Rước ông Táo (ceremony to welcome back the Kitchen Gods)
Also called: Đón ông Táo, Cúng rước Táo quân, Rước ông Táo về nhà, Cúng ông Táo mùng 7 tháng Giêng
- Lunar New Year (Tết)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, after seeing off Táo quân to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, households hold a ceremony to welcome Táo quân back to their kitchen at the end of the year. In many guides, the prayer for welcoming back ông Táo uses the very same form as the giao thừa prayer.
At a glance
- When it is held
- The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (the 29th in a short month), many places do it at giao thừa (New Year's Eve); some guides record that the central and southern regions welcome them back on the 7th day of the first lunar month
- For whom
- Táo quân (Kitchen Gods), together with the deities invoked at giao thừa (New Year's Eve)
- Where
- Ancestral altar, Courtyard or outdoors
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Flowers
- Hoa đào (peach blossom)
- Hoa cúc (chrysanthemum)
Tea, rice wine, water
- Trà (tea)
- Rượu trắng (white rice liquor)
Fruit
- Trái cây (fruit)
- Bưởi (pomelo)
Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes
- Xôi gấc (gac sticky rice)
- Chè (sweet dessert soup)
- Bánh tổ (sticky rice New Year cake)
- Bánh kẹo (cakes and sweets)
Meat and savoury dishes
- Cá chép (carp)
- Giò chả (Vietnamese pork sausage)
- Thịt luộc (boiled pork)
- Canh mọc (pork ball soup)
- Món xào (stir-fried dish)
Betel leaves and areca nuts
- Trầu cau (betel leaf and areca nut)
Rice and salt
- Gạo (rice)
- Muối (salt)
Votive paper
- Tiền vàng (votive paper money)
- Vàng mã (votive paper offerings)
- Mũ áo ông Táo (paper hats and robes for the Kitchen Gods)
Nationwide
- When
- The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (the 29th in a short month), the guides state the hour of Ngọ or about 23 o'clock to 23:45 on the night of giao thừa
- Where the offerings are set
- The altar of Táo quân or an altar in the house
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice and salt | |||
| Rice, salt | one plate of each item | Vegetarian | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Cá chép (carp), fried or live | one fish | Meat or fish | |
| Xôi gấc (red sticky rice with gấc fruit), chè kho (sweet bean paste), giò, boiled meat, canh mọc (meatball soup), a plate of stir-fried vegetables | Meat or fish | A tray of savory dishes; may be replaced with a vegetarian tray | |
| Fruit | |||
| Fruit, bưởi (pomelo), trầu cau (betel leaves and areca nuts) | Vegetarian | ||
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Lotus tea, rượu (rice wine) | one pot of tea, three cups of rượu | Vegetarian | |
| Flowers | |||
| Small hoa đào (peach blossoms), hoa cúc (chrysanthemums) | one vase of each | ||
| Votive paper | |||
| Paper money, votive paper, hats and robes of Táo quân | |||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Bánh tổ (sticky rice cake), kẹo thèo lèo (peanut and sesame candy) | Vegetarian | ||
Central
- When
- The 7th day of the first lunar month, the same day as khai hạ (ceremony marking the end of Tết)
- Where the offerings are set
- By old custom the tray is placed outdoors; nowadays many households make the offering together at the ancestors' altar
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rice and salt | ||
| Rượu, fruit, rice, salt, paper money, trầu cau | Vegetarian | One guide calls these obligatory offerings |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Savory tray: boiled pork, canh mọc or canh măng (bamboo shoot soup), stir-fried vegetables, giò, xôi gấc or xôi đỗ (mung bean sticky rice) | Meat or fish | |
| Vegetarian dishes | ||
| Vegetarian tray: xôi, mushroom soup, vegetarian nem, vegetables | Vegetarian | Buddhist household |
South
- When
- The 7th day of the first lunar month, the same day as khai hạ (ceremony marking the end of Tết)
- Where the offerings are set
- By old custom the tray is placed outdoors; nowadays many households make the offering together at the ancestors' altar
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rice and salt | ||
| Rượu, fruit, rice, salt, paper money, trầu cau | Vegetarian | One guide calls these obligatory offerings |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Savory tray: boiled pork, canh mọc or canh măng (bamboo shoot soup), stir-fried vegetables, giò, xôi gấc or xôi đỗ (mung bean sticky rice) | Meat or fish | |
