What solar calendar day is the full moon of December this year?
December, ie December of the lunar calendar, is the last month of the year and is associated with many important traditional rituals such as worshiping the 1st day of the 12th lunar month, worshiping the full moon of the 12th lunar month, the Ong Cong Ong Tao festival and the Tet Nien festival. Each ritual carries a separate layer of meaning, reflecting the long-standing religious life and customs of the nation.
According to the perpetual calendar, the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, i.e. December 15, 2025 Lunar calendar, falls on Monday, February 2, 2026 Solar calendar. This is the time when the Tet atmosphere has begun to spread clearly, as families gradually enter the final preparation days to welcome the new year.
Meaning of December and the full moon of December
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Huu Son - Director of the Institute of Folk Culture Research, in the ancient Vietnamese calendar, an initial year consists of only 10 months. Meanwhile, in China, "Lap" is the name of the god worshiping ceremony held at the end of the year, corresponding to December of the lunar calendar, so this month is also called Lap Nguyet.
Due to certain influences from Chinese culture, in Vietnam, December of the lunar calendar also becomes the time when many important worship rituals take place. Since then, the name December has been formed and passed down to this day.
In the last month of the year, Vietnamese people especially value repairing and caring for ancestor graves. The concept is that when the old year closes, Tet comes and spring returns, burning incense to welcome ancestors to reunite with their children and grandchildren will be more complete if the graves are nurtured, clean, showing gratitude and the attachment of the family and clan.
Explaining why December is also often called the "secret month", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Huu Son said that this way of calling it is meaningful to remind people to be vigilant. This is the time near Tet, when the security situation is prone to complexity, and theft and bad behavior tend to increase in the last days of the year.
For Vietnamese people, December holds a particularly important position, it is the time when everyone looks towards the reunion Tet. Everyone is busy completing work, devoting effort to closing off unfinished plans so that when entering the new year, they can look back on the past journey with a feeling of completeness and many achievements.
As the last full moon of the lunar year, the full moon of December not only marks the end of a year but is also an opportunity for each family to look towards their roots, remember their ancestors, and respectfully worship the gods before the New Year. In the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, this is a time for people to calm down, look back at what has passed, and prepare their minds for a new beginning.
The full moon ceremony of the twelfth lunar month has the meaning of praying for peace and luck, expressing gratitude to ancestors and thanking the gods. This is also considered as a year-end ceremony, so the preparation of offerings is usually prepared carefully, solemnly and fully by families.
