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Ok Om Bok moon offering ceremony of the Khmer people

Culture and belief A record of custom.

About this rite: when it is held and for whom

Also called: Oóc Om Bóc, Ok-Om-Bok, Lễ đút cốm dẹp, Cúng trăng, Thvai Preas khe, Lễ cúng trăng Ok Om Bok của người Khmer

By custom, after the harvest the Khmer people set out cốm dẹp and farm produce under the moon to thank the Moon God, then the ritual master feeds cốm dẹp to the children and asks what they wish for. Sources say there is a prayer text but do not record it.

When
Night of the full moon of the tenth lunar month
For whom
Moon God; Water God

Offerings and how the rite is done

As commonly practised and recorded by the sources. Each family and each region may do it differently.

Mekong Delta, Khmer, Folk practice

When
Night of the full moon of the tenth lunar month, when the moon rises above the treetops
Where the offerings are set
House yard, pagoda yard, or an open place with a clear view of the moon; the offering table is set under a gate made of bamboo with flowers and leaves tied on
Who makes the offering
An elderly man, a respected person, or an achar serves as ritual master; children, teenagers, and parents attend

Offerings

OfferingNotes
Cốm dẹp (new sticky rice roasted then flattened, mixed with coconut water, sugar, and grated coconut)Required. all sources record it as a mandatory offering
Fresh coconut
Sugarcane
Bananas
Taro, cassava, sweet potato; khoai kđúch (yam) and củ hạna magazine article records that where there are elderly people, khoai kđúch is mandatory
Fruits, cakes, chrysanthemums, marigolds stuck on a banana trunk
Incense, candles, tea
Sky lanterns, flower lanternsreleased after the ceremony

Steps

  1. Erect a gate with three bamboo poles, along with two sugarcane stalks; set up a table to arrange the offerings
  2. Spread mats, everyone sits with hands clasped facing the moon
  3. When the moon is high, light incense and candles, pour tea; the ritual master prays to thank the Moon God, asks to receive the offerings and grant health, favorable rain and wind
  4. The ritual master calls the children over, feeds cốm dẹp and the other offerings into each child's mouth, and while feeding asks what they wish for
  5. Release sky lanterns, release flower lanterns into rivers, canals, ponds, and lakes; take down the offering tray and eat together, sing and dance

Mekong Delta, Khmer, ấp Ba Se B, xã Song Lộc, Vĩnh Long, Folk practice

When
Night of the full moon of the tenth lunar month
Where the offerings are set
Offering table set in the yard, under the moonlight
Who makes the offering
The head of the household invites two respected elders to perform the ritual

Offerings

OfferingQuantityNotes
Cốm dẹp made from new sticky riceRequired
Bananas, fruits, sweet potato, taro, fresh coconut
Two sugarcane stalks with tops intact erected on both sides of the table2according to the ritual performer, the gate is for looking up at the moon
A betel vine with 12 leaves connecting the two sugarcane stalks, hung with 7 areca nuts12 leaves correspond to 12 months, 7 nuts correspond to 7 days of the week

Steps

  1. Chanting prayers for blessings
  2. Releasing lanterns onto the river
  3. Feeding cốm dẹp (flattened young sticky rice) to children and relatives along with prayers sent to the Moon God

More about Ok Om Bok moon offering ceremony of the Khmer people

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

Sources

  • Huỳnh Văn Tánh, Nhân sinh quan của đồng bào dân tộc Khmer từ sự ảnh hưởng của lễ hội Oóc Om Bok, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Triết học số 21 (4/2025) (vjol.info.vn)
  • Tìm hiểu về Lễ hội Ok-Om-Bok của đồng bào Khmer Nam bộ (baocantho.com.vn)
  • Cùng đồng bào Khmer vui hội Ok Om Bok (baovanhoa.vn)
  • Lễ cúng trăng, nét văn hóa độc đáo của đồng bào Khmer Nam Bộ (tuoitre.vn)
  • Độc đáo lễ cúng trăng Ok Om Bok của đồng bào Khmer Vĩnh Long (nhandan.vn)

Part of the open dataset Types of Vietnamese offering rites and Vietnamese offering procedures, licensed CC BY 4.0.

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