Xuất hành đầu năm (first outing of the new year)
Also called: Cúng xuất hành, Xuất hành đi xa, Hái lộc đầu năm, Mở biển, Xông biển, Lấy ngày
- Lunar New Year (Tết)
Culture and belief A record of custom.
By custom, xuất hành is the first time leaving the house of the new year; people choose the day, hour and direction with the wish for a favorable year, then usually go to a pagoda or temple (đền) to offer incense and ask for lộc (blessed offerings). In coastal villages of central Vietnam, the first outing of the year is a rite of offering to the boat and to the harbor before the first sea trip.
At a glance
- When it is held
- The first time leaving the house of the new year, from after giao thừa (New Year's Eve) to the first few days of the first lunar month, on a chosen day and hour; people who work at sea perform the xuất hành rite for the first sea trip of the year
- For whom
- By custom, it is to go to welcome the Hỷ thần (God of Joy) and Tài thần (God of Wealth) in the auspicious direction of the day; the place visited is usually a pagoda or temple (đền) worshipping Buddha or Saints; fishermen worship the boat deity, the harbor deity, cá Ông (the Whale God), and Bà Chúa Ngọc
- Where
- Pagoda, Communal house, shrine or temple (đình, miếu, đền), Water source (bến nước)
Each family and each region may do it differently.
The offering tray
Fruit
- Chuối (banana)
- Bưởi (pomelo)
Betel leaves and areca nuts
- Trầu cau (betel leaf and areca nut)
Votive paper
- Tiền vàng (votive paper money)
Nationwide
- When
- The first time leaving the house of the new year, counted from giao thừa (New Year's Eve): some people go right after giao thừa, some on the morning of the first day of the lunar month, some choose the second or third day according to the day and hour considered good
- Where the offerings are set
- No separate offering tray is set up; those who travel far report respectfully to the deities and ancestors right in the giao thừa (New Year's Eve) ceremony at home
- Who makes the offering
- Each person individually or the whole family
North
- When
- From after giao thừa (New Year's Eve) and the first days of the year
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | ||
| Green bananas, pomelo, trầu cau (betel leaves and areca nuts), votive paper | Vegetarian | Offerings brought along when going to pagodas and temples (đền) |
Central
Folk practice
- When
- Morning of the first day of the lunar month and the first days of the year
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| Incense, flowers, cakes and fruit, bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake), bánh in (pressed rice cake) | Meat or fish | Offerings brought along when going to pagodas |
North Central Coast, Fishing communities, Cẩm Xuyên, Cửa Nhượng, Cửa Sót, Folk practice
- When
- From the second day of Tết, on the day and hour chosen by the boat owner; fishermen of Cửa Nhượng only avoid setting out on the first day of the lunar month
- Where the offerings are set
- On the boat and at the landing
- Who makes the offering
- The boat owner together with the crew
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense, lamps, candles | ||
| Incense, votive paper | ||
| Rice and salt | ||
| Rice, salt | Vegetarian | After the offering, scattered into the water and over the whole deck |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts | ||
| Cau trầu (areca nuts and betel leaves) | Vegetarian | |
| Xôi (steamed sticky rice) and cakes | ||
| A tray of xôi (steamed sticky rice) and chicken, bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake) | Meat or fish | |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Seafood caught from the sea: shrimp, fish, squid | Meat or fish | |
South Central Coast, Fishing communities, Bình Hải, Bình Sơn, Quảng Ngãi, Phan Rí Cửa, Lâm Đồng, Folk practice
- When
- Quảng Ngãi: morning of the first day of the lunar month; Phan Rí Cửa: the second day or a day considered good, at high tide
- Where the offerings are set
- Quảng Ngãi: the village pagoda then the Bà shrine by the sea; Phan Rí Cửa: on the boat at the landing
- Who makes the offering
- Fishermen, boat owners
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rice and salt | ||
| Flowers, cakes and fruit, coconut, rice and salt | Vegetarian | Offering for the xuất hành (first outing of the year) rite on boats at Phan Rí Cửa |
South
- When
- In the first days of the year, until the full moon of the first lunar month
| Offering | Vegetarian or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | ||
| Fruits: mãng cầu (soursop), dừa (coconut), đu đủ (papaya), xoài (mango) | Vegetarian | Read in folk pronunciation as "cầu vừa đủ xài" |
| Meat and savoury dishes | ||
| Savory dishes | Meat or fish | |
Steps of the rite
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- PreparationConsult the calendar to choose an auspicious day and hour in the first few days of the year
- PreparationChoose the direction according to the wish: by custom, the direction of Hỷ thần (God of Joy) to pray for joy and luck; the direction of Tài thần (God of Wealth) to pray for wealth; the directions of these two deities change according to the can (heavenly stem) of the day
- PreparationThe direction of the outing is calculated according to the position of the destination relative to the house, not according to each segment of the road
