Choosing Year-End Dates: Year-End Gathering, Altar Cleaning, Debt Repayment, and New Year Opening
Year-end dates for the gathering, altar cleaning, debt repayment and New Year opening: lunar calendar principles and flexible use without superstition.
Results for "cleaning the altar"
Replacing the incense bowl: when to do it, who may do it, the sequence, and why practices differ between households
What replacing an incense bowl involves, when it should be renewed, who in the family may do it, and why the customs vary across regions and households.
Year-end altar cleansing (bao sái bàn thờ): which day, who does it, and what is the sequence?
Year-end altar cleaning in Vietnam is usually done after the Kitchen Gods rite and before New Year's Eve, by the householder, in three steps.
What Do The Sun and The Moon Side by Side in Tarot Say?
Placing The Sun beside The Moon contrasts the light and dark poles of the Major Arcana. What Waite wrote, how the pair is read today, and its limits.
The World Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
The World is card 21 in the Major Arcana, marking completion, wholeness and total achievement, with a reversed side of delay and lack of closure.
The Meaning of The Fool and the Fool's Journey Through the 22 Major Arcana
Explore the meaning of The Fool in Tarot and the concept of the Fool's Journey, how the 22 Major Arcana cards narrate the stages of human growth and life.
Khan Dong and Ao The: Traditional Vietnamese Men's Attire
Khan Dong and Ao The were formal wear for Vietnamese men, reflecting elegance and propriety, now revived for Tet, weddings and ceremonies.
Buddha Altar and Ancestor Altar: Which One Goes Above, Which Below?
The Buddha altar usually sits higher than the ancestor altar, but the exact layout depends on each home's space and regional or family tradition.
The Chariot Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the deep symbolism and meaning of The Chariot tarot card: upright and reversed meanings, hidden symbols, and practical applications in readings.
The Hierophant Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the deep meaning of The Hierophant Tarot card: its symbolism, upright and reversed meanings in love, career, and frequently asked questions.
The Star Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the detailed symbolism and deep meaning of The Star Tarot card: origins, imagery, psychological messages, and practical applications.
The Moon Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the detailed symbolism and deep meaning of The Moon tarot card, from its imagery and symbols to its interpretation in readings.
The Hermit Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the deep symbolism and meaning of The Hermit Tarot card: the lantern, the staff, solitude, and the inner quest for truth.
The Devil Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
The Devil card in Tarot is often misread as pure bad luck, yet it speaks of bondage, addiction and inner shadow. Its symbolism points toward self-liberation.
The Emperor Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
Explore the symbolism and in-depth meaning of The Emperor Tarot card: power, order, stability, and lessons in responsible leadership.
The Empress Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-depth Meaning
Explore the symbolism and in-depth meaning of The Empress Tarot card: from Rider-Waite imagery to layers of meaning in love, career, and spirituality.
The Fool Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
Explore the symbolism and in-depth meaning of The Fool Tarot card: from number 0, the cliff, the white dog to messages of beginnings, faith, and freedom.
The Lovers Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
The Lovers Tarot card: its 15th-century origins, Rider-Waite imagery of Adam and Eve, and upright and reversed meanings in love and career readings.
The Sun Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-depth Meaning
Explore the symbolism and in-depth meaning of The Sun Tarot card: from the child, the wall, and sunflowers to its message of success, joy, and enlightenment.
The Magician Tarot Card: In-Depth Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the in-depth meaning of The Magician Tarot card: symbolism, psychological messages, and practical applications in readings.
The Tower Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
Explore the symbolism and in-depth meaning of The Tower card in Tarot: from the lightning-struck tower to the message of necessary collapse for rebuilding.
What is written on the hoành phi and câu đối above the family altar? Where are they hung, and how do they differ from Tết couplets?
Hoành phi is a horizontal plaque above the family altar, câu đối parallel sentences on side columns or walls, honoring ancestors and praising their merits.
The High Priestess Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
Explore the deep symbolism and meaning of The High Priestess Tarot card - from its symbols and intuition to practical applications in readings.
The Hanged Man Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
An in-depth look at The Hanged Man Tarot card: its symbolism, upright/reversed meanings, and practical applications in readings.
How Did the Buddhist Revival Movement of the Early 20th Century Unfold?
The Buddhist revival in Vietnam from the 1920s: three regional associations, their journals, and the books of Trần Trọng Kim and Phan Văn Hùm.
