Cúng tiên thường (cáo giỗ) (offering on the day before the death anniversary, announcing the giỗ)
Also called: Lễ Tiên Thường, Cúng báo giỗ, Lễ mời giỗ
- Ancestors and death anniversaries
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, tiên thường is the offering announcing the giỗ, held on the day before the giỗ: the head of the household goes to the grave to tidy it and invite the deceased, then at home announces to Thổ thần and prays to invite the ancestors to come and enjoy the giỗ. From the time of the cáo giỗ until the end of the main giỗ day, incense is kept burning on the altar.
At a glance
- When it is held
- Afternoon of the day before the main giỗ (death anniversary); by custom only performed before major giỗ (giỗ of grandparents, parents, spouses)
- For whom
- Thổ thần (Earth God), Táo quân (Kitchen Gods), Long mạch (Dragon Vein) are announced first; then the spirit of the deceased of the giỗ together with ancestors on both sides; some households go to the grave to invite
- Where
- Ancestral altar, Grave
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household who stands for the giỗ
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Incense, lamps, candles
- Hương (incense sticks)
Flowers
- Hoa tươi (fresh flowers)
Tea, rice wine, water
- Rượu trắng (white rice liquor)
- Trà (tea)
Fruit
- Trái cây (fruit)
Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes
- Oản (molded sticky rice offering cake)
Betel leaves and areca nuts
- Trầu cau (betel leaf and areca nut)
Votive paper
- Vàng mã (votive paper offerings)
Other
- Mâm cơm (meal tray)
Nationwide
- When
- Afternoon of the day before the main giỗ
- Where the offerings are set
- The family altar; before that, at the grave of the deceased of the giỗ
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, flowers, fruit | Vegetarian | Required |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | ||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts, wine | Vegetarian | |
| Votive paper | ||
| Votive paper, phẩm oản (steamed rice cakes) | Vegetarian | |
| Other | ||
| Rice and soup, tea and water | Vegetarian | Some guides note the offerings are simple, carrying the atmosphere of the home |
South
Mekong Delta, Folk practice
- When
- The giỗ is held over three days: tiên thường, chánh giỗ, hậu thường
- Where the offerings are set
- The ancestors' altar in the house
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Bánh ít (small sticky rice cakes) | some households wrap several hundred cakes for each giỗ | Vegetarian | Offered to the ancestors first, then given to relatives and neighbours |
| Bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake) | Meat or fish | Tuổi Trẻ notes that bánh tét and bánh ít are seen as traditional dishes that cannot be missing from a giỗ in the Mekong Delta | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Savory dishes, sweet dishes, fruit, fresh flowers | Meat or fish | ||
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- PreparationGo to the grave of the deceased of the giỗ to clear grass, tidy it, burn incense and invite them back to enjoy the giỗ
- Laying out the offeringsReturn home, clean the altar, arrange the offerings
- Reciting the prayerFirst perform the yết cáo rite announcing to Thổ thần (Thổ Công, Táo quân, Long mạch)
- Reciting the prayerPray to announce to the ancestors, inviting the deceased of the giỗ and the spirits of kin on both sides to come and enjoy the giỗ the next day
- Keep incense on the altar from the time of the cáo giỗ until the end of the main giỗ day
Mekong Delta, Folk practice
- PreparationMore than a week before the giỗ, the whole family prepares cakes and fruit, the offering tray, and invites relatives and neighbours
- PreparationNeighbours come to help cook, in the manner of rotating labour through the neighbourhood
- Reciting the prayerOffer tiên thường, chánh giỗ, hậu thường
- Sharing the blessed offeringsGuests who come to the giỗ are given a portion on leaving by the head of the household: bánh ít, xôi (steamed sticky rice), fruit
Good to know
- GuestsThanh Niên notes that when a neighbour is too busy to come to the giỗ, the hosts wrap an extra gift with some food and have their children take it to that house
What is avoided
- People taking partChildren and grandchildren in the family must remember the giỗ day themselves, not wait to be invited
The custom
Phan Kế Bính (1915) records that the death anniversary of great-grandparents, grandparents and parents is called kỵ nhật: the afternoon before is the tiên thường offering, and the next day is the main anniversary.
In the Mekong Delta, Thanh Niên records that the first day of a giỗ is called tiên thường, meaning the offering for the day of life, the next is chánh giỗ, the offering for the day of death; on the afternoon of chánh giỗ, hậu thường sees the ancestors off.
Where the sources differ
- one guide notes tiên thường includes going to the grave to invite and two rites, announcing to Thổ thần and announcing to the ancestors; another notes this rite is usually only at home, not necessarily inviting relatives, and going to the grave is done only by some families
Questions
What is the tiên thường offering?
Tiên thường is the offering on the day before the main death anniversary: Phan Kế Bính (1915) records that the afternoon before is the tiên thường offering and the next day is the main anniversary. Some guides note that on this day the person holding the giỗ reports to Thổ thần and to the ancestors, inviting the deceased to come to the giỗ.
What do the rites tiên thường (advance offering), chánh giỗ (main day) and hậu thường (closing offering) mean?
They are the three rites of a giỗ in the Mekong Delta: Thanh Niên records that the first day is tiên thường (the offering for the day of life), the next is chánh giỗ (the offering for the day of death), and hậu thường on the afternoon of chánh giỗ sees the ancestors off. Sài Gòn Giải Phóng notes that these three days are now found only in the countryside, especially the Mekong Delta provinces.
At what time is the tiên thường offering made?
There is no set hour, usually the afternoon before: Phan Kế Bính records the afternoon before the anniversary; one guide gives the afternoon or evening before; Tuổi Trẻ notes that a giỗ in the Mekong Delta offers the mâm tiên on the afternoon before.
Communities and regions
More about Cúng tiên thường (cáo giỗ) (offering on the day before the death anniversary, announcing the giỗ)
Sources
- Văn khấn ngày Giỗ Thường (vankhan.vn)
- Việt Nam phong tục, Phần I, mục XI. Kỵ nhật, Phan Kế Bính, 1915 (vi.wikisource.org)
- Đám giỗ quê nhà (sggp.org.vn)
- Vì sao đi ăn đám giỗ miền Tây, khách được gói phần mang về? (znews.vn)
- Đi ăn đám giỗ miền Tây, vì sao khách còn có phần mang về? (thanhnien.vn)
- Vì sao đám giỗ ở miền Tây nhà nhà gói bánh tét? (tuoitre.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