Going to offer at đền, miếu, phủ
Also called: Lễ Thánh, Văn khấn đền, miếu, phủ, Văn tế đền
- Pagodas, communal houses, temples and shrines
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, those going to offer at đền, miếu, phủ prepare offerings according to their means (vegetarian offerings, meat offerings, offerings to the Cô and Cậu altars), present the offerings in the order of the altars, pray, then burn the sớ, and conclude the ceremony. Besides the common prayer, there are also văn tế and Hán Việt sớ for each đền.
At a glance
- When it is held
- Festivals, Tết, seasonal observances, first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, and the đền's festival day
- For whom
- Deities, Saints, Mother Goddesses, and the human spirits worshipped at đền, miếu, phủ
- Who makes the offering
- Worshipper
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Folk practice
- When
- On holidays, Tết, seasonal festivals, sóc (first day), vọng (fifteenth day), and village festival days; some places hold festivals in spring, autumn, or on the deity's birthday or death anniversary
- Where the offerings are set
- At the altars in đình, đền, miếu, phủ
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Vegetarian offerings: incense, flowers, tea, fruit, phẩm oản (rice cakes) | Vegetarian | Offered at the altar of Buddha and Bodhisattvas (if any) and the altar of Thánh Mẫu (Holy Mother) | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Savory offerings: chicken, pig, giò (Vietnamese sausage), chả (pork roll), cooked | Meat or fish | Placed at the Công đồng altar (Ngũ vị quan lớn, the five great mandarins) | |
| Offerings to Thần Thành Hoàng and Thư điền: boiled pork leg, xôi (steamed sticky rice), wine, money, votive paper | Meat or fish | ||
| Raw offerings: eggs, rice, salt, meat bait | 5 raw duck eggs on a plate of salt and rice, 2 raw chicken eggs in two small cups, one piece of meat scored into five parts | Meat or fish | Offered to quan Ngũ Hổ, Bạch xà, Thanh xà at the lower Công đồng altar |
| Sơn trang savory feast: crab, snail, eel, chili, lemon, xôi chè nếp cẩm (black sticky rice sweet soup) | prepared in the number 15 | Meat or fish | Corresponding to the 15 deities worshipped at the Sơn trang altar |
| Objects | |||
| Offerings at the Cô (young female spirits) and Cậu (young male spirits) altars: oản (rice cakes), fruit, incense and flowers, mirror and comb, hia (shoes), nón (conical hat), paper toys | Vegetarian | ||
Mother Goddess worship (Tứ Phủ), At the temple of the one being honoured
- When
- Throughout the year, when visiting Trần temples or temples and phủ that have the Trần Triều altar
- Where the offerings are set
- Trần Triều altar: the statue of Đức Thánh Trần in the middle, below or on both sides are the Vương tử (princes), Vương cô (princesses), and family generals
| Offering | Vegetarian or not |
|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |
| Incense, flowers, clean water and offerings according to one's heart | Vegetarian |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Lễ trình (introductory offering): first offer to Thần Thổ địa and the temple keeper to ask permission to enter and worship
- Arrange the offerings again, display them on trays, and present them with both hands to the altars, starting from the main altar outward
- After placing offerings at all altars, light incense; light from inside out, with an odd number of sticks, usually three
- Ring the bell three times, then recite prayers; if there is a sớ (petition), place it on a plate, raise it to eyebrow level, and bow three times
- Worship from the Công đồng altar into the main sanctuary, then to the two side bays, and finally to the Cô and Cậu altars
- After one incense cycle, bow three times to ask to conclude the ceremony, burn the sớ first, then burn votive paper for each altar, and remove offerings from the outer altars to the main altar
- Mirrors, combs, and khăn chầu (medium's scarves) at the Cô, Cậu, and Mẫu altars are left on the altar for the temple keepers to arrange
Used across Vietnam, Mother Goddess worship (Tứ Phủ), At the temple of the one being honoured
- Offer incense, flowers, offerings at the altar
- Pray in remembrance, wishing for family peace and safety
What is avoided
- Some guides note: do not place money on statues, worship objects, artifacts; limit burning votive paper at crowded relics
Where the sources differ
- On the order of worship: some guides write that some places first offer to the Thổ địa altar and the temple keeper before entering the main altar; one of them adds that if the đền or miếu does not have those altars, worship starts from the Công đồng altar or from the main sanctuary first.
- On offerings to Thành Hoàng: one guide writes that savory offerings are commonly used (boiled pork leg, xôi, wine); a guide on visiting pagodas writes that offerings to Thành Hoàng and Thư điền must be vegetarian (the Thành hoàng làng article of that same guide copies the first guide).
Communities and regions
Sources
- Văn khấn tại Đình, Đền, Miếu (vankhan.vn)
- Văn khấn Thành Hoàng làng (hoatieu.vn)
- Những nghi lễ chính tại đền, miếu, phủ (vankhan.vn)
- Văn khấn lễ Đức Thánh Trần (vankhan.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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