Cúng khai xuân, mở hàng đầu năm (spring-opening offering and first-day-of-year shop-opening offering)
Also called: Khai bút, Khai hạ mùng 7, Cúng hạ nêu, Cúng đầu năm, Khai trương đầu năm, Hạ nêu
- Lunar New Year (Tết)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, traders, offices and companies hold a beginning-of-year offering before reopening for work. The 7th day of the first lunar month is the day of khai hạ; households that erected a nêu pole hold the lễ hạ nêu (pole-lowering ceremony), considered the end of Tết.
At a glance
- When it is held
- The day for the first shop opening of the year is chosen by the head of the household within the first lunar month; the khai hạ (lowering the nêu pole) offering is on the 7th day of the first lunar month
- For whom
- Thần Tài (God of Wealth), Thổ Địa (Earth God) and the deities governing the place of business; at the khai hạ offering, prayers are made to the deities and ancestors
- Where
- Thần Tài altar, Place of work, Courtyard or outdoors, Ancestral altar
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
- Trà (tea)
Fruit
- Trái cây (fruit)
- Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray)
Meat and savoury dishes
- A boiled chicken, or a slice of pork roll, a pig's head or roast pork depending on the place
Votive paper
- Tiền vàng (votive paper money)
Other
- Mâm lễ (offering tray, items not named)
Nationwide
Folk practice
- When
- The day for the first shop opening of the year is chosen by the head of the household; one guide lists the 6th, 9th and 10th days, with the offering made in the morning
- Where the offerings are set
- The Thần Tài and Thổ Địa altar of the shop or company
- Who makes the offering
- The shop owner or company director
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, flowers, offerings, votive paper and gold, tea and fruit | Vegetarian | According to the prayer text |
| Flowers | ||
| A vase of gerbera flowers | ||
| Fruit | ||
| A tray of five fruits according to local custom | Vegetarian | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| A boiled chicken, or a slice of pork roll, a pig's head or roast pork depending on the place | Meat or fish | |
Buddhist
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| For the Buddha: incense, flowers, tea, fruit and food (xôi, sweet soup or a bowl of white rice) | Vegetarian | Prepared in full or as circumstances allow |
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| For the devas and deities: the same offerings as for the Buddha | Vegetarian | |
| Tea, rice wine, water | ||
| For the ancestors: flowers, fruit and a bowl of rice, a cup of water, a cup of milk, or a tray of vegetarian food or food with the three kinds of pure meat | Vegetarian | |
Folk practice
- When
- The 7th day of the first lunar month, the day of khai hạ (lowering the nêu pole), usually in the afternoon
- Where the offerings are set
- A table set under the nêu pole and the altar inside the house
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Other | |
| Incense, flowers, simple offerings or a tray of rice | There is no obligatory offering tray |
| Votive paper | |
| votive paper and paper money | If the household has the custom of using it |
Central
Huế, Huế, Folk practice
- When
- The 7th day of the first lunar month, when Tết in Huế ends
- Who makes the offering
- The pole-raising group of the village or clan
| Offering | Vegetarian or not |
|---|---|
| Objects | |
| A basket hung at the top of the nêu pole holding betel leaves, areca nuts and paper money | Vegetarian |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Laying out the offeringsArrange the offerings
- Reciting the prayerPray at the Thần Tài altar or pray to the deities governing the area
- Burning votive paperWhen the incense has burned through, bow in thanks and burn the votive paper
- Open the doors for business
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist
- Lighting incenseInsert incense, kneel, join hands, the chanter recites
- Reciting the prayerRead the prayer text; may also make a charitable offering
- Chant the true words to transform food and water, universal offering
- Dedication of merit
- Clearing the offeringsTake down the offerings
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Reciting the prayerFirst light incense and pray to ask permission of the ancestors in the house
