Lễ mừng thọ (longevity celebration)

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Thượng thọ, Khao thọ, Lễ khao thượng thọ, Chúc thọ, Yến lão, Tiệc mừng lão của làng, Con cháu chúc thọ

By custom, when a household has grandparents or parents who have reached an advanced age, the children and grandchildren burn incense to announce to the ancestors, then bow to congratulate them and offer wine to wish them longevity. Sources do not agree on the age milestones: in some places, from 70 it is mừng thọ, from 80 it is thượng thọ.

When
Usually on the occasion of Tết Nguyên đán (Lunar New Year), around the second day of Tết; also held on the birthday of the elderly person
For whom
Ancestors and deities (respectfully announced); the elderly person is the one being congratulated, not the one being offered to

Văn tế yết cáo tổ tiên trong lễ Thượng thọ

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

What this prayer says

The sacrificial oration announcing to the ancestors at the Thượng thọ (longevity) ceremony, in which the descendant kneels before the spirit tablets of the Thủy Tổ and Tiên Tổ of the clan, respectfully announces to the deities and ancestors the longevity celebration, and asks for protection so that the elderly may have increased years and the descendants may reach the threshold of Thượng thọ. It is read during the ancestor worship part of the ceremony.

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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Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

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Other texts for Lễ mừng thọ (longevity celebration)

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
Usually on the occasion of Tết Nguyên đán (Lunar New Year), around the second day of Tết; some households also hold it on the birthday, on Vietnam Elderly Day, June 6
Where the offerings are set
The family altar or the clan temple; for the savory offering, some households bring it to the communal house (đình) to offer to the deity
Who makes the offering
The eldest son or a representative of the children and grandchildren

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Incense, flowers, fruit
Vàng mã (votive paper)
Savory offering: chicken, xôi (steamed sticky rice); large households make a tam sinh (three sacrificial animals) offeringbrought to the communal house (đình) to offer to the deity, to thank for having protected the parents to live long
Tea and fruit, rice and soup offered to the ancestors
A cup of wine to congratulate longevity, a peachthe children and grandchildren offer them to the person being celebrated for longevity

Steps

  1. The children and grandchildren burn incense and read the văn yết cáo (announcement text) to the ancestors
  2. The parents dress nicely and sit on a chair in the middle of the house; the children and grandchildren take turns bowing to congratulate them, offering wine or a peach
  3. Open the feast to invite relatives and neighbors; hang parallel sentences and large characters congratulating longevity

Used across Vietnam, Buddhist

Steps

  1. Chant sutras, invite the monks to preach the Dharma to the whole family, do charitable deeds at the Three Jewels and then dedicate the merit to the grandparents and parents
  2. Release living beings, give alms
  3. Organize simply so the elderly do not get tired
  4. Take the parents to the pagoda to take refuge in the Three Jewels

Things to avoid

  • Do not kill animals to make the feast for the longevity celebration

More about Lễ mừng thọ (longevity celebration)

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 Thượng thọ chuẩn theo sách cổ truyền (voh.com.vn)
  • Lễ mừng thọ: 5 việc cần làm để ông bà sống thọ, thêm phúc (chuabavang.com)

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.