During the Lunar New Year, the gold-burning ceremony is usually held on the 3rd day of Tet as a ritual to send off ancestors after the first days of reunion at the beginning of the year.
According to folk beliefs, ancestors are invited to celebrate Tet with their descendants from the afternoon of the 30th of Tet, then sent to the afterlife with a votive offering ceremony.
Explaining this custom, late Professor Ngo Duc Thinh - Former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Cultural Studies once said that our ancestors still had the concept that the dead are not finished. Therefore, burning votive paper has ritual meaning, stemming from the awareness that the deceased still continue to exist in another world and need objects symbolizing life.
The custom of burning gold is based on ancestor worship beliefs, in which burning gold objects are often associated with daily life, to see people in the afterlife living close to the mortal world.
The burning of votive paper ceremony can be held from the 3rd to the 10th day of the lunar month, depending on the conditions of each family and the arrangement of family members.
Offerings usually include incense, flowers, five fruits, votive paper, betel and areca, wine, tea, banh chung or banh tet, sticky rice and a plate of savory or vegetarian feasts with Tet flavor. After the prayer ceremony, the votive paper of the family gods is burned first, then the ancestors according to custom.
Beautiful time to burn votive paper on the 3rd day of Tet Binh Ngo 2026
Feng shui expert Nguyen Song Ha said that the good hours to burn votive paper on the 3rd day of Binh Ngo Tet 2026 (January 19th of the solar calendar) include: Mao hour (5am-7am), Than hour (3pm-5pm) and Dau hour (5pm-7pm).
This day is suitable for homeowners born in the years of Dragon, Dog, Ox, Goat, Tiger, Monkey, Snake and Pig.
In addition, on other days, there is also a prime time to hold a gold-burning ceremony to see off ancestors, grandparents, and relatives:
4th day of Tet (January 20th of the solar calendar): this day is suitable for homeowners of the Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Rat, Horse, Rabbit, Rooster zodiac signs. Beautiful votive offering times include Rabbit hour (5am-7am), Snake hour (9am-11am), Monkey hour (3pm-5pm).
5th day of Tet (January 21st of the solar calendar): this day is suitable for homeowners of the zodiac signs Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster, Dragon, Dog, Ox, Goat. Beautiful votive offering times are Dragon hour (7am-9am), Snake hour (9am-11am), Goat hour (1pm-3pm).
6th day of Tet (December 22nd of the solar calendar): this day is suitable for homeowners of the Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Dragon, Dog, Ox, Goat zodiac signs. Beautiful votive offering times are Mao hour (5am-7am), Ngo hour (11am-1pm), Mui hour (1pm-3pm), Dau hour (5pm-7pm).
