Lễ Cải Cát (transferring the remains into a small urn, repairing the grave, moving the grave): prayer before the grave
Cải táng, bốc mộ (reburial, exhumation). After the three-year mourning period ends or a few more years; also done when the grave must be repaired or moved
- Used across Vietnam
- Folk practice
- At the grave
Culture and belief A record of custom.
What this prayer says
Prayer read at the grave during the rite of cải cát (reburial), placing the remains in a small urn, repairing the grave or moving the grave, bowing to the Buddha, Thành hoàng (village tutelary deity), Táo quân (Kitchen Gods) and ancestors, reporting that the grave has been moved and asking the spirit to receive the offerings and bless the descendants.
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.
Showing the version used across Vietnam.
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Offerings and how the rite is done
Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Cải táng, bốc mộ (reburial, exhumation)
Other texts for Cải táng, bốc mộ (reburial, exhumation)
- Folk practice, Address to the deitiesPrayer text to Long Mạch, Sơn Thần and Thổ Thần (before and after moving the grave)
- Folk practice, Address to the ancestorsPrayer text announcing to the ancestors before going to Cải Cát
- Folk practice, Address to the deitiesPrayer text to the spirits at the old grave before Cải Cát
- Folk practice, At the gravePrayer text to the hương linh (spirit of the deceased) when transferring the remains into a small urn and moving the grave
- Folk practice, Closing thanks and burning of votive paperPrayer text for the thank-offering after completing Cải Cát and repairing the grave
- Buddhist, At the graveVăn bạch (spoken petition) for the offering at the grave before sang cát (bốc mộ) and moving the grave
- Buddhist, Closing thanks and burning of votive paperVăn bạch (spoken petition) for the thank-offering at home after sang cát (bốc mộ) and moving the grave
- Folk practice, Address to the deitiesPrayer text to deities at the grave (for tảo mộ, repairing the grave, bốc mộ)
The wording is kept exactly as published by the source. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.
Sources
- Văn khấn trong lễ tang (vankhan.vn)
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.Open