| Vegetarian dishes | ||
| Vegetarian tray: xôi, mushroom soup, vegetarian nem, vegetables | Vegetarian | Buddhist household |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- PreparationClean the altar
- Laying out the offeringsArrange the offerings
- Reciting the prayerLight one or three incense sticks, read the prayer text
- Burning votive paperWhen the incense has almost burned out, make the closing offering and burn votive paper
Central Vietnam, Folk practice
- Lighting incenseIf the offering is made outdoors, first burn incense to ask permission from the ancestors
- Reciting the prayerLight candles, burn an odd number of incense sticks, and read the prayer text
- Bow three times, then plant the incense sticks
- Burning votive paperWhen the incense has burned two thirds of the way, burn votive paper
Southern Vietnam, Folk practice
- Lighting incenseIf the offering is made outdoors, first burn incense to ask permission from the ancestors
- Reciting the prayerLight candles, burn an odd number of incense sticks, and read the prayer text
- Bow three times, then plant the incense sticks
- Burning votive paperWhen the incense has burned two thirds of the way, burn votive paper
What is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- OfferingsNo underworld paper money is burned for Táo quân (Kitchen Gods), since they are deities
Central Vietnam, Folk practice
- OfferingsOne guide advises against offering duck meat, Muscovy duck meat, dog meat, bighead carp, squid, or buffalo meat
Southern Vietnam, Folk practice
- OfferingsOne guide advises against offering duck meat, Muscovy duck meat, dog meat, bighead carp, squid, or buffalo meat
The custom
In folk belief, after the send-off on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month Táo quân (Kitchen Gods) stay in the heavenly realm for about seven days, from the 23rd to the 30th, so families hold a rite on the last day of the year to welcome them home to look after the kitchen in the new year; some places do it on the 7th of the first lunar month, together with the new-year thanksgiving rite.
Where the sources differ
- Day of the welcoming: VOH and some guides state the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month; one guide states usually the 30th of Tết, but people in the central and southern regions welcome them back on the 7th day of the first lunar month
- The day of the welcome in the Centre: one guide records that people in the Centre welcome Ông Táo back on the 7th of the first lunar month; Tuổi Trẻ describes people in Huế welcoming Ông Táo early on the night of the 30th, before the giao thừa rite
- The day of the welcome in the South: one guide records that people in the South welcome Ông Táo back on the 7th of the first lunar month; Vietnam+ records that the Nam Bộ paper set "cò bay, ngựa chạy" has one part used in the rite welcoming Ông Táo back on the 30th of Tết
Questions
On which day is Ông Táo welcomed back home?
According to VOH, families welcome Ông Táo home on the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, or on the 29th in a year without a 30th; some places do it on the 7th of the first lunar month, with the new-year thanksgiving rite. In the Bính Ngọ year the twelfth month is short, and its 29th day is 5 February 2027 (5/2/2027).
What is offered when welcoming Ông Táo home?
According to VOH, the welcoming tray is like the send-off tray of the 23rd: a plate of rice, a plate of salt, chè kho, giò, boiled pork, xôi gấc, canh mọc, a stir-fried dish, fruit, a pot of lotus tea, 3 cups of rượu, a pomelo, betel leaves and areca nuts, peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, votive paper, and a fried or live carp.
At what time is Ông Táo welcomed back?
Sources differ: VOH gives the hour of Ngọ (11 to 13 o'clock) or about 23:00 to 23:45 on the night of giao thừa; in Huế, according to Tuổi Trẻ, Ông Táo is welcomed back early on the night of the 30th, before the giao thừa rite.
Communities and regions
Sources
- Văn khấn, cách cúng rước ông Táo về nhà vào 30 Tết (voh.com.vn, Đài Tiếng nói nhân dân TP. Hồ Chí Minh)
- Bài khấn rước ông Táo về nhà ngày Tết 2026 (hoatieu.vn)
- Bài cúng rước ông Táo về nhà ngày Tết (docungtamlinh.com.vn)
- Lễ rước ông Táo về nhà mùng 7 (hoatieu.vn)
- Giao thừa ở Huế (tuoitre.vn)
- Sự khác biệt trong phong tục cúng ông Công, ông Táo ở 3 miền Bắc-Trung-Nam (vietnamplus.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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