Lễ Tế ngu (three days), mở cửa mả (opening the grave)

Used across Vietnam, Folk practice

When

Within three days after burial: sơ ngu, tái ngu, tam ngu

Where the offerings are set

The mourning altar at home; in the afternoon, visit the grave

Who makes the offering

The eldest son or the eldest grandson

Offerings

Steps

1. After burial, return home and make the offering, called ngu tế (ngu means peace)
2. Three times in three days: sơ ngu, tái ngu, tam ngu
3. Each afternoon the children bring a betel tray to the grave and weep, called viếng mộ (visiting the grave)
4. On the third day, repair and rebuild the grave

Where the sources differ

• Counting the days: the page vankhan.vn writes that the ceremony is held three days after death or three days after burial is completed; Việt Nam phong tục describes three offerings in the three consecutive days after burial; Gia lễ giản yếu performs only one ngu ceremony on the third day after burial.

Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, no finer detail in the source), Folk practice, At the grave

When

The third day after burial (the mở cửa mả ceremony, also called khai mộ, tam chiêu); afterwards the tam ngu ceremony is performed

Where the offerings are set

At the grave: one offering tray for the deceased at the foot of the grave, one offering tray for the land deity nearby

Who makes the offering

The bereaved family, often inviting a ritual master to chant sutras

Offerings

Steps

1. Plant three bamboo tubes at the foot of the grave, lean a ladder against it; place five paper tablets at the four corners and in the middle of the grave
2. Set out two offering trays: offer to the deceased in front of the grave first, offer to the deities at a clean spot nearby
3. Light incense and pray to the deities, the master chants sutras and performs the purification rite
4. Family members divide the beans; one person holds the sugarcane, leads the chick following the master around the grave three times, chanting Buddha's name and scattering the beans
5. Release the birds, burn votive paper, bow in thanks to the deities
6. Welcome the deceased home for the cúng an linh (offering to pacify the spirit)

Where the sources differ

• Whether the pagoda has this rite: the article Tục mở cửa mả ở Nam Bộ on phatgiao.org.vn, written from a Buddhist perspective, says there is no lễ mở cửa mả, only the lễ an vị mộ (three days later going to visit, repairing the grave, offering flowers, fruit, xôi and chè, with no need for chicken or sugarcane, and no obligation to invite a master); the article Nghi thức tang lễ theo truyền thống Phật giáo, also on that site, does mention the lễ khai môn (opening the grave) three days after burial among the rites following the funeral.
• The chicken: phatgiao.org.vn, datamnguyen.vn, tanglemartino.com say to lead a chick so that it chirps; vinhhangvien.com says to choose a young rooster just learning to crow and keep it penned so that it crows.

Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, no finer detail in the source), Folk practice

When

After the burial, returning home (lễ an sàng, that is sơ ngu, also called quải chân dung); on the second day tái ngu, on the third day tam ngu

Where the offerings are set

The altar for the deceased, with two thin cloth curtains hung down to the floor in front of the altar

Who makes the offering

The chief mourner; the monk performs the rite and reads the Sơ ngu văn

Offerings

Steps

1. Welcome the deceased home, place the tray on the altar for the deceased
2. Hang the photo, hang the curtains in front of the altar
3. The monk performs the rite, reads the Sơ ngu văn
4. The chief mourner holds the an sàng feast for those who accompanied the funeral

Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, no finer detail in the source), Buddhist, At the grave

When

On the third day after burial (lễ khai mộ, that is mở cửa mả)

Where the offerings are set

In front of the head of the new grave

Who makes the offering

The presiding monk reads in Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation, walking in front; the relatives follow, carrying a mía lau (a kind of sugarcane) stalk with a young chicken tied to it

Offerings

Steps

1. The offerings are laid out in front of the head of the grave, the chief mourner lights incense, bows three times, then kneels
2. The monk invokes Thổ địa (Earth God), the guardian spirits of the grave of the five directions and the envoys who lead the deceased
3. The monk scatters five kinds of beans and recites the Vãng sanh (Rebirth) mantra
4. The family members carry the sugarcane stalk with the chicken tied to it and follow the monk three times around the grave; the monk taps the chicken lightly three times
5. The chicken is released, the sugarcane stalk is planted at the grave
6. The chief mourner carries a tray to lead the deceased home behind the monk, installs the spirit tablet at the altar for the deceased, then offers rice and chants according to the an sàng rite

Where the sources differ

• The article recounts two explanations of this custom (the ladder for the deceased to climb out of the grave, the nine-node mía lau matching the nine words for parental hardship, the young chicken representing an orphan; or according to the story of Quách Phác) and the author holds that neither is fully satisfactory