Can we worship the Kitchen Gods with paper carp?

Worshiping the Kitchen Gods is a beautiful tradition of the Vietnamese people. One of the things considered indispensable on the offering tray on the Kitchen Gods' Day is carp, but is it really necessary to worship real fish?

In Vietnamese culture, the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, also known as Ong Cong Ong Tao Day, is one of the most important days of the year. This year, Ong Cong Ong Tao Festival falls on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

On this day, every family will prepare offerings and a neat tray of food to present to the altar. According to the concept, on this day, families hold ceremonies as a way to "send off" the Kitchen Gods to heaven. Vietnamese people believe that the Kitchen Gods are the gods who control the kitchen, bringing prosperity and happiness to the family.

Besides delicious food, gold coins, and clothes for the Kitchen Gods, there is another thing that is considered extremely important and indispensable. That is the carp.

Why does the offering tray for the Kitchen Gods need to have carp?

Nowadays, there is still a saying in folklore that “carp jumps over the dragon gate” or “carp turns into a dragon”, meaning that only carp can fly to heaven. Therefore, folklore believes that fish or carp are the means for the gods who control the kitchen in particular or the family home in general to use to fly to heaven. From there, they can “report” to heaven the achievements and deeds that the homeowner has done throughout the past year.

In addition, in the Vietnamese mind, “carp jumping over the dragon gate” also carries the meaning of sublimation, symbolizing the spirit of overcoming difficulties, perseverance, and determination to conquer knowledge to achieve success. For this reason, the Vietnamese people must definitely have carp in their offerings to the Kitchen Gods.

Is it okay to worship the Kitchen Gods with paper carp?

In the past, buying real fish was very popular. They were usually goldfish, which were placed in a bowl of water when worshiped. After the worship, the fish were released into a pond, lake or clean river near the house.

Nowadays, besides real fish, in order to save time and effort in buying real fish for the homeowner, many other types of fake fish have appeared such as fish made of paper, that is, votive offerings, along with hats and savory dishes to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao. After a week of incense, people will burn the paper carp and hats. In addition, on the market there are also types of fish shaped from sticky rice, jelly or even cakes.

Accordingly, it is okay to worship the Kitchen Gods with paper carp or real carp. If a family has the means, they can use real carp and then release them. Otherwise, they can use paper carp.

In addition, if using real carp, it will have the meaning of creating jobs and income for people. Therefore, currently there are many villages raising carp to serve the worship of Ong Cong Ong Tao.

How many carps do you need to worship the Kitchen Gods?

Whether it is fake fish or real fish, there is a general rule about the number of fish. Specifically, according to the story passed down by word of mouth from ancient times, the Kitchen Gods consist of 3 deities: 2 male Kitchen Gods and 1 female Kitchen God. Therefore, the ideal number of fish to offer is 3. If not, it can be 1 fish - meaning that 2 men and 1 woman will "sit together".

However, nowadays, many people think that releasing as many carps as possible, or releasing the bigger and rarer carps as possible, is better. According to experts, this is not true, in fact, at most 3 carps are enough. As with any ceremony, the most important thing is the sincerity, not the need for a high-class feast or the more offerings, the more sacred it will be.

Source: https://giadinhonline.vn/dung-ca-chep-giay-cung-ong-cong-ong-tao-duoc-khong-d204147.html