The beauty of the custom of burning votive paper money on Tet holiday

Burning votive paper money is one of the popular customs of the Lunar New Year every year. According to Vietnamese folk beliefs, on the 30th of Tet, families will prepare a New Year's Eve meal to invite their ancestors to celebrate Tet. After 3 days of Tet, children and grandchildren prepare a tray of offerings to send them back to the underworld. The burning votive paper money ceremony is not only a ceremony to send off grandparents and ancestors to the underworld but also a ceremony to welcome the God of Wealth and Fortune back to the family, hoping for a year of favorable and successful business.

The ceremony of burning votive paper during Tet holiday shows respect to ancestors.

The date for the burning of votive paper depends on each family, mainly from the 3rd to the 10th day of the Lunar New Year. However, most families choose the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year to burn votive paper throughout the entire Tet holiday.

This year, the 3rd day of Tet falls on Monday (February 12th). Most families choose this day to burn votive papers after Tet. According to cultural experts, in addition to the 3rd day of Tet, in the year of Giap Thin, there are 2 other suitable days to burn votive papers after Tet, which are the 4th and 5th of January, so every family has more options to suit their family's conditions.

Depending on the economic conditions of each family and the customs of each locality, the offerings in the burning of votive papers after Tet are different, but it is still necessary to ensure that there are items such as: a tray of five fruits; incense, lamps, candles, candies, betel and areca nuts, cigarettes, tea, money, votive papers, besides that there should be a vase of colorful fresh flowers expressing the homeowner's hope for freshness and vitality in the new year; 2 sugarcanes which according to folk beliefs are for the elderly to lean on to relieve fatigue or can be used to carry offerings to heaven and also a weapon to ward off evil spirits.

Ms. Nong Thu Thuy, Hop Giang Ward (City) said: Her children and grandchildren in Hanoi come back to wish their grandparents a happy new year for a few days, and right after Tet they have to return home to continue studying and working, so her family usually holds a ceremony to burn votive papers to send off their ancestors on the third day of Tet. With the concept of respect for their ancestors, she prepares a very neat ceremony, with all the traditional salty dishes according to the customs of the Cao Bang people.

The offering tray for burning votive papers can be a savory or vegetarian dish with dishes typical of Tet. If it is a savory dish, it cannot lack chicken, a bowl of vermicelli soup, ham, fried spring rolls, banh chung, stir-fried dishes, etc.

The offering tray for burning votive paper money is either salty or vegetarian with dishes typical of Tet.

The solemn and complete tray of offerings shows the respect of descendants to their ancestors and grandparents. After the incense offering is finished, the votive paper offerings that were offered during Tet are burned. The descendants gather together to have a warm and happy meal, ending the Tet holiday and returning to work.

This is a beautiful feature in the Vietnamese cultural beliefs that has been passed down through generations. However, burning votive paper during the gold burning ceremony is recommended to be done with extreme caution, ensuring fire prevention and environmental safety.

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