Giỗ Hết Prayer (Đại Tường)

Namo Amitābha Buddha! Namo Amitābha Buddha! Namo Amitābha Buddha! - I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of all Buddhas, the Buddhas of the ten directions. - I respectfully bow to the local Tutelary Deities and Great Sovereigns. - I respectfully bow to the Eastern Kitchen Sovereign of Destiny, Lord of the Kitchen Court. - I respectfully bow to the spirit-deities and Earth Deity overseeing this region. - I respectfully bow to the family ancestors, High Ancestors and Ancestresses, ancestors of both paternal and maternal sides of the family ………………………………………………………………………………………… The faithful (we) are: …………………………………………………………………… Residing at: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Today is the ……………….. day of the ……………... month, year …………………………… The main day of Giỗ Hết of …………………………………………………………………… We humbly reflect……………… so far gone from this mortal world that we no longer see your form. Through years and months we have come to your Giỗ Hết. Your boundless kindness was as great as Heaven and the seas; the meaning of your having given us birth and nurture we never forget. The more we remember the kindness of your founding our family, the more deeply we feel — but cannot adequately express. On this main anniversary, we and our whole family of descendants, with one heart, prepare offerings to present, lighting incense of devotion to express the depth of our sincerity. With sincere heart we respectfully invite ……………………………………………………………………… Who passed away on the …………. day of the ……………… month, year …………………………………………… With grave at: ………………………………………………………………………….. We humbly ask the spirit to descend in sacred power to the spirit-seat, bear witness to our sincerity, partake of these offerings, and shelter the descendants with peace and family prosperity. The faithful also invites the spirits of former and latter occupants of this land to come together and partake. The faithful also respectfully invites the ancestors of both paternal and maternal sides, the High Ancestors and Ancestresses, the uncles and brothers, aunts and sisters, and all the spirits of the lineage to come together and partake. We offer modest gifts with sincere hearts; we humbly ask to be sheltered and supported. Namo Amitābha Buddha! Namo Amitābha Buddha! Namo Amitābha Buddha! Text for the First Death Anniversary (Giỗ Đầu) 1. Meaning: The Giỗ Đầu — also called "Tiểu Tường" — is the first death anniversary, exactly one year after a person's passing. It is one of the two anniversaries within the mourning period. For this reason, the Giỗ Đầu is usually held with solemn, sad, mournful atmosphere — not very different from the day of the funeral the year before. That is, descendants wear mourning attire and weep at the rite as at the funeral; some families with means even hire a band of trumpeters and drummers. 2. Preparations: For Giỗ Đầu, in addition to the meat tray, flowers, fruit, incense, and oản cakes, people usually buy many votive offerings — not only paper money, gold, and votive paper but also items like clothes, houses, vehicles, and even paper effigies. "Effigy" here is not to substitute for anyone's life but a belief that with the magic of the sorcerer, the paper effigy when burned becomes a servant for the spirit in the underworld. After the rite, the votive offerings are taken to the gravesite to be burned. The votive paper burned on Tiểu Tường is also called "mã biếu" (gift votive). It is called gift votive because people believe these offerings cannot be used by the deceased themselves and must be given to the malevolent deities to avoid disturbance.