Full prayer text for the Lễ Tế Ngu ceremony (current Vietnamese version)

Lễ Tế ngu (three days), mở cửa mả (opening the grave). Three days after burial: sơ ngu, tái ngu, tam ngu; in Nam Bộ the third day is the mở cửa mả (opening the grave) ceremony

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Full prayer text for the lễ Tế Ngu in the current Vietnamese version, addressing ancestors on both sides and speaking to the spirit of the deceased, reporting that the funeral and burial are complete, inviting the spirit to witness and receive the offerings, and asking the ancestors to welcome the newly deceased. Recited during the whole ceremony; families who do not follow Buddhism may omit the three recitations of the Buddha's name.

The prayer below is kept in Vietnamese, the language it is read aloud in during the rite.

Fill in before the rite

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Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

7 more blanks

Gia đình không theo Phật giáo có thể bỏ ba câu niệm Phật và bắt đầu từ phần kính thưa.

How it differs from the common version

The current prose replaces the parallel-prose sacrificial oration: it reports that the burial is done, the spirit tablet has been brought home, and wishes the deceased to be at peace; it does not have the lines "Trên tòa Nam cực... Trước chốn Giao trì"; it ends with "Cẩn cáo!"

The common version: Lễ Tế Ngu (the three-day ceremony)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Lễ Tế ngu (three days), mở cửa mả (opening the grave)

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

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

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

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.