First-of-the-year well offering

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Tết Giếng, Cúng tạ giếng, Cúng thần giếng, Lấy nước đầu năm, Cúng giếng đêm giao thừa

By custom, on giao thừa (New Year's Eve) night or in the morning of the first days of the year, people set up an offering beside the village well or the household well to thank the well god and to take the first gourd of water of the year. In some places, this is combined with the Tết Nhà, Tết Vườn, Tết Giếng offerings on the third day.

When
On giao thừa (New Year's Eve) night or the morning of the first day of Tết; in some places, the third day of Tết
For whom
Thần Giếng (Well God), Thành hoàng (village tutelary deity), Thổ địa (Earth God), Long mạch (dragon vein), and deities governing water sources

Well offering text for giao thừa night, no. 1

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice

What this prayer says

Prayer for the well on giao thừa (New Year's Eve), addressing the Buddhas, Hoàng Thiên Hậu Thổ, Táo quân (Kitchen Gods), the Thành hoàng (village tutelary deity), the well deity and the deities governing water sources; the tín chủ (the person making the offering) presents incense, flowers and offerings, asking these deities to witness the sincerity and bless the whole family with peace and good health, all things well, and every request fulfilled.

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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Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

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Other texts for First-of-the-year well offering

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
On giao thừa (New Year's Eve) night after the outdoor offering, or in the morning of the first day of Tết; in some places, the offering is made on the third day together with the year-end thanks offerings (Tết Nhà, Tết Vườn, Tết Giếng)
Where the offerings are set
Beside the village well or the household well; for a drilled well, the offering tray is placed in a clean spot near the well
Who makes the offering
One representative per household

Offerings

OfferingQuantityNotes
Đèn cầy (candles)1 pair
Flower vase1 vase
Ripe bananas1 bunchdocungtamlinh.com.vn: five-fruit tray
Xôi (steamed sticky rice), chè (sweet soup)
Betel leaves and areca nutsdocungtamlinh.com.vn: 5 betel leaves, 5 areca nuts
rice winehoatieu.vn notes "rượu thuốc" (medicinal wine); docungtamlinh.com.vn: white wine, tea, filtered water
votive paper and paper money
Rice and salt

Steps

  1. On the afternoon of the 30th of Tết, draw water and fill the jars and vessels for storage
  2. Set up the offering, read the well prayer text
  3. Burn votive paper, drop three coins into the well
  4. Draw the first water of the year (the custom of drawing water lasts about half an hour from giao thừa)
  5. Bring the water home, perform the offering at home

Things to avoid

  • Do not pour wine, salt, or rice into the well (according to docungtamlinh.com.vn)
  • Until the offering and burning of votive paper are finished, do not draw the first gourd of water

Where the sources differ

  • Order of drawing water and making the offering: both sites have the sentence "after the offering, burn votive paper and drop three coins into the well, then draw water", but there is also the sentence "after drawing water, make the offering at the well altar, then go home".

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

Sources

  • Bài cúng Giếng đêm Giao thừa, đầu năm (hoatieu.vn)
  • Bài cúng giếng đầu năm (docungtamlinh.com.vn)

Part of the open dataset Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.

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