Cúng động thổ (groundbreaking)
- House and land
- 5 prayer texts
- Offerings and steps
Culture and belief A record of custom.
About this rite: when it is held and for whom
Also called: Khởi công, Động thổ mượn tuổi, Động thổ khoan giếng, Lễ động thổ, Cúng Thần Đất, Văn khấn động thổ
In the old view, before building a house one asks the Earth deity for permission to dig. After the prayer the owner strikes the first blows with a hoe, and only then do the builders begin.
- When
- Before digging the foundation to build a house, a date and hour are usually chosen
- For whom
- Thổ thần (Earth God), Thái Tuế of the year, Thành hoàng (village tutelary deity), the deities governing the land plot; the former owner and the later owner
Prayer text for the động thổ (groundbreaking) offering
- 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.
Showing the version used across Vietnam.
3 more blanks
Other texts for Cúng động thổ (groundbreaking)
Versions by region, by tradition and for each part of the rite.
- BuddhistPrayer text for the động thổ offering, levelling the land and digging the foundation, in the case of empty land (without chanting sutras)
- Folk practicePrayer text for động thổ (groundbreaking), cất nóc, chuyển nhà (moving house), sửa nhà (house repair)
- Folk practicePrayer text for the groundbreaking and commencement offering (construction project)
- Folk practicePrayer text for the lễ Thần linh văn (used when performing groundbreaking; Sino-Vietnamese sounds, with a translation of the meaning)
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
- The date and hour chosen before digging the foundation
- Where the offerings are set
- The offering tray is placed on the land plot
- Who makes the offering
- The head of the household; pages for the South add the custom of "mượn tuổi" (another person performs the offering on one's behalf)
Offerings
| Offering | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 1 | Required |
| xôi (steamed sticky rice) | 1 plate | Required |
| Incense, flowers and fruit, votive paper | Required | |
| Tam sinh (three sacrificial offerings) | old custom; nowadays simplified |
Steps
- Light incense and bow to the four directions and eight orientations, then turn to the offering tray and pray
- The head of the household holds a hoe and strikes the first blows
- After that the workers begin to dig
Things to avoid
- Avoid bad days according to the calendar used for choosing days
Northern Vietnam, Folk practice
Offerings
| Offering |
|---|
| Boiled rooster |
| bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), bánh dày (round sticky rice cake) |
| Bộ tam sên (set of three offerings) |
| Betel leaves and areca nuts |
| Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray) |
Central Vietnam, Folk practice
Offerings
| Offering |
|---|
| Boiled chicken |
| Pork |
| xôi (steamed sticky rice) |
| Traditional cakes |
| Seasonal fruit |
Southern Vietnam, Folk practice
Offerings
| Offering |
|---|
| Roast pig |
| Bộ tam sên (set of three offerings) |
| bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake) |
| xôi (steamed sticky rice) and chè (sweet soup) |
| Tray of seasonal fruit |
More about Cúng động thổ (groundbreaking)
Nhật Nguyệt articles on the rite, the custom and how to prepare.
The wording is kept exactly as published by the source. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.
Sources
- Văn khấn lễ động thổ (vankhan.vn)
- Lễ vật và bài văn cúng động thổ (docungtamlinh.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.Open