Good tips for the Duanwu Festival to help your family welcome good luck and avoid bad luck

This year's Duanwu Festival falls on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Traditionally, families often make offerings at "Ngo" hour, which is from 11am to 1pm, when the sun is high in the sky and the yang energy is at its strongest in the year. This is also the time when insects breed a lot, so our ancestors considered it the right time to "kill insects", purify the body and dispel evil spirits.

On this special day, you can apply a few tips below to welcome luck, stay healthy and fully enjoy the mid-year "Tet" atmosphere.

Eat rice, wine and fruit at the "sacred" time

For generations, our ancestors believed that in the human body, especially the digestive system, there are always “bugs” lurking. These parasites are not easy to see, but silently cause harm. Only on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month do they “appear”, and this is also the right time to eradicate them and protect health.

According to folk beliefs, the “sacred time” to perform the insect extermination ritual is early in the morning, right after waking up, while still hungry. Northerners often choose this time to eat sticky rice wine, banh gio, fruits such as plums, lychees, etc. to “kill insects” in the body.

For adults, the traditional ritual is a bit more elaborate: after waking up, rinse your mouth three times thoroughly, eat a boiled duck egg, then get out of bed and drink some rice wine to get the bugs “drunk”, followed by eating fruit to “kill” the bugs. Although this practice is symbolic, it shows the ancients’ special concern for health and seasonal body purification.

For children, the ritual is more gentle: when they first wake up, parents often feed them some fruit, a small spoon of rice wine or boiled eggs, some sour and astringent fruits before brushing their teeth and washing their faces. This action is not only a custom, but also a way for the next generation to feel the atmosphere of the Duanwu Festival from simple things.

To do this, you should prepare the rice wine the day before to ferment it to the right softness and aroma, without being too sour. Choose fresh fruit, peel it, and arrange it on a plate for the whole family to enjoy right after waking up. The spiciness of the rice wine, the sweet and sour taste of the fruit is both delicious and “insect killer” in the true sense of the word passed down by our grandparents.

Conducting the Duanwu Festival ceremony

The Duanwu Festival is not only an occasion to “kill insects” but also a time for descendants to show their respect, remember their ancestors and pray for a year of peace, health and good harvest. Traditionally, the worship ritual is usually performed in the morning, especially at noon (around 11am to 1pm), when the yang energy is at its strongest during the day.

Although the offerings on the Doan Ngo Festival do not need to be too elaborate, they must demonstrate solemnity and sincerity. Basic offerings include incense, fresh flowers, clean water and votive paper to offer to ancestors. Sticky rice wine is an indispensable dish on this occasion because it has the meaning of "killing insects" and helping to purify the body according to folk beliefs. In addition, summer fruits such as plums, lychees, bananas, watermelons, and sapodilla are all popular fruits, with a fresh taste, easy to eat and symbolizing abundance.

If possible, families can prepare more banh gio - a type of cake with a light taste, helping to cool down on hot days, and lotus seed tea - a refreshing dish, often appearing on traditional holidays.

Whether the offerings are simple or complete, the most important thing is still respect, gratitude and the desire to maintain the traditional cultural lifestyle in every Vietnamese family. The cozy atmosphere of the Doan Ngo Festival is also an opportunity for generations to sit together, remember their roots, and preserve the good values left by their ancestors.

Clean the house, burn incense - refresh the space, welcome positive energy

The Duanwu Festival is not only an occasion to purify the body but also an ideal time to renew the living space. In folk beliefs, cleaning the house on this day is not simply to wipe away dust and dirt, but also has the meaning of removing bad luck and welcoming new vitality into the house.

Just simple actions like cleaning the altar, rearranging the kitchen corner, replacing old flower vases or opening the windows to let in the sunlight... are enough to make the house fresher and brighter. This is also a way to help all family members feel relaxed, relieved and start the second half of the year with a more positive spirit.

After cleaning, many families also light a stick of aromatic incense such as incense, cinnamon, grapefruit... not only to create a pleasant smell but also to show respect to ancestors and bring a sense of peace to the living space.

There is no need for a thorough cleaning. Sometimes, just wiping a thin layer of dust off the desk, changing a new tablecloth, or placing a small potted plant in the corner of the room... is enough to give the house a fresh, vibrant look.

Bathing in natural herbal water

On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, after performing the "insect extermination" ritual with rice wine and fruit, many families still maintain the habit of bathing in leaf water - a folk custom that has both spiritual elements and health benefits.

Leaf water is often made from familiar herbs such as coriander leaves, perilla leaves, Vietnamese balm, lemongrass leaves, bamboo leaves, etc. Each type of leaf has a light fragrance, cool properties, helps relieve colds, relax the mind and cleanse the body naturally. Since ancient times, our grandparents believed that bathing in leaf water on this occasion will help the body feel more comfortable and relaxed, while also driving away evil spirits, diseases and bad luck accumulated throughout the first half of the year.

Although not as popular as before, for many families, especially in the countryside, a pot of steaming aromatic leaf water on a summer afternoon during the Doan Ngo Festival is still a familiar image, evoking a simple yet meaningful traditional lifestyle. Bathing in herbal water is not only an act of purifying the body, but also a way to connect with nature, so that the scent of herbs helps people return to a peaceful, gentle state in the midst of a busy life.

Wash hair, steam with aromatic leaves

On this special day, take advantage of natural leaves such as grapefruit, coriander, perilla, Vietnamese balm, lemongrass, bamboo or soapberry to cook water for steaming, washing hair and bathing.

Steaming with aromatic leaves is considered a way to repel toxic gases, relieve colds, soothe the body and help the spirit become more relaxed and excited. For women, washing hair with soapberry and grapefruit leaves on this day is not only to clean the scalp, but also to pray for thick, smooth, healthy black hair, symbolizing fulfillment and feminine beauty.

According to folk experience, you should steam and wash your hair during the day, when the yang energy is high, the body can easily absorb nutrients from nature. The scent of herbs penetrates every strand of hair and skin, like a natural "nourishing dose", making people feel more relieved and peaceful in the hot weather of the beginning of the 5th lunar month.

(The information in the article is based on folk experience)

Thanh Ha

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/nhung-meo-hay-trong-ngay-tet-doan-ngo-giup-gia-dinh-don-may-tranh-dieu-xui-rui-post550197.html