Sample prayer text for phát tang

Lễ Thành phục (rite of formally assuming mourning). After the body is placed in the coffin, when the mourning garments are fully prepared; in the past, a few days later, nowadays usually done immediately

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Folk practice

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Model prayer text for the phát tang (mourning announcement) rite, recited before the deceased's deathbed; children, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and relatives bow to the ancestors and the spirit of the deceased, report that they formally begin mourning, remember the deceased's merits and vow to keep family traditions and care for one another.

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.

Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

2 more blanks

How it differs from the common version

Short version, no Buddhist recitation, no bowing to deities: address ancestors and the spirit, declare "from this moment we formally go into mourning", conclude "Cẩn cáo" (respectfully announced).

The common version: Prayer text for the Lễ Thành Phục

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Lễ Thành phục (rite of formally assuming mourning)

Other texts for Lễ Thành phục (rite of formally assuming mourning)

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.