Offering to report absence from home during Tết

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Xin về quê ăn Tết, Văn khấn về quê ăn Tết, Không ăn Tết tại nhà

People returning to their hometown, going away, or going to the pagoda during Tết burn incense to report to the deities and ancestors of their current residence that the house will be empty and no Tết offerings will be made there.

When
One or two days before leaving home, or on the morning of departure, in the twelfth lunar month
For whom
The deities of the current residence and the ancestors

Prayer text asking to return to the hometown for Tết (full traditional version)

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice

What this prayer says

The full traditional prayer text used when the family returns to the hometown for Tết, announcing to Thành hoàng (village tutelary deity), Thổ Địa (Earth God), Táo quân (Kitchen Gods) and ancestors that the house will be temporarily empty during Tết, asking to invite the ancestral spirits to return to the hometown for the family reunion and praying for a safe journey. It is recited before the altar during the whole ceremony one or two days before leaving the house or on the morning of departure, in the twelfth lunar month.

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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Showing the version used across Vietnam.

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Other texts for Offering to report absence from home during Tết

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
One or two days before departure, or on the morning of departure
Where the offerings are set
The altar at the current residence; those renting or in apartments may make a simple offering

Offerings

OfferingQuantityNotes
Incense, fresh flowers, lamps and candlesRequired. incense sticks in odd numbers
Mâm ngũ quả (five-fruit tray)
Tea, wine, waterthree to five cups of each
Vàng mã (votive paper)
Mâm mặn (savory tray: boiled chicken, xôi, giò chả) or a vegetarian traynot required

Steps

  1. Bathe and dress neatly
  2. Arrange the offerings, burn incense, read the prayer text reporting the absence from home
  3. When the incense has burned about two thirds, bow in thanks and burn votive paper

Used across Vietnam, Buddhist

Steps

  1. Insert incense, kneel, join hands, the chanter recites
  2. Report the day of departure and the reason for the absence
  3. Recite the mantra and dedicate the merit
  4. Take down the offerings

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

Sources

  • Văn khấn xin về quê ăn Tết 2026 (baohatinh.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.