Tạ mộ cuối năm (year-end grave visit and invitation of the ancestors for Tết)
Also called: Lễ Chạp, Chạp mả, Tảo mộ ngày Tết, Tạ mộ 30 Tết, Tảo mộ cuối năm, Mời ông bà về ăn Tết, Văn khấn tạ mộ, mời ông bà về ăn Tết
- Lunar New Year (Tết)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, late in the twelfth lunar month descendants go to the family graves to clear weeds and tidy up, thank the deities who watch over the burial ground and invite the ancestors home for Tết. Báo Hà Tĩnh calls the rite lễ Chạp; in Quảng Trạch and Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình), the year-end grave sweeping is called chạp mả.
At a glance
- When it is held
- Twelfth lunar month, usually from the 20th to the 30th, mostly after the 23rd
- Where the date differs
- In Quảng Trạch and Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình), according to SGGP, villages hold chạp mả throughout the twelfth lunar month, each on its own day; In Thới Tam Thôn commune (Hóc Môn, Ho Chi Minh City), according to an account in SGGP, the grave-visiting day is the 25th of the twelfth lunar month
- For whom
- Deities and Thổ địa (Earth God) who watch over the cemetery; the spirits of deceased relatives resting at the graves
- Where
- Grave, Ancestral altar
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Incense, lamps, candles
- Incense, lamp or candles
Tea, rice wine, water
- Trà (tea)
- Rượu trắng (white rice liquor)
- Nước sạch (clean water)
Fruit
- Trái cây (fruit)
Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes
- Bánh (cakes, kind unspecified)
- Mật mía (sugarcane molasses)
- Xôi (sticky rice)
- Chè (sweet dessert soup)
Meat and savoury dishes
- Savory offerings: boiled rooster or slices of giò (Vietnamese pork roll), white xôi (steamed sticky rice) or bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), a plate of rice and salt
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)
- Quần áo giấy (paper clothes, shoes, hats)
Nationwide
Folk practice
- When
- From the 20th to the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, mostly after the 23rd; no need to choose an hour
- Where the offerings are set
- At the graves; afterwards one offering tray at the family altar at home
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household together with children and grandchildren
| Offering | Quantity | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | |||
| Incense, lamp or candles | Required | ||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | |||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | 3 betel leaves, 3 areca nuts | Vegetarian | Required |
| Tea, rice wine, water | |||
| Tea, wine, plain water | Vegetarian | Required | |
| Votive paper | |||
| Votive paper money | Required | ||
| Paper offerings: votive paper money, paper clothes | |||
| Fruit | |||
| Fresh flowers and fruit | 1 plate, 5 kinds of fruit | Vegetarian | Required |
| Meat and savoury dishes | |||
| Savory offerings: boiled rooster or slices of giò (Vietnamese pork roll), white xôi (steamed sticky rice) or bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), a plate of rice and salt | Meat or fish | ||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | |||
| Vegetarian offerings: cakes, rice, salt, a cup of honey, xôi chè nếp (sweet sticky rice) | Vegetarian | ||
Buddhist
- When
- End of the year
- Where the offerings are set
- New grave: place the offerings in front of or on the grave; built grave: place them on the part meant for arranging offerings
- Who makes the offering
- head of the household
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, candles, plain water or tea | Vegetarian | Required |
| Flowers | ||
| Flowers, fruit, cakes and candies | Vegetarian | As one wishes |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) or a bowl of white rice | Vegetarian | |
Central
North Central Coast, Quảng Trạch, Ba Đồn, Quảng Bình, Folk practice
- When
- Throughout the twelfth lunar month, each village holds chạp mả on its own days, two days per village; Thanh Bình hamlet holds it on the 17th and 18th
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| A pig slaughtered by each clan | Meat or fish | Custom of Thanh Bình hamlet, Quảng Xuân commune; the meat is shared among clan members |
| Fruit | ||
| Fruit | Vegetarian | |
South
Southeast, Thới Tam Thôn, Hóc Môn, TPHCM, Folk practice
- When
- The 25th of the twelfth lunar month, by the old saying; today any day before, around or after the full moon of the twelfth month up to Tết is fine, but the busiest day is still the 25th
- Customary hour
- from 5 a.m.
