Prayer text to the ancestors when the groom's family comes for the lễ ăn hỏi (betrothal ceremony)

Lễ ăn hỏi (betrothal ceremony). An auspicious day chosen by the two families, after the lễ chạm ngõ (meeting ceremony) and before the wedding ceremony

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice
  • Address to the ancestors

Culture and belief A record of custom.

The prayer below is kept in Vietnamese, the language it is read aloud in during the rite.

Fill in before the rite

Your name and address appear in the prayer below and are kept on this device only.

Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

7 more blanks

How it differs from the common version

This text differs from the original in that it bows only to the paternal and maternal ancestors, not to the nine directions of Heaven and the deities and Thổ Công; it states the names and birth years of the two young people and that the two families have agreed 'theo đạo nghĩa, lễ nghi và pháp luật'; it has a sentence presenting the offerings; it ends with 'lễ bạc tâm thành' instead of 'Xin cúi đầu vọng bái'.

The common version: Prayer text for the lễ ăn hỏi (betrothal ceremony) (praying to the ancestors at the bride's house)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Lễ ăn hỏi (betrothal ceremony)

Other texts for Lễ ăn hỏi (betrothal ceremony)

Collected text. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.

Part of the open dataset Vietnamese offering prayers (văn cúng), licensed CC BY 4.0.

More prayer textsDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, life-cycle rites and regional rites.