- Reciting the prayerHold the offering outdoors under the nêu pole, giving thanks for the first days of the year
- Lower the nêu pole and take down the decorations
- Burning votive paperBurn votive paper if there is any
- Clear away the Tết items and begin the work of the new year
Huế, Huế, Folk practice
- The rites for lowering the pole are similar to those for raising it
- Nghinh thần: welcoming the deities to the rite
- Reciting the prayerOffering to the deities
- Khánh hạ: the rite of completion
- Tống thần: seeing the deities off
- Burning votive paperBurning the petition
Good to know
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- GuestsBy folk belief, the first customer of the year is someone whose age suits the shop owner
- Housing (apartments, rented homes)Where there is no altar, a clean table is placed in the most dignified spot of the shop or company to set out the offerings
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist
- Housing (apartments, rented homes)Offerings are not set low on the floor or the ground; if they cannot go on the altar, another suitable place is used
What is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- ConductExchanging or returning goods on the opening day is avoided
- ConductBreaking glasses, panes or glassware on the opening day is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist
- OfferingsThe offering rite involves no killing of animals and no burning of paper money, votive paper or petitions
The custom
According to the book Việt Nam phong tục (Phan Kế Bính, 1915), from the 2nd day of Tết onward traders choose a day to open their shops and students choose a day for their first writing of the year; on the 7th the nêu pole is lowered, a day called khai hạ.
Following the saying 'a smooth start makes a smooth end', many believe that a good first opening day brings a prosperous year, so shop owners and offices hold a rite to report to Thổ Công (Earth God), Thần Tài (God of Wealth) and the deities of the place of business before opening.
The pole-lowering rite closes Tết: according to Nguyễn Hạnh's book Thực hành văn hóa tín ngưỡng Việt Nam, Vietnamese raise the nêu pole on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and lower it on the 7th of the first lunar month; in Huế, Tết ends on the 7th when the pole is taken down.
Where the sources differ
- Opening day: one guide gives the 6th, 9th and 10th; a VnExpress article describes companies choosing the 2nd, 4th or 5th; Phan Kế Bính (1915) records that from the 2nd day of Tết onward traders choose a day to open their shops
Questions
What is the khai xuân (spring-opening) offering?
It is the start-of-year offering of shops, offices and companies before they reopen: reporting to Thổ Công (Earth God), Thần Tài (God of Wealth) and the deities of the place of business, and praying for a prosperous year of trade.
What does the spring-opening or first-opening offering tray include?
The tray usually has a vase of gerbera flowers, a tray of five fruits, and a boiled chicken or a slice of pork roll, a pig's head or roast pork depending on the place; the prayer at the Thần Tài altar mentions incense and flowers, offerings, paper gold and silver, tea and fruit.
On which day and at what time of day is the khai hạ offering made?
The khai hạ rite, that is the lowering of the nêu pole, is held on the 7th day of the first lunar month, usually in the afternoon; some areas hold it on the 6th. For Tết Đinh Mùi, the 7th day is 12 February 2027 (12/2/2027).
Communities and regions
Sources
- Cúng đầu năm vào ngày nào, giờ nào tốt (docungtamlinh.com.vn)
- Văn khấn mở hàng, khai trương đầu năm 2025 (baoquocte.vn, Báo Thế giới và Việt Nam)
- Văn khấn mở hàng, khai trương đầu năm mới Bính Ngọ theo chuyên gia (vietbao.vn)
- Hướng dẫn cách cúng khai trương đầu năm để làm ăn hồng phát (voh.com.vn)
- Nhộn nhịp 'mở hàng' đầu xuân (vnexpress.net)
- Việt Nam phong tục, mục XII Tứ thời tiết lạp, Phan Kế Bính, 1915 (vi.wikisource.org)
- Lễ hạ nêu mùng 7 tết Nguyên đán là gì, có ý nghĩa ra sao? (vietnamnet.vn)
- Mùng 7 Tết là ngày gì? (hoatieu.vn)
- Lễ Tết Nguyên đán (Lễ đầu năm mới) (vankhan.vn)
- Tết Huế (nhandan.vn, 22/01/2025)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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