The Kitchen God worship ceremony is held throughout the country.

TPO - According to folk beliefs, the Kitchen God plays an important role in determining the family's fortune. Professor Nguyen Van Huyen once affirmed in his book "Festivals and Holidays of the Vietnamese People": "People burn for the gods beautiful hats decorated with colorful flowers, many gold and silver ingots made of paper. They release carp into the nearest river to serve as horses for the gods to ride on their long journey through the clouds from earth to heaven."

The custom of worshipping 'two men and one woman'

In Vietnamese folk beliefs, Ông Táo, or Táo Quân, is the deity who oversees the kitchen in each household. Because he is such an important kitchen god, Táo Quân is worshipped, and on one day each year, he ascends to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the household's affairs throughout the year – this is the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month.

In Vietnamese folklore, there are many legends about the Kitchen God. In " A Brief Study of Vietnamese Mythology," the story of the Kitchen God tells of a love triangle. Trong Cao and Thi Nhi had been married for a long time without children. One day, they argued, Trong Cao beat his wife, and Thi Nhi left home and later married Pham Lang. Trong Cao regretted his actions and left home to search for his wife, until he ran out of money and had to beg for food.

The image of the Kitchen God in Dong Ho folk paintings.

One day, Trong Cao happened to beg for food at Pham Lang's house. Thi Nhi recognized her former husband, and since her new husband was away, she took him inside and entertained him. Thi Nhi gave Trong Cao temporary shelter in a haystack in the field. Pham Lang accidentally set the haystack on fire to get ash for fertilizing the fields, causing Trong Cao to be burned to death. Seeing Trong Cao in this state, Thi Nhi also jumped in and died. Pham Lang, seeing this, rushed in to save them but was also burned to death. Their story moved the Jade Emperor to pity, who reincarnated them as Kitchen Gods and bestowed upon each of them a title: one to oversee the kitchen, one to oversee the house, and the other to manage the marketplace.

The Champa people also have a story about the Kitchen God, combining the legend of the Kitchen God and the story of "Who Will Buy My Onions? ". The Chinese have a similar story about the characters Zhang Lang and Ding Xiang, the only difference being that there are two characters in this story.

Legends about the Kitchen God, or the God of the Hearth, are widespread and are believed to originate from the worship of the Fire God by many ethnic groups around the world . However, the story of the Kitchen God and the custom of worshipping "two men and one woman" bear a distinct identity of the Vietnamese people.

Selling hats and offerings for the Kitchen God at Dong Xuan Market in 1920 (left photo) and a Kitchen God altar of a Hanoi family in 1955. Archival photos.

In his book Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi, the cultural scholar Trinh Hoai Duc wrote about the customs of the people of Southern Vietnam, affirming the tradition of worshipping the Kitchen God. He depicted two male figures on either side and a female figure in the middle, symbolizing the Ly Hoa hexagram, which represents two yang lines in the middle and a yin line as the dominant element.

Phan Kế Bính's book , "Vietnamese Customs," also mentions the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month as the Kitchen God Festival. "We usually consider that day the day the Kitchen God ascends to heaven. Originally, in Lao Tzu's teachings, it is said that on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the Kitchen God ascends to heaven to report on the good and evil deeds of mankind. Following this tradition, on that day we buy two hats for the male Kitchen God and one hat for the female Kitchen God to worship, and buy a carp to serve as a horse for the Kitchen God to ascend to heaven," Phan Kế Bính wrote.

The legend of the Kitchen God has many variations, but in most regions of Vietnam, the worship of the Kitchen God has become an indispensable belief in the lives of Vietnamese people.

The Kitchen God is believed to be the deity who oversees all household affairs, judging and evaluating the family's actions throughout the year. At the end of the year, he is responsible for ascending to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the events that occurred on earth during the year. Vietnamese people often hold a lavish farewell ceremony for the Kitchen God, hoping that the best things will be reported to the Jade Emperor.

The beginning of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Folklorist Kieu Thu Hoach believes that the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year celebrations. From the evening of the 23rd, when the Kitchen God is sent to heaven, until the night of the 30th, when the Kitchen God returns, the atmosphere of preparation for the Lunar New Year is extremely lively in every region and every family.

Regarding the Kitchen God altar, researcher Toan Ánh has specific records. “The altar for the Earth God (who worships both the Land God and the Earth Spirit, collectively called the Kitchen God) is usually placed in the side room, next to the ancestral altar. In families without an ancestral altar, the Earth God altar is placed in the main room of the house. The Earth God altar is simpler than the ancestral altar, and consists of an incense table placed against the back wall of the room. On the incense table is a small tray, similar to the table placed on the ancestral altar, and on top of it are three covered wine vessels, just like on the ancestral altar.”

"Sometimes it's just a table, with an incense burner and a small altar placed right behind it. No matter how simple the altar is, it is still an altar and sufficient to express the homeowner's reverence for the deity who watches over their home," the researcher said.

A lavish feast is offered to the Kitchen God.

People in Northern Vietnam usually offer sacrifices to the Kitchen Gods quite early. From around the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, many families begin preparing the offerings. The latest time to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen Gods is noon on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. Not many places hold the ceremony after this time because of the belief that after 12 noon on the 23rd, the Kitchen Gods must ascend to heaven and are no longer in the mortal world to receive offerings.

In Northern Vietnam, the offerings for the Kitchen God and Goddess include three sets of paper effigies: two for the male Kitchen Gods and one for the female Kitchen Goddess. The male Kitchen God's hat has two dragonfly wings. The paper effigies will be burned after the ceremony.

The offering tray for the Kitchen God and Stove God consists of traditional dishes from Northern Vietnam such as sticky rice, chicken, pork sausage, meatballs, bamboo shoot soup, and spring rolls. Some localities in Northern Vietnam offer sticky rice and sweet soup, usually "che ba cot," made with glutinous rice, steamed sticky rice, brown sugar, and ginger.

In modern life, many families prepare simple offerings with fruits and vegetarian dishes.





The ceremony of erecting the ceremonial pole at the Imperial Citadel of Hue on the day of the Kitchen God and the Stove God.

In Central Vietnam, the worship of the Kitchen Gods usually falls on the night of the 22nd or the early morning of the 23rd of the lunar month. People in Central Vietnam typically offer a paper horse with a saddle and bridle, but do not offer clothes or hats to the Kitchen Gods like people in Northern Vietnam.

In Hue, people also have the custom of erecting a New Year's pole in front of their house or temple courtyard on the morning of the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. In the South, people offer paper hats, shirts, and shoes as offerings.

According to the book "Vietnamese Customs ," the Vietnamese believe that the three Kitchen Gods determine the blessings and good fortune of a family. These blessings and good fortune depend on the righteous actions of the homeowner and those in the household.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/le-cung-ong-cong-ong-tao-khap-ca-nuoc-post1819770.tpo