- Leave the house at the chosen hour, go in the chosen direction; usually go to a pagoda or temple (đền) to offer incense first, then go to wish Tết greetings and enjoy spring outings
- Sharing the blessed offeringsAfter worshipping at the pagoda or temple (đền), ask for a small branch of lộc (blessed foliage) to bring home and place on the altar (tục hái lộc, the custom of picking lộc)
- Those who cannot go far, at the good hour, leave the house, walk a stretch in the good direction and then return
Northern Vietnam, Folk practice
- Xuất hành to pagodas, temples (đền), phủ (Mother Goddess shrines); performing the rites solemnly, often combined with spring outings and festival going
- Sharing the blessed offeringsHái lộc (picking lộc): after the rite, breaking a small branch of đa, đề, or si and bringing it home to stick at the altar
- Xin chữ ông đồ (asking the ông đồ for calligraphy) at the start of the year
- Traders go to phủ Tây Hồ (Hà Nội) to pray for fortune; go to đền Bà Chúa Kho (Bắc Ninh) following the custom of borrowing capital at the start of the year and making an offering of thanks at the end of the year
Central Vietnam, Folk practice
- Setting out to a pagoda to offer incense and pray for peace and safety, combined with spring outings (chùa Hương Tích (Hương Tích Pagoda) in Hà Tĩnh, đền Huyền Trân (Huyền Trân Temple) in Huế, chùa Linh Ứng (Linh Ứng Pagoda) in Đà Nẵng, phố cổ Hội An (Hội An Ancient Town))
- Sharing the blessed offeringsIn Quảng Ngãi, the pagoda prepares lộc trees hung with red envelopes; worshippers pick one envelope and exchange it for a small lộc item
North Central Coast, Fishing communities, Cẩm Xuyên, Cửa Nhượng, Cửa Sót, Folk practice
- Choosing a good day at the start of the year for the boat offering and the landing offering (lễ mở biển, also called xông biển)
- After the offering, scattering salt, rice, incense and votive paper into the water and over the whole deck
- Choosing the hour to leave the landing; pulling up anchor and running out to the sea mouth, casting a few nets to take the day, then returning to anchor at the landing and waiting for fine weather before going on a long trip
- At the start of the year, there is also an offering to cá Ông at the shrine of Đức Ngư Ông (Phúc Hải hamlet, Cẩm Nhượng commune)
South Central Coast, Fishing communities, Bình Hải, Bình Sơn, Quảng Ngãi, Phan Rí Cửa, Lâm Đồng, Folk practice
- Xã Bình Hải (Quảng Ngãi): fishermen take their turn off from the sea, on the morning of the first day of the lunar month they go to chùa Phước Thiện to pick lộc (blessed buds), then walk to Dinh Bà Chúa Ngọc to pray for the first sea trip of the year
- Phan Rí Cửa: early in the morning they bring offerings onto the boats for the xuất hành rite, then go out to sea for the first trip of the year; on shore the wholesale stalls also trade to pick a good day
Southern Vietnam, Folk practice
- Xuất hành to pagodas and shrines to pray for peace and safety and for wealth and fortune in business
- Asking for lộc, drawing fortune sticks, asking for water at large pagodas; many pagodas give out lộc, with lion dances and dragon dances
- Places often visited: chùa Bà Đen (Tây Ninh), chùa Ngọc Hoàng and chùa Bà Thiên Hậu (Ho Chi Minh City)
What is avoided
Used across Vietnam, Folk practice
- Avoid the direction of Hạc thần (sometimes written Hắc thần), which by custom is an inauspicious direction
- ConductAvoid wearing all black or white; avoid saying unlucky words, getting angry, or arguing when going out on the first days of the year
- TimingAccording to the saying "mùng năm, mười bốn, hai ba", many people avoid traveling far on the fifth day of the lunar month
- ConductWhen picking lộc, only break off a small branch, do not break a large branch
Northern Vietnam, Folk practice
- ConductWhen picking lộc, only a small branch is broken off, never a large one
North Central Coast, Fishing communities, Cẩm Xuyên, Cửa Nhượng, Cửa Sót, Folk practice
- TimingThe departure hour must be an odd hour, according to the saying "đi hơn, về kém"
- TimingFishermen of Cửa Nhượng avoid setting out on the first day of the lunar month
The custom
Xuất hành is leaving the house at the start of the year to seek good fortune for oneself and the family; beforehand people choose a good day, hour and direction, hoping to meet the gods of nobility, wealth and joy.
The book Việt Nam phong tục (1915) records that from the 2nd day of Tết some people choose a day for their first outing and others pick flowering branches to place at the door, called picking lộc. Picking lộc at temples and pagodas means asking for a share of the blessings of the deities and the Buddha; according to a VnExpress article, central Vietnam does not have the custom of breaking off branches for lộc.
In fishing villages, the first outing of the year is the rite of offering to the boat and the harbour before the first sea trip, also called opening the sea.
Where the sources differ
- The Tài thần (God of Wealth) direction of a can Đinh day: the article in Tạp chí Thị trường Tài chính Tiền tệ writes that old Han documents record due west while Vietnamese information records due east, and advises that it is enough to choose the Hỷ thần (God of Joy) direction; the article in Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam (Tết Quý Tỵ, first day of the lunar month, a Đinh Mùi day) records Tài thần due west.
