Lễ cầu tự (rite to pray for a child)
- Life-cycle rites
- 3 prayer texts
- Offerings and steps
Culture and belief A record of custom.
About this rite: when it is held and for whom
Also called: Cầu con, Xin con, Lễ cầu con
By custom, a couple longing for a child goes to a pagoda, temple (đền), phủ or burns incense before the ancestors' altar to pray for a child to continue the line. Each place of worship has its own form of address and prayer text; many places have the custom of returning to give a thank-offering rite when a child is born.
- When
- No fixed date; by custom people often go in early spring (chùa Hương: first lunar month, second lunar month) or on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month
- For whom
- Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the pagoda; Thánh Mẫu (Holy Mothers), Bà Mụ (Midwife Goddesses) and the deities worshipped at the temple (đền), phủ; household deities and ancestors at home
Prayer text for cầu tự at home (praying to the household deities and ancestors before the day of going to the pagoda or temple)
- Used across Vietnam
- Folk practice
- Indoor offering
What this prayer says
Prayer for a child at home, recited before the altar of the household deities and ancestors on the day before going to the pagoda or temple; the tín chủ (the person making the offering) presents offerings and states that the couple has long been without a child, asking the deities and ancestors to witness and accompany them in praying for a child.
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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Other texts for Lễ cầu tự (rite to pray for a child)
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, Folk practice
- When
- No fixed date; the guide on tuvisonlong.com notes one may go on the fifteenth day of the lunar month or on an ordinary day, and pray at the pagoda or temple at least three times
- Where the offerings are set
- The ancestors' altar at home; the Tam Bảo (Three Jewels) altar at the pagoda; the altars at the temple (đền), phủ
- Who makes the offering
- The husband and wife together
Offerings
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Incense, fresh flowers, fresh fruit, clean water | the offering at the pagoda is a vegetarian offering |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts, cakes or a vegetarian offering | when making the offering at the temple (đền), phủ |
| Meat offering | Optional. at the temple (đền), phủ, when that place has such a custom and the management allows it |
| A vase of flowers, a plate of fruit, three cups of water, incense | when praying before the ancestors' altar |
Steps
- Praying at home first: announcing to the household deities and ancestors the matter of childlessness and asking the ancestors to accompany them to the pagoda, temple (đền) (tuvisonlong.com calls this phát tâm tại gia, raising the intention at home)
- The next day going to the pagoda, temple (đền), phủ to present the offering, burn incense, read the prayer text for a child, and state the names and ages of the husband and wife
- At the temple (đền), phủ, one addresses the deity worshipped there by the correct title and asks the thủ nhang (keeper of the shrine) about how to arrange the offering
Things to avoid
- Do not place money on statues, incense bowls or ritual objects; donations should be put in the designated place
- Do not burn a lot of votive paper at the pagoda on one's own initiative
Northern Vietnam, chùa Hương (Mỹ Đức, Hà Nội), đền Sinh, đền Hóa (Chí Linh, Hải Dương), đền Lăng Sương (Phú Thọ), Folk practice
- When
- Chùa Hương: first lunar month, second lunar month. Đền Lăng Sương: especially on festival and Tết occasions
- Where the offerings are set
- Chùa Hương: the rock grotto with stalactites called núi Cô, núi Cậu. Đền Sinh: before the stone slab called Đức Thánh mẫu Thạch Bàn
Offerings
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Incense, oản (round sticky rice cakes), fruit | brought into chùa Hương |
| Cakes and sweets | brought to the place of núi Cô, núi Cậu |
Steps
- At chùa Hương, according to old custom as described in the press: make the offering to the Buddha, then go to the stalactite grotto, choose a stalactite, rub one's hand on it and pray to invite 'Cậu' (to pray for a son) or 'Cô' (to pray for a daughter) to come and stay with the couple
- On the way home it is as if there were one more person: when eating, an extra bowl and extra chopsticks are set; when taking the ferry, one extra fare is paid
- When a child is born, each year they bring the child back to the pagoda to give thanks; at đền Sinh people return to hold a thank-offering rite on the child's birthday
Southeast, chùa Ngọc Hoàng (TP. Hồ Chí Minh), Folk practice
- Where the offerings are set
- The worship room of Kim Hoa Thánh Mẫu and the 12 bà Mụ, on the left of the main hall of chùa Ngọc Hoàng
Offerings
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Incense, fresh flowers, a tray of five fruits, betel leaves and areca nuts trimmed in phoenix-wing shape, candles | |
| Xôi gấc (steamed sticky rice with gấc fruit) or xôi đỗ xanh (steamed sticky rice with mung beans), chè trôi nước (sweet soup with glutinous rice balls) | |
| Votive paper money | Optional. by local custom |
| A pair of turtles for release | Optional. write the names and ages of the husband and wife on the turtle shells |
Steps
- Arrange the offerings, light incense at the altar of Ngọc Hoàng, Kim Hoa Thánh Mẫu and the 12 Bà Mụ
- Read the prayer, stating full name, date of birth, address and the wish; it is said that someone on duty at the worship room will relay the prayer
- Hang a loop of thread on the statue: on the right when praying for a son, on the left when praying for a daughter (according to greensm.com)
- Rub the belly of the Bà Mụ statue, one's own belly, and the belly of the child statue at the feet of Bà Mụ, three times each (according to greensm.com)
- Release the pair of turtles into the pagoda's pond
- When the wish is granted, return to the pagoda to give thanks
The wording is kept exactly as published by the source. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.
Sources
- Bài văn khấn cầu tự cho gia đình hiếm muộn con cái (tuvisonlong.com)
- Thực hư chuyện hiếm muộn đến chùa cầu được con (baophapluat.vn)
- Cách cầu con ở chùa Ngọc Hoàng TP.HCM (greensm.com)
Part of the open dataset Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.
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