Ok Om Bok moon offering ceremony of the Khmer people
Also called: Oóc Om Bóc, Ok-Om-Bok, Lễ đút cốm dẹp, Thvai Preas khe, Lễ cúng trăng Ok Om Bok của người Khmer
- Rites of ethnic communities
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, after the harvest the Khmer people set out cốm dẹp and farm produce under the moon to thank the Moon God, then the ritual master feeds cốm dẹp to the children and asks what they wish for.
At a glance
- When it is held
- Night of the full moon of the tenth lunar month
- This year (2026)
- Next year (2027)
- For whom
- Moon God; Water God
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
South
Mekong Delta, Khmer, Folk practice
- When
- Night of the full moon of the tenth lunar month, when the moon rises above the treetops
- Where the offerings are set
- House yard, pagoda yard, or an open place with a clear view of the moon; the offering table is set under a gate made of bamboo with flowers and leaves tied on
- Who makes the offering
- An elderly man, a respected person, or an achar serves as ritual master; children, teenagers, and parents attend
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Cốm dẹp (new sticky rice roasted then flattened, mixed with coconut water, sugar, and grated coconut) | Vegetarian | All sources record it as a mandatory offering |
| Fruit | ||
| Fresh coconut | Vegetarian | |
| Sugarcane | Vegetarian | |
| Bananas | Vegetarian | |
| Vegetarian dishes | ||
| Taro, cassava, sweet potato; khoai kđúch (yam) and củ hạn | Vegetarian | A magazine article records that where there are elderly people, khoai kđúch is mandatory |
| Flowers | ||
| Fruits, cakes, chrysanthemums, marigolds stuck on a banana trunk | Vegetarian | |
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, candles, tea | Vegetarian | |
| Sky lanterns, flower lanterns | Released after the ceremony | |
Mekong Delta, Khmer, ấp Ba Se B, xã Song Lộc, Vĩnh Long, Folk practice
- Where the offerings are set
- Offering table set in the yard, under the moonlight
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household invites two respected elders to perform the ritual
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Cốm dẹp made from new sticky rice | Vegetarian | Required | |
| Fruit | |||
| Bananas, fruits, sweet potato, taro, fresh coconut | Vegetarian | ||
| Two sugarcane stalks with tops intact erected on both sides of the table | 2 | Vegetarian | According to the ritual performer, the gate is for looking up at the moon |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | |||
| A betel vine with 12 leaves connecting the two sugarcane stalks, hung with 7 areca nuts | Vegetarian | 12 leaves correspond to 12 months, 7 nuts correspond to 7 days of the week | |
Steps of the rite
Mekong Delta, Khmer, Folk practice
- Erect a gate with three bamboo poles, along with two sugarcane stalks; set up a table to arrange the offerings
- Spread mats, everyone sits with hands clasped facing the moon
- When the moon is high, light incense and candles, pour tea; the ritual master prays to thank the Moon God, asks to receive the offerings and grant health, favorable rain and wind
- The ritual master calls the children over, feeds cốm dẹp and the other offerings into each child's mouth, and while feeding asks what they wish for
- Release sky lanterns, release flower lanterns into rivers, canals, ponds, and lakes; take down the offering tray and eat together, sing and dance
Mekong Delta, Khmer, ấp Ba Se B, xã Song Lộc, Vĩnh Long, Folk practice
- Chanting prayers for blessings
- Releasing lanterns onto the river
- Feeding cốm dẹp (flattened young sticky rice) to children and relatives along with prayers sent to the Moon God
Communities and regions
More about Ok Om Bok moon offering ceremony of the Khmer people
Sources
- Huỳnh Văn Tánh, Nhân sinh quan của đồng bào dân tộc Khmer từ sự ảnh hưởng của lễ hội Oóc Om Bok, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Triết học số 21 (4/2025) (vjol.info.vn)
- Tìm hiểu về Lễ hội Ok-Om-Bok của đồng bào Khmer Nam bộ (baocantho.com.vn)
- Cùng đồng bào Khmer vui hội Ok Om Bok (baovanhoa.vn)
- Lễ cúng trăng, nét văn hóa độc đáo của đồng bào Khmer Nam Bộ (tuoitre.vn)
- Độc đáo lễ cúng trăng Ok Om Bok của đồng bào Khmer Vĩnh Long (nhandan.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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