(Quỳ, chắp tay)
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Cầu siêu for the spirit of a fetus
- Funeral and mourning rites
- 2 prayer texts
- Offerings and steps
Culture and belief A record of custom.
About this rite: when it is held and for whom
Also called: Cúng vong thai nhi, Cầu siêu vong nhi, Cầu siêu bé đỏ, Sám hối thai nhi
According to the ritual as instructed by the pagoda, parents and relatives perform the ceremony at home and then attend the ceremony at the pagoda to repent and dedicate merit to the spirit of the fetus. The offering is simple, with milk or rice water; the main readings are the prayer text inviting the spirit and the text of repentance for the fetus.
- When
- At home: 3 to 7 days before the ceremony at the pagoda; at the pagoda: according to each pagoda's schedule
- For whom
- The spirit of a fetus and of a child who died shortly after birth; the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are respectfully invoked to witness
Prayer text in the ritual performed at home before attending the cầu siêu ceremony for the spirit of a fetus
- Used across Vietnam
- Buddhist
- Indoor offering
What this prayer says
Prayer text in the home ceremony before attending the cầu siêu (prayer for the dead) for the spirit of a fetus, addressing the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the assembly of noble ones for witness, inviting the fetal spirit and other spirits to practice, making offerings and dedicating merit, recited during the home offering.
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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Showing the version used across Vietnam.
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Other texts for Cầu siêu for the spirit of a fetus
Versions by region, by tradition and for each part of the rite.
Offerings and how the rite is done
As commonly practised and recorded by the sources. Each family and each region may do it differently.
Used across Vietnam, Buddhist, Indoor offering
- When
- Perform the ceremony at home for 7 days, at least 3 days, before the cầu siêu ceremony for the spirit of the fetus at the pagoda
- Where the offerings are set
- Before the Buddha altar, the milk offered for the fetus is placed on the ancestors' altar; if the house has no Buddha altar, it is done before the ancestors' altar; if there is no altar, it is placed on a table
- Who makes the offering
- The parents and relatives of the fetus
Offerings
| Offering | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers and fruit | as desired | |
| Fresh milk or rice water | as desired | Required. offered for the fetus |
Steps
- Nguyện hương
- Prayer text: address the Buddha, state one's name, invite the spirit of the fetus to come and cultivate and to attend the cầu siêu ceremony
- Chanting praise of the Buddha, chanting praise of the Dharma
- Sutra chanting, one text per session, reading four texts in sequence and then starting again
- Read the text of repentance for the fetus (if the child died within the first week after birth, this part is not read)
- Offering food if there are offerings: announce the offering, recite the mantras of transforming food and transforming water, and the universal offering
- Phục nguyện, dedication of merit, three refuges
- Bạch hạ lễ
Things to avoid
- The page on offerings states that there are no taboos
Northern Vietnam, Đại Bảo tháp Mandala Tây Thiên, Tam Đảo, Vĩnh Phúc, Buddhist
- When
- Vu Lan season, seventh lunar month: the nuns devote a whole day to setting up an altar for cầu siêu for fetuses before the ceremony of Phả độ gia tiên
- Where the offerings are set
- The altar at Đại Bảo tháp Mandala Tây Thiên
- Who makes the offering
- The nuns of Tây Thiên; parents and relatives of the fetuses and children who died early, including men
Offerings
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Slips of paper bearing the names of the fetuses to be prayed for | many slips bearing the same name are Đỏ |
| Candles |
Steps
- Participants write the name of the fetus on the cầu siêu slip
- Together with the nuns, chant the text "Sám hối với thai nhi" at the altar
- Listen to Dharma teaching, pray for the spirit of the fetus
Collected text. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.
Sources for the offerings and steps
- Cầu siêu cho 'bé đỏ', nét đẹp mùa Vu Lan (tienphong.vn)
- Lễ Phả độ gia tiên, Vu lan báo hiếu (baophapluat.vn)
Part of the open dataset Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
More prayer textsDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, life-cycle rites and regional rites.Open