- How to choose the direction: according to the Hỷ thần and Tài thần of the day (most sources); according to the Bát môn (Eight Gates) with the four gates Hưu, Sinh, Khai, Cảnh being auspicious (Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam); according to the Sinh khí and Thiên y directions of each person's age and only then the Hỷ thần and Tài thần (Tạp chí Thị trường Tài chính Tiền tệ); according to the age and fate of the head of the household (some guides).
- Hours: most sources use the even can chi hour frames (giờ Tý from 23 o'clock to 1 o'clock); Mr. Nguyễn Văn Chung in the article in Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam holds that 40 minutes must be added to match the traditional hour. The same article quotes Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm: Buddhism holds that all three days of Tết are good, and whichever direction leads to the place one intends to reach is a beautiful direction.
- One article holds that what needs to be avoided when going out is a hot-tempered, competitive mind, not the hour or direction.
- Day of the first outing: Phan Kế Bính (Việt Nam phong tục, 1915) records that from the 2nd day of Tết onward people choose a day for the first outing and for picking lộc; today's newspaper articles describe people going out right after giao thừa or on the morning of the first day
- Sources differ: a VnExpress article writes that the central region has no custom of hái lộc at the start of the year, so plants at temples and pagodas keep their leaves intact; a Sài Gòn Giải Phóng article describes people in Quảng Ngãi going to the pagoda on the first day of the lunar month to hái lộc, but it is picking envelopes hung ready by the pagoda, not breaking branches.
Questions
What is xuất hành, the first outing of the year?
It is leaving the house at the start of the year to seek good fortune for oneself and the family: people choose a good day, hour and direction and usually go to a pagoda or temple to worship and pick lộc. In fishing villages, the first outing of the year is the rite of offering to the boat and harbour before the first sea trip.
Which direction is taken for the first outing of the year?
By custom, people take the direction of Hỷ thần (God of Joy) to pray for joy and luck or of Tài thần (God of Wealth) to pray for wealth, and avoid the direction of Hạc thần; these directions change with the heavenly stem of the day, so each day differs, and they are reckoned by where the destination lies relative to the house. Sources also differ on the method: some use the Eight Gates, others each person's age.
On which day is the first outing of the year made?
Some go out right after giao thừa, some on the morning of the first day, and some choose the 2nd or 3rd day from the calendar; the book Việt Nam phong tục (1915) records that from the 2nd day of Tết people choose a day for their first outing. Following the saying 'mùng năm, mười bốn, hai ba' (the 5th, 14th and 23rd), many avoid travelling far on the 5th.
What offerings are taken on the first outing of the year?
People on their first outing bring offerings to the pagoda or temple: in the North usually green bananas, pomelo, betel and areca and paper money; in the Centre incense, flowers, cakes and fruit, bánh tét and bánh in; in the South custard apples, coconuts, papayas, mangoes and savoury dishes. Fishermen in Hà Tĩnh offer to the boat and harbour with incense, votive paper, rice, salt, betel and areca, xôi with chicken and bánh chưng.
Communities and regions
More about Xuất hành đầu năm (first outing of the new year)
Sources
- Chọn ngày tốt và hướng xuất hành đầu năm (baophapluat.vn)
- Độc đáo phong tục đón Xuân của người xưa (baophapluat.vn)
- Mùng 2 Tết: Xuất hành có cữ kiêng gì không? (baophapluat.vn)
- Xuất hành đầu năm (thitruongtaichinhtiente.vn)
- Xuất hành đầu năm: cách chọn ngày, giờ, hướng đi (fptshop.com.vn)
- Tết Mậu Tuất 2018: Xuất hành như thế nào (vietnamnet.vn)
- Nét đẹp của các phong tục đầu năm (vnexpress.net)
- Vì sao ngày 5, 14, 23 âm lịch bị coi là không tốt, nên tránh làm việc lớn? (tienphong.vn, Hoa Học Trò)
- Việt Nam phong tục, mục XII Tứ thời tiết lạp, Phan Kế Bính, 1915 (vi.wikisource.org)
- Nét đẹp văn hóa đi lễ chùa đầu năm của người Việt (thitruongtaichinhtiente.vn)
- Đầu xuân đi lễ, cầu lộc cầu tài (baovanhoa.vn)
- Mùng 1 Tết, người dân Quảng Ngãi đi chùa, hái lộc đầu năm (sggp.org.vn)
- Ngư dân Cẩm Xuyên làm lễ mở biển, xuất hành lấy may đầu năm (baohatinh.vn)
- Ngư dân Hà Tĩnh xông biển ngày đầu năm mới (hatinh.gov.vn)
- Mùng 1, hái lộc đầu năm với ngư dân Quảng Ngãi (sggp.org.vn)
- Ngư dân Lâm Đồng xuất hành lấy lộc đầu năm (baolamdong.vn)
Part of the open datasets Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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