How to Arrange the Family Altar According to Feng Shui and Customs
A detailed guide to arranging the family altar by feng shui and custom, covering placement, offerings, and steps for Tet and regular days.
What to Offer on the Altar at Tết Đoan Ngọ and Whom to Worship, According to Customs in the Three Regions?
Tết Đoan Ngọ on 5/5 lunar: what to offer, whom to worship, how the three regions' trays differ, plus the kill-insects custom and worship hour.
How Have Hanoians Celebrated Tet from the Early 20th Century to Today?
How did Hanoians celebrate Tết from the early 20th century to today? From Hàng Lược flower market and offering trays to ration coupons and the market now.
Altar Feng Shui: Principles for Auspicious Arrangement
Altar feng shui covers placement, orientation, arrangement and upkeep, creating a solemn space that draws positive energy to the family.
What Are Lục Nhâm Khóa Thể and How Is a Lục Nhâm Hexagram Named?
Lục Nhâm lesson types (khóa thể) name each chart, set by the four lessons, three transmissions and stem-branch ties; a chart is named by combining several.
Shao Yong and the Huangji Jingshi: Song dynasty image and number studies and the yuan hui yun shi system
Thiệu Ung (Shao Yong, 1011 to 1077) and Hoàng Cực Kinh Thế: the image-and-number learning of the Song and the cycle of nguyên, hội, vận, thế.
New Year's Eve worship in southern vs northern Vietnam: the outdoor Heaven altar and the indoor tray
Southern and northern Tết Eve worship differ in the outdoor Heaven altar, the indoor tray and offerings, with origins, meaning and how to prepare each.
Ti and Yong in Mai Hoa Dịch Số: Which Trigram Is Ti, Which Is Yong, and How Do the Five Generating and Controlling Relations Reveal Fortune or Misfortune?
In Mai Hoa Dịch Số, the trigram without the moving line is ti (the querent) and the trigram with the moving line is yong (the matter).
What are the main contents of 20th-century Vietnamese Tử Vi books, and how do they differ?
How do Hoàng Thường and Hàm Chương's Tử Vi khảo luận, Vân Đằng Thái Thứ Lang's Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên and Nguyễn Phát Lộc's Tử Vi tổng hợp differ?
Going to the Pagoda at the Start of the Year: What Offerings to Prepare and Which Altar to Worship First?
What to bring to a Vietnamese pagoda at New Year: incense, flowers, fruit and other vegetarian offerings, and which altar to pay respects at first.
What did the 1010 Edict on the Relocation of the Capital say about the land of Đại La, and how should the phrase 'coiling dragon, crouching tiger' be understood?
The 1010 Edict on the Relocation of the Capital describes Đại La as the center of heaven and earth, with the posture of a coiling dragon and crouching tiger.
Who are bà cô ông mãnh, and why are they worshipped separately beneath the ancestral altar?
Bà cô ông mãnh are kin who died young and unmarried, honoured at a small altar under the ancestral altar because the young do not sit level with elders.
What Are Form and Force in Feng Shui According to the Book of Burial? A Thousand Feet Is Force, a Hundred Feet Is Form
The Táng thư defines force as a thousand feet and form as a hundred: where the mountain's force arrives and the form stops, qi is said to gather.
The Thánh sư altar (patron of the trade): who is worshipped, where is it placed, and on which days are offerings made?
The Thánh sư altar honours a craft's patron. Learn the three names, altar placement, ritual objects, and offering days per custom books.
Why did Đinh Bộ Lĩnh make Hoa Lư the capital in 968, and what can the mountains and rivers there still tell us today?
In 968 Đinh Bộ Lĩnh made Hoa Lư the capital of Đại Cồ Việt: limestone peaks formed a natural wall and the Hoàng Long River a water route.
What is Hầu đồng?
Hầu đồng, also called lên đồng or hầu bóng, is the central ritual of Mother Goddess worship in Vietnam, where a medium incarnates the Four Palaces spirits.
What Is Hầu Đồng? The Central Ritual of Đạo Mẫu
Hầu đồng is the spirit mediumship ritual at the heart of Đạo Mẫu, believed to channel the Tứ Phủ deities through a medium.
Housewarming Ritual (Nhập Trạch) for a New Home: Offerings and Step-by-Step Procedure
A guide to the Vietnamese housewarming ritual (nhập trạch): the offerings and each step in order, from the auspicious date to moving in.