Lễ tân gia (housewarming ceremony)
- House and land
- 5 prayer texts
- Offerings and steps
Culture and belief A record of custom.
About this rite: when it is held and for whom
Also called: Ăn mừng nhà mới, Ăn tân gia, Lễ khánh hạ, Khánh thành nhà
By custom, after the nhập trạch (moving into a new house) ceremony the head of the household performs the lễ tân gia (housewarming ceremony): offering a tray to report to Táo quân (Kitchen Gods) and Thổ thần (Earth God) and to announce to the ancestors that the house has been completed, then inviting relatives, friends and neighbours to celebrate the new house.
- When
- After the nhập trạch (moving into a new house) ceremony, once the family has moved into the new house
- For whom
- Táo quân (Đông trù Tư mệnh Táo phủ Thần quân), Thổ thần; gia tiên nội ngoại
Prayer text for the lễ tân gia (reporting to Táo quân and Thổ thần)
- Used across Vietnam
- Folk practice
- Address to the deities
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.
Showing the version used across Vietnam.
2 more blanks
Other texts for Lễ tân gia (housewarming ceremony)
Versions by region, by tradition and for each part of the rite.
- Folk practice, Address to the ancestorsPrayer text for the ancestors (on the occasion of the lễ tân gia)
- Folk practice, Address to the deitiesPrayer text reporting to Táo quân and Thổ thần (lễ tân gia)
- Folk practice, Address to the ancestorsPrayer text for the ancestors (on the occasion of the lễ tân gia)
- BuddhistPrayer text for the inauguration rite (for the new house, thank-offering) (no sutra chanting)
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
- After the nhập trạch (moving into a new house) ceremony, once the family has moved into the new house
- Where the offerings are set
- The altar in the new house
- Who makes the offering
- head of the household
Offerings
| Offering | Notes |
|---|---|
| Incense, flowers | |
| Vàng mã (votive paper) | |
| Trầu (betel), rượu (wine) | |
| Tray of savoury dishes | offered to Táo quân (Kitchen Gods), Thổ thần (Earth God) and the ancestors |
Steps
- Present the offerings and pray to report to Táo quân (Kitchen Gods) and Thổ thần (Earth God)
- Pray to report to the ancestors
- Invite relatives, friends and neighbours to the celebration meal for the new house; guests bring đại tự (large characters), câu đối (parallel couplets), trầu cau (betel leaves and areca nuts), congratulatory gifts and offer wishes
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 tân gia (vankhan.vn)
- Văn khấn Táo quân, Thổ thần lễ Tân gia, ăn mừng nhà mới (tuvi.vn)
- Văn khấn Gia tiên lễ Tân gia (tuvi.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.Open