Prayer text to the ancestors and the deceased being commemorated (day of giỗ hết)

Cúng giỗ hết (Đại tường). The second year after the date of death; some sources record 2 years and 3 months after the date of death. The day before there is a rite reporting to the deities

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice
  • Address to the ancestors

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Prayer to the ancestors and the spirit of the deceased on the day of the giỗ hết, inviting the spirit to witness and receive the offerings, and reminding the descendants to keep the family traditions; recited before the ancestors' altar on the day of the Đại Tường ceremony.

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.

5 more blanks

How it differs from the common version

How this text differs from the original: opens "Con kính lạy Cao tằng Tổ khảo, Cao tằng Tổ tỷ", does not invoke Thành hoàng; pure Vietnamese wording "Thấm thoắt ngày tháng qua đi"; has the line "Ngày Đại Tường đánh dấu thời kỳ tang chế dần khép lại"; does not invite Thổ Công, tiền chủ hậu chủ; has the branch "An táng hoặc lưu tro cốt tại".

The common version: Main prayer text for the Lễ Đại Tường (Giỗ Hết)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Cúng giỗ hết (Đại tường)

Other texts for Cúng giỗ hết (Đại tường)

Collected text. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.

Part of the open dataset Vietnamese offering prayers (văn cúng), licensed CC BY 4.0.

More prayer textsDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, life-cycle rites and regional rites.