The 15th day of the 12th lunar month (15.12 lunar calendar, year of the Dragon) this year falls on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Prayer for the Full Moon of December
In the book "Traditional Vietnamese Prayers" published by the Culture and Information Publishing House, the prayers for the Full Moon of December are similar to the prayers for other Full Moon days of the year.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha! I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the Buddhas of the ten directions.
I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven, the Mother of Earth and all the deities.
I bow to you, Dong Than Quan.
I respectfully bow to you, the local god of the Dragon Veins.
I respectfully bow to you, the Five Directions, Five Earths, and the Gods of Fortune and Virtue.
I respectfully bow to you, the landlord and god of wealth.
I bow to the deities who govern this area.
We are the believers: ... Residing at: ...
Today is the ... day of the ... month of the ... year (the 15th day of the 12th lunar month of the year of the Wood Dragon), I, the believer, sincerely prepare offerings of incense, flowers, gold, silver, tea, fruit, and burn incense sticks to present before the altar.
We respectfully invite you, the current ruler of the year, the Great King of the local Thanh Hoang, the God of the East Kitchen, the God of the Earth, the God of the Dragon Vein, the Five Directions, Five Lands, the God of Fortune, and the gods who govern this area.
We humbly ask you to hear our invitation, have mercy on the believers, come before the altar, witness our sincerity, accept the offerings, and bless us, the believers, with peace and prosperity in our work. Everyone is safe, their fortune and wealth increase, their faith and spirituality expand, all requests are answered, all wishes are fulfilled. We respectfully pay our humble offerings before the altar, and humbly ask for your protection and support.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha!”.
Prayer to Tho Cong and other gods:
“Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha!
I bow to the nine directions of heaven, the ten directions of Buddhas, the ten directions of Buddhas.
I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven, the Mother of Earth and all the deities.
I bow to you, Dong Than Quan.
I respectfully bow to you, the local god of the land and dragon veins.
I respectfully bow to you, the Five Directions, Five Earths, and the Gods of Fortune and Virtue.
I respectfully bow to you, the landlord and god of wealth.
I bow to the deities who govern this area.
I am the believer: … Residing at: …
Today, on the … day of the … month of the … year, on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, I, the believer, sincerely prepare offerings of incense, flowers, tea, fruit, gold and silver, light a stick of incense, present it before the altar, and sincerely invite: Your Majesty, the current year's ruling Tai Tue Chi Duc Ton Than, Your Majesty, the Local Thanh Hoang, the Great Kings, Your Majesty, the Eastern Kitchen Tu Menh Tao Phu Than Quan, Your Majesty, the Local Tho Dia, the Long Mach Ton Than, Your Majesty, the Five Directions, Five Soils, the God of Fortune and Virtue, and the Ton Thans who govern this area.
I bow down and ask you to come before the altar, witness my sincerity, accept the offerings, and bless us believers with peace and happiness, smooth work, increased wealth, clear mind, all requests answered, and wishes fulfilled.
We respectfully pay homage before the altar and ask for your protection and blessing.
Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amitabha Buddha!”.
Offering tray for the full moon day of December
According to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the vegetarian offering tray on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month usually has 5 components: incense, fresh flowers, candles, fresh fruit and vegetarian dishes.
However, depending on the culture of each region and locality, families can prepare appropriate offerings.
For vegetarian dishes, the host should choose fruits such as apples, oranges, watermelons, bananas, and Buddha’s hand. Familiar, easy-to-make vegetarian dishes include vegetarian ham, coconut sticky rice, vegetarian stir-fried vermicelli, stir-fried vegetables, sweet soups, etc.
In addition to the vegetarian tray, families can prepare a savory tray, depending on economic conditions and cultural traditions. The basic savory tray includes boiled chicken, sticky rice, ham, fried spring rolls, white rice, soup, and wine.
While Northerners like sticky rice with beans, banh chung, canh bong tha, canh bamboo shoots…; Southerners often prepare sticky rice with gac fruit, vermicelli soup, braised pork and eggs…; Centralers will combine chicken, sticky rice (sticky rice with beans or sticky rice with gac fruit), fried spring rolls, soup (vermicelli soup, bone soup or bamboo shoot soup), braised fish and seafood…
In addition to the above dishes, the homeowner can prepare other dishes such as stir-fried vegetables, beef, roast pork, salad, etc. to make the feast more diverse.
