân Hán)
- How the altar is set up: some places set up a three-tier altar (the upper tier offers to Heaven, Buddha, Immortals and Saints; the middle tier offers to the ruling star; the lower tier offers to the hungry spirits), some places offer only to the ruling star (vk-le-dang-sao)
- Offering together once at the start of the year or offering on the exact day of each star: one guide notes that whichever star rules one's fate, the offering is made on the full moon of the first lunar month; elsewhere the view is cited that each star has its own day and hour, that it is done every month and done at home
- Whether the star offering is a matter for the pagoda: one newspaper article says the practice of offering to the stars to ward off misfortune at pagodas is common only in the North and is not part of Buddhist doctrine; another article says the rite was originally performed only at temples (đền) and phủ (Mother Goddess shrines), and later pagodas followed the demand of the people, while pagodas have the cầu an (prayer for peace and safety) ceremony
- Day of the offering: one guide notes that the early-year giải hạn (rite to ward off misfortune) is usually held on the 8th day of the first lunar month; Dân trí newspaper notes that most begin from the 8th, some places hold the rite from the 4th or 6th day of Tết, and it may be held monthly on the 8th, 18th and 28th days of the lunar calendar
- Number of candles for the Kế Đô star: the same guide notes 20 candles in the section on arranging candles and 21 flames in the section on how to bow
Communities and regions
More about Dâng sao giải hạn (offering to the ruling star to ward off misfortune)
Sources
- Văn khấn dâng sao giải hạn (vankhan.vn)
- Lễ dâng sao giải hạn đầu năm vào ngày tết Nguyên tiêu (vankhan.vn)
- Văn khấn cúng sao giải hạn (hoatieu.vn)
- Có nên cúng sao giải hạn tập thể? (baophapluat.vn)
- Tục cúng sao giải hạn: khi con người xử lý những bất ổn của cuộc sống (baovanhoa.vn)
- Lễ cầu an và cầu tài lộc đầu năm mới (baophapluat.vn)
- Văn khấn sao Hội mùng 8 tháng Giêng 2026 (hoatieu.vn)
- Cách cúng sao mùng 8 tháng Giêng 2026 (hoatieu.vn)
- Lễ vật cúng sao hội mùng 8 tháng Giêng (hoatieu.vn)
- Mùng 8 cúng sao cầu năm mới an lành (dantri.com.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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