Ong Cong Ong Tao Festival in 2025 falls on December 23, the year of Giap Thin, which is Wednesday, January 22, 2025 in the solar calendar.
The ceremony to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao is an important ceremony, opening Tet Ca - the biggest Lunar New Year of the year for Vietnamese people, with the meaning of sending the kitchen gods to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the big and small events that happened in the family throughout the past year.
The kitchen gods are considered to be the guardians of the family, keepers of happiness and bringers of luck. The ceremony to worship the Kitchen Gods is a way for the homeowner to express gratitude and pray for protection, peace and luck in the coming new year.
Because it is an important ceremony, all family members should arrange their work to return home and gather together on this occasion.
What is the best time to worship?
According to feng shui, the hour of Ngo (11am - 1pm) on December 23 is considered the best time to perform the ceremony to send off the Kitchen Gods. However, because December 23 this year falls on Wednesday, a mid-week workday, many families find it difficult to arrange to worship on the right day.
Homeowners can perform the ceremony to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao on previous days, refer to the good days and auspicious hours to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao other than the main day of December 23rd as follows:
- December 19 (January 18, Saturday): hours of Dragon (7-9am), Horse (11-1pm), Goat (1-3pm), Dog (7-9pm).
- December 20 (January 19, Sunday): hours of Suu (1-3am), Mao (5-7am), Ngo (11-1pm), Than (3-5pm), Dau (5-7pm).
- December 21 (January 20, Monday): hours of Dan (3-5am), Mao (5-7am), Ty (9-11am), Than (3-5pm), Tuat (7-9pm), Hoi (9-11pm).
Note that the latest time to offer the offering must not be later than noon on December 23.
Offerings to the Kitchen Gods
Homeowners need to prepare offerings to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao including:
- 3 sets of hats, shirts and shoes, including 2 sets for the male Tao (with dragonfly wings) and 1 set for the female Tao (without dragonfly wings).
- Paper carp or live carp put in a water basin (1 or 3 "Mr" carp).
Money, votive paper.
- Betel, fruit, fresh flowers.
- White wine, tea, rice-salt (each in a small plate).
Offering tray for the Kitchen Gods
Regarding the offering tray, the homeowner can choose vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings.
Vegetarian offerings
Vegetarian offerings can include soups, stir-fries, fried dishes, stews... made entirely from plants and mushrooms, such as mushroom soup, mixed stir-fried vegetables, spring rolls, tofu dishes, vegetarian salads, vegetarian ham, sticky rice, sweet soups...
Offering to the Kitchen Gods is a sincere gesture, so for homeowners who do not have the means, just make a simple offering tray with 3 dishes.
According to the Wisdom School of Buddhism, offerings to the Kitchen Gods will not include hats, clothes, gold coins, or paper carps, but only a tray of five fruits, three bowls of sweet soup, a plate of sticky rice, fresh flowers, water, red candles, and three live carps. After burning incense, the homeowner will release the fish into a river or lake.
Salty offering
For families offering savory offerings, the traditional offering tray usually includes a plate of boiled chicken or a piece of boiled shoulder and neck meat, a bowl of soup, a plate of stir-fried meat, a plate of ham, a plate of fried spring rolls, a plate of sticky rice with gac fruit, a plate of fruit, a pot of lotus tea, 3 cups of wine, areca nuts, betel leaves, a vase of fresh flowers, a stack of paper money, and votive paper.
The dishes on the vegetarian or non-vegetarian offering tray can change depending on each family, the most important thing is still the sincerity of the homeowner.
Ritual of worshiping the Kitchen Gods
Regarding the worship ritual, after preparing the offerings and food tray, the homeowner dresses solemnly, respectfully lights incense, and reads the prayer to send the Kitchen Gods to heaven.
In the prayer, first, we thank the gods for blessing the family with health, peace, and happiness throughout the past year. Then, we ask the gods to forgive us for our mistakes and continue to bless us with good health, prosperity, and all good things.
Release carp
After the ceremony, the homeowner waits until the incense has burned out, then makes a thanksgiving offering, burns votive paper, and releases the carp into ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams where the fish can live healthily.
When releasing carp, you must be gentle so that the fish can slowly swim out into the water. Absolutely do not release the fish still in the nylon bag or release the fish from above. Dispose of the nylon bag containing the fish in the trash properly.
Keep your mind clear when releasing the fish, do not pray for anything, just silently pray: "Please release the three fish so that the three Kitchen Gods' journey to heaven will be smooth" and stay for a while to observe, make sure the fish swim away. Only then will the ceremony to worship the Kitchen Gods end.
TB (summary)