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetarian dishes | ||
| Dishes made from home-grown produce: cucumber, tomato, okra, gourds | Vegetarian | |
| Flowers | ||
| Chrysanthemums, marigolds | ||
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Boiled pork, roast pork, bánh bao, bánh hỏi | Meat or fish | Added by better-off families |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Lighting incenseLight incense at the common place of worship of the cemetery (Thổ Địa, Địa Tạng) to ask permission
- PreparationPull weeds, sweep, tidy up the graves
- Reciting the prayerArrange the offerings, light incense, pray to the deities then pray to invite the spirits to come home for Tết
- Burning votive paperWhen the incense has burned about two thirds, give thanks and burn votive paper
- Lighting incenseLight incense for neighboring graves and unowned graves
- Reciting the prayerReturn home, arrange a tray at the family altar, pray to invite the ancestors
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist
- Lighting incenseNguyện hương
- Lễ tán Phật
- Reciting the prayerRead the prayer text, make offerings to the four ranks
- Chant the mantra
- Dedication of merit
North Central Coast, Quảng Trạch, Ba Đồn, Quảng Bình, Folk practice
- Reciting the prayerOn the first day the clan visits the graves of the founders of the village and the lineage
- Reciting the prayerOn the second day each family visits its own graves
Southeast, Thới Tam Thôn, Hóc Môn, TPHCM, Folk practice
- PreparationFrom early morning, hoe, rake and sweep the grass and leaves around the graves
- Laying out the offeringsAt daybreak, set the offerings on each grave for the elders to present
- Waiting for the incense to burn downWhile waiting for the incense to burn down, the descendants get to know their relatives and show each other who lies in each grave
- Clearing the offeringsBow to the ancestors, then take down the offering trays from each grave
Good to know
- The current trend encourages burning votive paper sparingly, to protect the environment and save money
What is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- SpeechNo playing around, loud talk or laughter, crude words, or calling one another by name in the cemetery
- ConductDo not step on or sit on the graves; do not eat the offerings in the cemetery
- People taking partPregnant women and people who are frail or seriously ill are advised to avoid the grave visit; young children who come along need an adult to watch them
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist
- ConductNo killing of living beings
- OfferingsDo not burn votive paper, joss paper, or petition paper
North Central Coast, Quảng Trạch, Ba Đồn, Quảng Bình, Folk practice
- People taking partBy the custom of Thanh Bình hamlet (Quảng Xuân commune) reported by SGGP, on the first morning the men slaughter the pig and arrange the fruit; the women do not touch the rite's tasks
The custom
According to Báo Hà Tĩnh, the year-end grave rite, or lễ Chạp, does two things: it thanks the deities and the earth god who watched over the ancestors' resting place during the year, and it tidies the graves before incense is lit to invite the ancestors' spirits home to celebrate Tết with their descendants.
Phan Kế Bính (1915) recorded that people usually treated the 30th of the twelfth lunar month as the eve-offering day before the New Year, so on that day they took betel leaves and areca nuts to visit and sweep the ancestral graves, then came home to make the Tết offering.
In Quảng Trạch and Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình), chạp mả is the local word for grave sweeping; according to SGGP, descendants living far away may skip coming home for Tết but must arrange to return for chạp mả.
Questions
On which day is the year-end grave visit made?
According to Dr. Vũ Thế Khanh (Báo Hà Tĩnh), families usually visit the graves from the 20th to the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, mostly after the 23rd, and no hour needs choosing. Some places have their own day: in Thới Tam Thôn commune (Hóc Môn) it is the 25th; in Quảng Trạch and Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình), each village has its own day in the twelfth month (SGGP).
What is the year-end grave rite?
The year-end grave rite, also called lễ Chạp, is held in the twelfth lunar month: according to Báo Hà Tĩnh, descendants go to the graves to thank the deities and earth god who watched over the ancestors' resting place during the year, tidy the graves, then light incense to invite the ancestors' spirits home for Tết.
What is prepared for the year-end grave visit?
According to Báo Hà Tĩnh, the basic offering is incense, lamps or red candles, betel leaves and areca nuts (3 leaves, 3 nuts), tea, rượu, clear water, votive paper and a plate of fresh fruit; a savoury offering adds a boiled rooster or a slice of giò, white xôi or bánh chưng and a plate of rice and salt; a vegetarian one has cakes, rice, salt, a cup of honey and xôi chè. Households following the Buddhist rite offer incense, candles, water, fruit, xôi or rice, without killing animals or burning votive paper.
What is chạp mả?
According to SGGP, chạp mả is the local word in Quảng Trạch and Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình) for grave sweeping: villages hold it throughout the twelfth lunar month, two days each, the first for the clan and the founders' graves of the village and lineage, the second within each family. Báo Hà Tĩnh also calls the year-end grave rite lễ Chạp.
Communities and regions
Sources
- Văn khấn lễ tạ mộ cuối năm (lễ Chạp) 2026 (Báo Hà Tĩnh)
- Sông Gianh mùa chạp mả (sggp.org.vn)
- Tảo mộ ngày giáp tết (sggp.org.vn)
- Việt Nam phong tục, mục XII Tứ thời tiết lạp, Phan Kế Bính, 1915 (vi.wikisource.org)
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