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Worshiping ceremony for Mr. Tao of the Saigon family

On the morning of December 23, Ms. Duong Thi Huong, 65 years old, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City and her husband went to the market to buy chrysanthemums, fruits, sweets … to worship Mr. Tao.

Like many other families in Saigon, on December 23 every year, the couple of Ms. Duong Thi Huong (District 4) go to the market from morning to prepare to buy offerings to “see Mr. Tao off to heaven”.

The couple walked about 300 meters to the market near their house and chose to buy the worship ceremony for Tao Army. “The southerners’ offerings were simple, basically chrysanthemums, fruits, puffins, votive ‘storks, horses running’ and drinking tea, not buying carp like the North”, a 65-year-old female said, hand-picked chrysanthemums.

Ms. Huong stopped at the votive shop to choose to buy incense sticks, burning food for Apple Army, and a bag of marshmallow. The set of burnt votive horses after donating paper clothes, money and carp to the Apples is indispensable for the “flying stork and horse” set.

“The stork votive and the running horse are the shape of a stork and the horse cut out of paper used to turn over after finishing the ceremony with the expectation that Apple will come back to heaven faster,” Huong said.

At the market, the couple buys more fruits to worship, including oranges, tangerines, bananas … depending on the owner’s sincerity. The cost for a full offering tray is about 150,000 – 200,000 VND.

At the family kitchen, Ms. Huong cleans and arranges offering water, incense sticks and chrysanthemum vase is indispensable when offering goodbye to Apple in the air.

Peanut broth made from black sesame seeds and peanuts is a unique item in rituals in the South. “This dish Saigon people often call the hamster droppings and the concept that everything is just enough, so the worshiping tray does not need delicacy,” Ms. Huong said.

Apples Army worshiping day also has a water-drifting tea. The people think that this tea is easy to eat, the round is smooth, with lots of water. So when eating Mr. Apple is full, the heavenly conditions are also “smooth and cool”.

After presenting all the items, Ms. Huong made the ritual at 10am in the kitchen.

“In the past, the southerners used to worship their evening and evening when they finished their dinner, they no longer cook to avoid disturbing the Apples. But nowadays, many families also worship early so that Mr. Tao can return to the report. with Ngoc Hoang, “she explained.

Mr. Tao’s offering tray is solemnly placed on the family gas stove.

After the incense burns 1/3, Mr. Cao Trung and Ms. Huong’s husband burn the votive set to finish the ceremony.

“Every year, no matter how busy I am, my family will simply worship Mr. Tao to heaven. I hope Mr. Tao can do all the good things of his family and pray for peace and health for the whole family,” Trung said. .

Quynh Tran/vnexpress

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