Prayer text for installing a new incense bowl, addressed to the deities, grandparents and ancestors

Bốc bát hương, chuyển bàn thờ (ritual of filling the incense bowl and moving the altar). When moving to a new house, replacing the altar, replacing the incense bowl, or moving the altar to another place in the house; choosing the date and time by custom

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

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Prayer text to the ancestors when taking up a new incense bowl, read before the altar to ask permission of the deities, ancestors on both sides and the bà cô ông mãnh of the family line to perform the rite of taking up a new incense bowl and replacing the incense bowl, and to pray that they witness and bless the family with health, favorable circumstances, wealth and peace.

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

Fill in before the rite

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Other texts for Bốc bát hương, chuyển bàn thờ (ritual of filling the incense bowl and moving the altar)

More about Bốc bát hương, chuyển bàn thờ (ritual of filling the incense bowl and moving the altar)

Nhật Nguyệt articles on the rite, the custom and how to prepare.

The wording is kept exactly as published by the source. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.

Sources

  • Văn khấn và thủ tục bốc bát hương về nhà mới (docungtamlinh.com.vn)

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

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