Lễ Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu (ceremony of the Three Holy Mothers), at the Mẫu altar

Used across Vietnam, Mother Goddess worship (Tứ Phủ)

When

On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the first day of the lunar month, at Tết holidays, at tiết days, or when there is a matter needing prayer

Where the offerings are set

The Mẫu altar (Tam tòa Thánh Mẫu) in a hall, a phủ, a đền, or the Mẫu hall in a pagoda

Offerings

Steps

1. Place the offering, light incense, pray at the Mẫu altar in the order of the altars of the đền or phủ
2. Wait until one round of incense is finished; one may light another round
3. Vái three times before each altar, lower the sớ to burn it, then lower the offerings from the outer altar to the main altar
4. At a phủ the ceremony is sometimes accompanied by hầu đồng (spirit mediumship ritual) and hát chầu văn (chầu văn singing), with many rounds of incense offered

Things to avoid

• Dress neatly, keep words and gestures solemn at the đền or phủ (hoatieu.vn)

Where the sources differ

• On meat offerings and raw offerings: vankhan.vn writes that at a đền or phủ one may offer a meat offering at the Công đồng altar, a raw offering at the Ngũ Hổ altar, and a sơn trang meat tray (crab, snail, eel); the page Văn khấn Mẫu ở chùa of hoatieu.vn writes that raw offerings are absolutely not used, the sơn trang tray uses vegetarian specialties, and if one wants a meat offering one should buy vegetarian items shaped like meat.