Full moon of October, full moon of Ha Nguyen, New Rice Festival

- The full moon of January is the day when King Nghieu bestowed blessings on humanity, so it is also called "Thuong Nguyen Tu Phuoc Thien Quan Dai De Thang Hoi" or "Thuong Nguyen Thien Quan Thanh Dan" or in short: "Thien Quan Tu Phuoc".

- The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the day King Shun pardons the souls in the underworld, so it is also called "The Great Emperor of the Central Plains Pardons the Sins of the Underworld" or "The Holy Birthday of the Underworld", "Vu Lan Victory Festival".

- The full moon of October is the day when King Ha Vu dispels disasters for people, so it is also called "Ha Nguyen Giai Ach Thuy Quan Dai De Thang Hoi" or "Ha Nguyen Thuy Quan Thanh Dan", "New Rice Festival"...

There is a proverb:

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, whoever has money can bring it,

Full moon of July, some carry, some do not,

Full moon in October, ten people, ten baskets

So, in the three full moon days, the full moon of October is the day everyone makes offerings. Why is that?

Because, the full moon of Ha Nguyen - the full moon of October is also called the new rice festival, the new rice festival is the most important festival in the system of traditional festivals of the Vietnamese people in the highlands. The new rice festival for ethnic minorities is as important as the Tet holiday of the Kinh people.

Happy New Rice Festival of the Central Highlands people

After the August rice harvest, the whole year's farming work begins to be easy and leisurely. The rice is full in the barns, the straw is piled up dry and neat. The cold winter weather brings a good harvest, with new rice, everyone immediately thinks of the grace of heaven and earth for favorable weather and wind, and no floods during the year that damage the crops; so on the full moon day of the tenth lunar month, they bring what has been harvested and make food according to local customs from ancient times such as: sticky rice, sweet soup, banh it, votive cakes, tapioca cakes, rice cakes... along with a tray of food to offer to ancestors, grandparents, local gods, ghosts,...

The full moon day of the tenth lunar month is considered a thanksgiving day. This thanksgiving day is one of the four great graces of Buddhism that Buddha taught when he was alive. After the thanksgiving ceremony, the whole family gathers around the red fire of the cold winter with a warm reunion meal. On the full moon day of the tenth lunar month, everyone has harvested food in the August crop, so every family offers thanksgiving, which is why there is a folk song: "On the full moon day of the tenth lunar month, ten people, ten baskets".

As for King Yu of Xia, he was an ancient legendary king famous for his flood control, establishing a hereditary system by founding the Xia Dynasty, and his upright moral character. His birth name was Ziwenming, commonly known as the Great Yu. Very few records of his reign are known in history. Because of this, most of the information about his life and reign comes from oral stories and those stories come from different regions. King Yu of Xia was honored with the name "Dai" after his death. Taoism honored him as the Great Emperor of Water, whose birthday is the Xia Yuan Festival.

Nowadays, the full moon day of the tenth lunar month, the full moon day of the lower lunar month, has become a festival with many spiritual values for the Vietnamese people. Especially for Buddhists, the full moon day of the tenth lunar month is an opportunity for all Buddhists to practice, to rely on the blessings of the Buddhas of the ten directions, and then the protection of their ancestors. But most importantly, each person must know how to connect with family traditions in the meaning of gratitude and repayment.

In the article on the spiritual value of the Full Moon Festival in October, Venerable Thich Phuoc Dat taught the prayer to ancestors on the Full Moon Festival in October as follows:

“ Namo Amitabha Buddha! (3 times)

I bow to the nine directions of heaven and ten directions of Buddha.

I respectfully bow to the Emperor of Heaven and the Mother of Earth and all the deities.

I respectfully bow to you, the local tutelary god, the local land god, the local kitchen god and all the other deities.

I respectfully bow to my paternal and maternal great-grandfathers, paternal and maternal uncles, brothers, aunts, sisters and cousins.

We, the believers, are... residing at...

Today is the 15th day of the 10th lunar month, the New Rice Festival. We sincerely prepare offerings, betel leaves and areca nuts, flowers, tea, and fruits, and cook new rice. We secretly think:

The ancient merits of those who created

Precious property now enjoyed by children and grandchildren

Thanks to Heaven, Earth, Buddha, Immortals and all the Gods

Later, thanks to the ancestors' efforts, how much effort and hardship

Until now, the descendants are abundant, enjoying the sweet taste.

Now is the harvest season/Carrying the first batch of sticky rice/Thinking of the old favors

We respectfully invite the Local Guardian Spirit, the Great Kings, the Local Earth God, the Local Kitchen God, the Five Directions, the Dragon Veins, and the God of Wealth. We humbly ask you to come before the altar to witness our sincerity and enjoy our offerings.

We invite our ancestors, maternal and paternal ancestors, and the spirits of our ancestors to have mercy on us and our descendants. May your spirits come and witness and sincerely enjoy our offerings. We respectfully pay our respects before the altar and ask for your protection and blessing.

Namo Amitabha Buddha (3 times)”.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/ram-thang-muoi-ram-ha-nguyen-tet-lua-moi.html