Every Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people have a very distinctive custom: the worship of Ông Công and Ông Táo (the Kitchen Gods). This ceremony takes place on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the day Ông Táo ascends to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the household's deeds during the past year. This is considered a beautiful religious custom, reflecting the principle of "drinking water, remembering the source," and the gratitude of descendants towards their ancestors.

Traditional customs endure through the years.

According to legend, Ông Công is the god who governs the land within the house, while Ông Táo are the three kitchen gods who oversee the cooking. On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, these gods ascend to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the household's deeds during the year.

The Kitchen God and Stove God worship ceremony originates from China and was introduced to Vietnam a long time ago. This holiday is closely associated with the Vietnamese belief in ancestor and deity worship. This custom is not only a traditional holiday but also an occasion for family reunions and gatherings. It is also a time for descendants to express gratitude to their ancestors, those who have worked hard to build our present lives.

Every year, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, people hold a ceremony to bid farewell to the Kitchen Gods (Ông Công and Ông Táo) as they ascend to heaven, hoping for good fortune for their families. On this day, families usually prepare a feast to offer to the Kitchen Gods with a full spread of traditional dishes such as: sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh dày), boiled chicken, sticky rice, sweet soup, wine, fruits, etc. After the ceremony, the homeowner bids farewell to the Kitchen Gods by releasing carp into rivers or lakes. The carp is believed to be the means by which the Kitchen Gods cross the Dragon Gate (Vũ Môn) to ascend to heaven.

What are the differences in the customs of worshipping the Kitchen God and the Stove God in the three regions of Vietnam?

Although the ceremony shares the same meaning of bidding farewell to the Kitchen Gods as they ascend to the Jade Emperor's court, the timing and offerings vary uniquely across different regions.

North

The tradition of worshipping the Kitchen God and the Stove God in Northern Vietnam usually begins quite early, with many families preparing offerings for the ceremony from around the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, and no later than noon on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month.

According to folk beliefs, after 12 noon on the 23rd day of the lunar month, the Kitchen Gods ascend to heaven and are no longer in the mortal world to receive offerings. Therefore, few places hold ceremonies after this time.

In Northern Vietnam, the offering tray usually includes a variety of dishes such as sticky rice, chicken, pork sausage, meatballs, bamboo shoot soup, spring rolls, etc. In particular, in many localities, the offering tray often includes sticky rice with sweet soup, usually "che ba cot," made from glutinous rice, steamed sticky rice, brown sugar, and ginger.

The most distinctive cultural feature of the Northern Vietnamese Kitchen God and Stove God worship ceremony is the use of carp as an offering. The carp can be live or paper carp, depending on the family. After lighting incense and offering prayers, the homeowner usually releases the live carp into a nearby pond, lake, or river.

Central region

The ceremony of worshipping Ông Công and Ông Táo in Central Vietnam is considered the most special and complex ritual compared to the other two regions.

People in Hue and some neighboring provinces usually worship the Kitchen God at two different locations: on the main altar and a small altar placed in the corner of the kitchen. Before the ceremony, the altar is thoroughly cleaned and the sand in the incense burner is replaced. After the ceremony, the terracotta statues of the three Kitchen Gods are taken to a temple or placed under an old tree at a crossroads and replaced with new statues of the three Kitchen Gods. This act symbolizes preparation and the beginning of a new term of "overseeing the kitchen" for the new year.

In the offering tray, people in Central Vietnam often present many offerings and a paper horse complete with saddle and bridle.

On the morning of the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, people usually erect a ceremonial pole in front of their house or temple courtyard to ward off evil spirits when the guardian deities are "away." The pole is usually taken down on the 7th day of the 1st lunar month.

Additionally, on the afternoon of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, people in Central Vietnam also hold a ceremony to welcome the gods back and install a new Kitchen God on the morning of the 1st day of the Lunar New Year.

Southern

In Southern Vietnam, the ceremony honoring the Kitchen God and the Stove God usually takes place in the evening, from 8 PM to 11 PM. People in the South believe that at the end of the day, after the whole family has finished dinner and no longer uses the kitchen, it is appropriate to send the Kitchen God and the Stove God to meet the Jade Emperor.

Due to cultural exchange, the offering tray in Southern Vietnam shares similarities with those in the North and South, but also has some unique characteristics. Besides savory dishes like spring rolls, pork sausage, sticky rice cakes, pickled onions, and boiled chicken, Southern Vietnamese people add a plate of peanuts, sesame candy, and a set of "flying cranes and running horses." These are paper figures of a crane and a horse, meant to help the Kitchen God ascend to heaven faster after the ceremony. The family also often offers three sets of paper clothes for the three Kitchen Gods.

Furthermore, in the South, they do not perform customs such as removing incense sticks, burning votive paper robes and hats, or buying carp to put in bowls and then releasing them into the river as in other regions.

Ha Mai Trinh - Compiled