Wedding ceremony: yết cáo (announcement) to the household deities and ancestors

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Lễ gia tiên ngày cưới, Dựng vợ gả chồng, Lễ vu quy, Lễ thành hôn, Lễ nhập gia tiên, Lễ lại mặt

By custom, when a family has a wedding, both the groom's and the bride's families make offerings, burn incense to announce to the household deities and ancestors, and ask for their witness for the young couple. On the wedding day, there is an ancestor ceremony at the bride's house before the bride leaves, and an ancestor ceremony upon entering the groom's house; in the South, there is also a lễ lên đèn (lighting ceremony).

When
On the days of chạm ngõ (first formal meeting), ăn hỏi (betrothal), and wedding; some households also hold a ceremony on the day of lại mặt (return visit to the bride's family)
For whom
Gia thần (Thổ công, Táo quân, Thành hoàng bản cảnh) và gia tiên của nhà trai, nhà gái

Prayer text for the yết cáo (announcement) to the Gia Thần (household deities) and Gia tiên (ancestors) (on the occasion of a wedding)

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice

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.

Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

4 more blanks

Lines that depend on the occasion

  • Sinh trai có vợ (nếu là nhà trai), Sinh gái có chồng (nếu là nhà gái): The groom's family reads the upper sentence, the bride's family reads the lower sentence.
  • con trai (con gái): Choose according to whether it is the groom's family or the bride's family.

Other texts for Wedding ceremony: yết cáo (announcement) to the household deities and ancestors

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 the days of chạm ngõ (first formal meeting), ăn hỏi (betrothal), and wedding; some households also hold a ceremony on the day of lại mặt (return visit to the bride's family)
Where the offerings are set
The altars of the household deities and ancestors of the groom's and bride's families
Who makes the offering
The parents or the head of each household

Offerings

OfferingNotes
A tray of savory offerings with xôi (steamed sticky rice) and chickenthe groom's family makes the offering on the day of chạm ngõ
A betel tray with 12 bundles, areca nuts, lotus seed jam, tea, wine, cigarettes, and one packet of votive paperbrought by the groom's family for the chạm ngõ ceremony, the bride's father places it on the altar
Incense, lamps or candles, fresh flowers, betel leaves and areca nuts, wine, tea, water, fruit
Bánh phu thê (husband and wife cake), bánh cốm (green rice cake)Optional. depending on the region
Votive paper moneyOptional. some households have the custom of using

Steps

  1. For each ceremony, both the groom's and the bride's families make offerings and burn incense to announce to the household deities and ancestors
  2. On the wedding day at the bride's house: pray to the ancestors before the bride leaves; the bride and groom bow to the altar of the maternal family
  3. At the groom's house: perform the lễ nhập gia tiên (ceremony of entering the ancestors' house), announcing to the husband's ancestors that there is a new daughter-in-law
  4. Lại mặt (return visit): the young couple goes to the bride's house to burn incense, after one day, three days, or when convenient

Northern Vietnam, Hà Nội, Folk practice

Steps

  1. Strictly observe at least three ceremonies: chạm ngõ, lễ hỏi (betrothal), and rước dâu (bride procession)
  2. Wedding day: xin dâu (requesting the bride), ancestor ceremony at the bride's house, đưa dâu (escorting the bride), ancestor ceremony at the groom's house, wedding banquet
  3. After the wedding, there is the lễ lại mặt (return visit ceremony), also burning incense to report to the ancestors

Huế, Huế, Folk practice

When
Choose an auspicious date and time, sometimes going to a pagoda to ask the opinion of high monks

Offerings

OfferingNotes
A tray of betel leaves and areca nutsRequired
Wine, teaRequired
Nến tơ hồng (red silk-thread candles)Required
Bánh phu thê (husband-and-wife cake)Required

Steps

  1. The two families inform each other of the date and time through a visit
  2. Ở nhà gái: lễ xin giờ, nghinh hôn, bái tơ hồng, rước dâu
  3. At the groom's house: đón dâu (receiving the bride), reporting to the ancestors

Southern Vietnam, Folk practice

Offerings

OfferingQuantityNotes
A pair of candles (lamps) carved with dragon and phoenix1 pairRequired. used for the lễ lên đèn (lighting ceremony)
A tray of fruit in even numbers
Betel leaves and areca nuts, tea, wine, cakes and fruitmiền Tây (the Mekong Delta): present at the lễ giáp lời (preliminary meeting ceremony), the lễ hỏi (engagement ceremony), and the wedding ceremony

Steps

  1. In miền Tây (the Mekong Delta), the proceedings begin with the lễ giáp lời (preliminary meeting ceremony), with simple offerings
  2. The lễ hỏi (engagement ceremony) and the bride procession may be held on the same day
  3. The lễ lên đèn (lamp-lighting ceremony) before the ancestors' altar is a ceremony that must be included in a wedding in miền Nam (southern Vietnam) (Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam)

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

Sources

  • Văn khấn khi cưới gả (vankhan.vn)
  • Văn khấn cưới gả yết cáo Gia thần, Gia tiên (tuvi.vn)
  • Những nét khác biệt đáng yêu trong gia đình Việt (baophapluat.vn)
  • Mâm quả cưới của ba miền Bắc, Trung, Nam gồm những gì? (voh.com.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.