Prayer text for offerings on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, giỗ, and other ceremonies offered to the spirit of the deceased (without sutra chanting)

Cúng giỗ thường (yearly death-anniversary offering). The date of death counted by the lunar calendar, from the third year onward; by custom there is a tiên thường (advance offering) rite on the day before

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Buddhist

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Prayer text used for the first day of the lunar month, the fifteenth day of the lunar month, giỗ (death anniversary) and other offerings to wandering spirits, without sutra chanting. The person making the offering addresses the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the assembly of noble monks, invites the heavenly beings, the local earth deities and the ancestral spirits together with the spirit of the deceased being honoured to come and receive the offerings, then dedicates merit for peace and safety and for the deceased.

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.

8 more blanks

(Cắm hương, quỳ, chắp tay, chủ sám bạch)

[Phát tâm công đức (nếu không phát tâm thì không đọc phần này; phát tâm hồi hướng cho mục nào, thì đọc mục đó):

+ Nếu cần cầu sức khỏe hoặc công danh, công việc hoặc thi cử… thì đọc: Chúng con xin phát tâm công đức về Tam Bảo để hồi hướng cầu an cho (tên){khac} được{khac} là{khac}]

(Tụng. Mõ, chuông)

(Chủ sám)

(Hạ lễ)

How it differs from the common version

Opens with "Nam mô Phật Bổn Sư Thích Ca Mâu Ni", uses "đệ tử", calls the deceased "hương linh", does not bow to Hoàng Thiên Hậu Thổ or Táo quân; includes a section on generating merit, offerings to the four ranks, the true word for transforming food, and dedication of merit.

The common version: Prayer text to the ancestors on the main giỗ day (Cát Kỵ)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Cúng giỗ thường (yearly death-anniversary offering)

Other texts for Cúng giỗ thường (yearly death-anniversary offering)

More about Cúng giỗ thường (yearly death-anniversary offering)

Nhật Nguyệt articles on the rite, the custom and how to prepare.

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.