Prayer text for Tết Nguyên đán (Lunar New Year) (Buddhist version, recited on the 30th of the twelfth lunar month)
Cúng tất niên (year-end offering). The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (the 29th in a short month), at noon or in the afternoon; some households hold the offering early, from the 28th or 29th
- Used across Vietnam
- Buddhist
Culture and belief A record of custom.
What this prayer says
Prayer text for Tết Nguyên đán (Lunar New Year) in the Buddhist version, recited on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, paying homage to the Three Jewels of the Ten Directions and to paternal and maternal ancestors, presenting pure offerings and praying for peace and prosperity, the elimination of illness, and deliverance from disasters, with dedication of merit to ancestors of many generations; recited during the year-end ceremony.
The prayer below is kept in Vietnamese, the language it is read aloud in during the rite.
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Showing the version used across Vietnam.
How it differs from the common version
How this text differs from the original: it opens with four lines invoking the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, bows to "Mười Phương Phật, Mười Phương Pháp, Mười Phương Tăng" before mentioning ancestors; offers "cơm canh thanh đạm" (plain rice and soup); includes a four-character verse passage and a long six-eight verse gatha praying for family, country, and the Dharma; does not pay respects to Thái Tuế, Thành hoàng, or Thổ Địa
The common version: Prayer text to Ancestors on the 30th of Tết (year-end offering indoors)
Offerings and how the rite is done
Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Cúng tất niên (year-end offering)
Other texts for Cúng tất niên (year-end offering)
- Folk practicePrayer text to Ancestors on the 30th of Tết (year-end offering indoors)
- Folk practice, Outdoor offeringPrayer text for the year-end offering outdoors (offering to Thổ Địa (Earth God) and deities)
- Folk practicePrayer for the year-end xóm offering at the close of the year (a model year-end prayer text)
- BuddhistPrayer text for offering to Ông Công and Ông Táo, year-end ceremony, and tạ đất (without chanting sutras)
More about Cúng tất niên (year-end offering)
Nhật Nguyệt articles on the rite, the custom and how to prepare.
- Date and hour selectionChoosing Year-End Dates: Year-End Gathering, Altar Cleaning, Debt Repayment, and New Year Opening
- Tet and seasonal ritesHow to Arrange the Year-End Tat Nien Offering Tray: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Festival customsYear-End Offering in Three Regions: Dates, Offering Trays and Meaning
- Festival customsHow Do Families in Vietnam's Three Regions Hold the Year-End Ancestor-Welcoming Ceremony on the 30th of Tet?
Collected text. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.
Part of the open dataset Vietnamese offering prayers (văn cúng), licensed CC BY 4.0.
More prayer textsDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, life-cycle rites and regional rites.Open