What is the most auspicious time and date for offering prayers on the full moon of the first lunar month of the Year of the Snake (2025)?

What is the most auspicious time and date to perform the Lunar New Year's Full Moon ceremony in the year of the Snake (2025), considering that this year's Full Moon falls on Wednesday, February 12th, which is a weekday?

The Significance of the Full Moon Festival in the First Lunar Month

The Lantern Festival ( also known as the first full moon of the lunar month ) is one of the important holidays in Vietnamese folk beliefs and Buddhism. It is considered the first major full moon of the year. According to traditional beliefs, this is an occasion for people to visit temples to worship Buddha, praying for peace, good fortune, and happiness throughout the year.

However, since the full moon of the first lunar month this year falls in the middle of the week, families who don't have enough time to prepare for the ceremony on the exact day can arrange to perform the ritual a few days in advance. In fact, many families perform the ritual before the full moon, from the 13th or 14th of the lunar month, and some even from the 11th or 12th of the lunar month.

Offering tray for the Lunar New Year's full moon ceremony (Illustrative image/ Source: Internet)

Many people don't know that the Lantern Festival marks the end of the New Year's festivities, bringing an end to the holiday spirit. Before fully returning to their daily lives and work, people consider this an opportunity for family, relatives, and the community to strengthen connections, share joy, and wish each other good fortune and peace for the entire year.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, families prepare offerings to the deities, the Earth God, and especially to commemorate their ancestors. This is a time for descendants to show filial piety to their grandparents and parents and express gratitude for their blessings. By performing the ritual on the 15th day of the first lunar month, people not only pray for the health of their entire family but also hope for prosperity in their business endeavors in the new year.

The most auspicious day/time for offering prayers on the full moon of the first lunar month.

In the book "Exploring Eastern Culture in 365 Days" ( Thanh Hoa Publishing House), author Thien Nhan provides detailed information about some auspicious times on certain days for offering prayers on the full moon of the first lunar month in 2025:

On the 15th day of the first lunar month (the full moon of the first month), auspicious times to perform the ritual are: the Hour of the Rabbit (5am-7am), the Hour of the Horse (11am-1pm), the Hour of the Monkey (3pm-5pm), and the Hour of the Rooster (5pm-7pm).

On the 14th day of the first lunar month, auspicious times to perform the ritual are: the Dragon hour (7am-9am), the Horse hour (11am-1pm), the Goat hour (1pm-3pm), and the Dog hour (7pm-9pm).

On the 13th day of the first lunar month, auspicious times to perform the ritual are: the hour of Mao (5-7 am), the hour of Ngo (11 am-1 pm), the hour of Than (3-5 pm), and the hour of Dau (5-7 pm).

The most complete prayer for the Full Moon of the First Lunar Month 2025.

Prayer for the Full Moon of the First Lunar Month according to "Traditional Vietnamese Prayers".

"Namo Amitabha Buddha!"

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

I bow down to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of the Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions.

I respectfully bow before Heaven, Earth, and all the Venerable Deities.

I respectfully bow before the local guardian deity of the Dragon Vein.

I respectfully bow before the Five Directions, the Five Lands, and the Ancestral Deities of Fortune and Virtue.

I respectfully bow before the former and current landlords and wealth gods.

We, your humble devotees, are: ... residing at: ....

Today is the full moon of the first lunar month of the Year of the Snake (2015). We, your humble devotees, sincerely prepare incense, flowers, offerings, gold, silver, tea, and fruit, and light fragrant incense before the altar. We respectfully invite the Venerable Deity of the Current Year, the Great King of the Local City God, the God of the Kitchen, the Local Earth God, the Dragon Vein Deity, the Five Directions and Five Lands Deities, the God of Fortune and Virtue, and all the other Venerable Deities governing this area.

We humbly beseech you, O deities, to hear our plea for mercy and descend before this altar, witness our sincerity, accept our offerings, and protect our family, granting us peace and prosperity in all our endeavors. May everyone be safe, wealth increase, spiritual understanding expand, and all our wishes be granted and our desires fulfilled.

With humble hearts and sincere devotion, we respectfully bow before the altar and humbly ask for your protection and blessings.

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Source: https://giadinhonline.vn/cung-ram-thang-gieng-at-ty-2025-vao-ngay-gio-nao-dep-nhat-d204474.html