The New Year's Eve worshiping ceremony of Binh Ngo Tet 2026 is an important ritual for Vietnamese families. At this moment, right at the chính Tý hour, many families will perform the Trừ Tịch ceremony to send off the old year's god and welcome the new year's god.
According to feng shui expert Nguyen Song Ha, New Year's Eve worship is called the ceremony of sending the old and welcoming the new. With Vietnamese culture, the homeowner will divide it into two New Year's Eve offering trays, including the tray for worshiping mandarins (outer sky) and ancestors (in the house).
New Year's Eve worship needs to be performed and completed before 1 am on the 1st day of Tet (February 17th of the solar calendar). Therefore, families need to prepare the offering tray so that the ritual can take place on time, towards a new year full of blessings and peace.
Outdoor New Year's Eve offering tray
Vietnamese folklore believes that outdoor New Year's Eve worship should be performed before the ceremony in the house. The altar for worshiping mandarins needs to be placed outdoors to send off the heavenly people who have ruled the lower realm and welcome the new gods to continue their work in the year of Binh Ngo 2026.
The New Year's Eve offering tray usually has traditional dishes such as boiled chicken, pig head, sticky rice, banh chung, banh tet, betel and areca, flowers, fruits, rice, salt, wine, water, votive paper.
On the incense table, incense burners, oil lamps or candles are also prepared.
Depending on the customs of each family, outdoor offerings can be vegetarian or savory. Offerings do not need to be too elaborate like indoor offerings, but must still be complete, clean and tidy.
At exactly Ty hour (11pm - 1am), the homeowner must place a tray of offerings in front of the house, apartment balcony or large hall of the building they are living in. After arranging, proceed with the ritual, reading New Year's Eve prayers outdoors.
New Year's Eve offering tray in the house
Similar to outdoor offerings, indoor New Year's Eve offerings also include offerings such as boiled chicken, pig head, sticky rice, banh chung, banh tet. On the altar, there are also five-fruit trays, betel and areca nuts, gold coins, candies, and Tet jams.
For savory feasts, there will be more gio lua, sticky rice with beans, sweet soup with beans, boiled pork, vermicelli soup... Meanwhile, vegetarian feasts are usually cakes, candies, Tet jam, boiled vegetables, sticky rice and sweet soup.
Each region and each family will prepare different dishes on the New Year's Eve offering tray in the house.
The savory feast is placed under the altar or prepared with another table to arrange the dishes.
After arranging the offering tray, the oldest person in the family in neat and polite clothes will perform rituals including: burning candles, burning incense, reading New Year's Eve prayers in the house, inviting ancestors to celebrate Tet with their children and grandchildren.
