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Lễ Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu (ceremony of the Three Holy Mothers), at the Mẫu altar

Also called: Mẫu Liễu Hạnh, Mẫu Thượng Ngàn, Mẫu Thoải, Văn khấn ban Mẫu, Văn khấn Mẫu ở chùa, Lễ Thánh Mẫu cầu tự sớ

  • Pagodas, communal houses, temples and shrines

Culture and belief A record of custom.

Prayer text for Lễ Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu (ceremony of the Three Holy Mothers), at the Mẫu altar2 texts, kept in Vietnamese, with an English summary.

In Mother Goddess worship, the worshipper offers a vegetarian offering at the Mẫu altar in a đền, a phủ, or the Mẫu hall of a pagoda. Besides the model prayer text there is also a Sino-Vietnamese sớ (petition) for offspring, offered to the Holy Mothers.

At a glance

When it is held
On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month, at Tết holidays, or when there is a matter needing prayer
For whom
Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu (the Three Holy Mothers): Mẫu Thượng Thiên (Mother of Heaven, Mẫu Liễu Hạnh), Mẫu Thượng Ngàn (Mother of the Mountains and Forests), Mẫu Thoải (Mother of Water); together with Ngọc Hoàng (Jade Emperor) and the ranks of the Tứ phủ (Four Palaces)
Where
The Mẫu altar (Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu) in a hall, a phủ, a đền, or the Mẫu hall in a pagoda

Each family and each region may do it differently.

The offering tray

When
On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month, at Tết holidays, at tiết days, or when there is a matter needing prayer
OfferingVegetarian or notNotes
Incense, lamps, candles
Vegetarian offerings: incense, flowers, tea, fruit, phẩm oản (rice cakes)VegetarianOffered at the Holy Mothers' altar
Votive paper
Hàng mã (votive goods): money, gold, hats, bootsOptional. One guide writes that one may prepare these in addition when offering at the Mẫu altar
Objects
Khăn chầu (medium's scarf), mirror, combOptional. When lowering the offering, left on the altar for the thủ nhang (keeper of the shrine) to arrange

Steps of the rite

  1. Place the offering, light incense, pray at the Mẫu altar in the order of the altars of the đền or phủ
  2. Wait until one round of incense is finished; one may light another round
  3. Vái three times before each altar, lower the sớ to burn it, then lower the offerings from the outer altar to the main altar
  4. At a phủ the ceremony is sometimes accompanied by hầu đồng (spirit mediumship ritual) and hát chầu văn (chầu văn singing), with many rounds of incense offered

What is avoided

  • Dress neatly, keep words and gestures solemn at the đền or phủ (according to some guides)

Where the sources differ

  • On meat offerings and raw offerings: one guide writes that at a đền or phủ one may offer a meat offering at the Công đồng altar, a raw offering at the Ngũ Hổ altar, and a sơn trang meat tray (crab, snail, eel); another guide (Văn khấn Mẫu ở chùa) writes that raw offerings are absolutely not used, the sơn trang tray uses vegetarian specialties, and if one wants a meat offering one should buy vegetarian items shaped like meat.

Communities and regions

More about Lễ Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu (ceremony of the Three Holy Mothers), at the Mẫu altar

Sources

  • Văn khấn Mẫu ở chùa (hoatieu.vn)
  • Văn khấn tại Đình, Đền, Miếu (vankhan.vn)
  • Những nghi lễ chính tại đền, miếu, phủ (vankhan.vn)

Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.

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