Offering to Tiền chủ (former owner) and Hậu chủ (later owner)
Also called: Cúng chủ đất cũ, Tiền chủ Hậu chủ, Cáo yết Tiền chủ
- Household deities
Culture and belief A record of custom.
In folk belief, the Tiền chủ are the deceased who once owned or were attached to the house and land before the present head of the household, and are not the family's ancestors. In many prayer texts for giỗ (death anniversary) and for deities, the Tiền chủ and Hậu chủ are invited in the last sentence; some households hold a separate announcing ceremony when they come to live there.
At a glance
- When it is held
- When nhập trạch (moving into a new house), on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, on the first day of the lunar month, at tất niên (year-end offering), when repairing the house
- For whom
- Tiền chủ, Hậu chủ: the spirits of those who once established or resided on the house and land; the governing deities are respectfully announced to first
- Who makes the offering
- head of the household
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Folk practice
- When
- When nhập trạch (moving into a new house), on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, on the first day of the lunar month, at tất niên (year-end offering), when repairing the house
- Where the offerings are set
- Inside the house
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, oil lamp or candle | ||
| Tea, rice wine, water | ||
| Fresh flowers, a plate of fruit, clean water, tea | Vegetarian | |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | ||
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | Vegetarian | Optional. If the household has the custom of using it |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice), chè (sweet soup), cakes or a vegetarian rice tray | Vegetarian | Optional |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Savory tray: rice, xôi (steamed sticky rice), boiled chicken or cooked meat, soup | Meat or fish | Optional. Households that by custom make savory offerings |
| Votive paper | ||
| Vàng mã (votive paper) | Some guides note it is not mandatory | |
Folk practice, Outdoor offering
- When
- On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month, at Tết, or when the household encounters misfortune
- Where the offerings are set
- The cây hương in the yard: a pillar about 1 metre high, widened on top like an altar surface, with a back wall and two side walls
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Objects | ||
| Incense bowl | Required | |
| Flowers | ||
| Flower vase | Required | |
| Fruit | ||
| Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray) | Vegetarian | On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month, or when the household has an offering ceremony |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Arrange the offerings, vegetarian or savory depending on the household's custom
- Respectfully announce to the governing deities first, then invite the Tiền chủ and Hậu chủ
- In the prayer, state the occasion of the ceremony and the family's coming to reside there
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice, Outdoor offering
- Keep the cây hương clean and tidy
- Arrange flowers and fruit, burn incense
- Read the prayer text, praying to Bản gia Tiền chủ
What is avoided
- Do not place a tablet bearing a name, because no one knows the name of the Tiền chủ; a dragon facing the moon may be made
Where the sources differ
- Whom the cây hương in the yard worships: one guide says it is where the Tiền chủ (the first owner of the house) is worshipped; another separates the two, the outdoor altar is the altar of ông Thiên (the Heaven God), while the Tiền chủ altar is a different altar found in some houses.
Communities and regions
Sources
- Văn khấn cây hương ngoài trời (hoatieu.vn)
- 4 bàn thờ phổ biến trong nhà người Việt, nhà bạn có mấy? (vietcetera.com)
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