The 23rd of December every year is also known as Ong Cong Ong Tao Day. On this day, each family usually prepares a neat meal to send Ong Cong Ong Tao to heaven, reporting to the Jade Emperor about the events that happened in the family during the year.
This custom is both a long-standing and meaningful traditional cultural feature of the Vietnamese people, and an occasion for everyone to return home to reunite and gather after a year of hard work.
According to Professor Tu Thi Loan - Chairwoman of the Science and Training Council, Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts, procedures such as cleaning the altar, cooking rice, releasing carp... must be completed before 12 noon on the 23rd of December or a few days before.
Because according to folk beliefs, after 12 noon on December 23, the gates of heaven will close and the Kitchen Gods will not have time to go to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor.
Professor Tu Thi Loan also said that according to the customs of the Northern people, the offering tray must have 4 bowls and 4 plates. However, if it is not possible to have all of that, then it must have sticky rice, chicken, ham, spring rolls, soup, stir-fried dishes and wine.
"In addition to familiar dishes, many families also buy banh chung early and offer banh chung, or have steamed shrimp, mushroom soup, mushroom soup... This depends on the lifestyle, beliefs and conditions of each family," shared Professor, Dr. Tu Thi Loan.
On the day of worshiping the Kitchen Gods, everyone in the family should be sincere, speak gently, and avoid conflicts, quarrels, or hot tempers.
The professor believes that along with the development of society, customs and practices are increasingly changing to suit the current pace of life, economic and cultural conditions.
During the subsidy period or the renovation period, life was still poor, this custom was not practiced much, if practiced, it was only practiced as simply as possible. However, "wealth gives birth to etiquette", the offerings became more and more complete, reflecting the nuances of modern life.
"In the past, people often had the habit of using paper carp, burning it with votive paper. However, currently, most people worship live fish, then release them in ponds and lakes. In addition to white wine, people can worship foreign wine, imported candies, display beautiful and neat altar decorations...
All of this is just to show respect to ancestors and traditional customs of the nation. There is no standard for this, it depends on the family, each family can do it to the extent of their conditions," said the professor.
Although life is increasingly modern, with rapid developments and changes, the custom of worshipping the Kitchen Gods is still a beautiful cultural feature that Vietnamese people want to preserve and should preserve.
"On the 23rd of December, making the offering tray is like a milestone marking the end of the year, preparing to welcome a traditional Lunar New Year. Some families are too busy or too modern, they can skip it. But in reality, most families want to maintain it. If the children are too busy working, the parents will make it and the whole family will gather to eat together.
If they don't cook rice, families can offer fruits and candies, but they must have carp and votive paper. It can be simple, but it must be there to show respect for the good customs and culture of the nation," said Professor Tu Thi Loan.
