According to the book “Vietnamese Worship Customs” by Song Mai - Quynh Trang (Culture and Information Publishing House), after the ceremony, the homeowner needs to release the live carp. The carp is released into rivers, lakes, and places with clean water sources.
When releasing fish, do it gently and slowly to avoid killing the fish due to impact or not having time to adapt to the water source. When releasing fish, there is no need to pray, but you must keep a comfortable, happy mindset, carrying positive energy.
The ritual of worshiping the Kitchen Gods should not be performed after 12 noon on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month. If the worship is too late, the Kitchen Gods will not be able to attend on time. The best time to release the carp is before 11 am on December 23 (January 22, 2025).
Due to the working conditions of each family, family members can arrange time to perform the ceremony to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao and release fish at a good time, as follows:
- Lunar December 19 (January 18, 2025): hours of Dragon (7am - 9am), Horse (11am - 1pm), Goat (1pm - 3pm), Dog (7pm - 9pm).
- Lunar December 20 (January 19, 2025): hours of Suu (1am - 3am), Mao (5am - 7am), Ngo (11am - 1pm), Than (3pm - 5pm), Dau (5pm - 7pm).
- Lunar December 21 (January 20, 2025): hours of Dan (3am - 5am), Mao (5am - 7am), Ty (9am - 11am), Than (3pm - 5pm), Tuat (7pm - 9pm), Hoi (9pm - 11pm).
- Lunar December 23 (January 22, 2025): hours of Dan (3am - 5am), Mao (5am - 7am), Ngo (11am - 1pm), Mui (1pm - 3pm), Dau (5pm - 7pm).
