Many of those in Vietnam, as elsewhere in Asia, revolve around people's physical features. However, the owner can change that by changing the arrangement of their home and surrounding environment according to feng shui to harness lucky energy. Depending on religious beliefs, many of the Vietnamese culture believes that souls live on after death, but especially that a person should die in their home surrounded by his family. These gi days occur yearly or more often depending on religion and beliefs. In any case, avoiding pictures with 3 people has become a common superstition in Vietnam, even in our modern society. The second story tells the tale of a Goddess who was responsible for cooking for Ngoc Hoang (the Jade Emperor, King of the Heaven) but always tasted his meals first. At sunrise or very early on the final day, a procession to transport the coffin to a gravesite or crematory will occur. Superstition and belief are still large parts of daily Vietnamese life. It's A Good Time To Resolve Feuds National Geographic reports that the Batammaliba. Even though it can be a fun thing to do once in a while, there are many Vietnamese who actually believe in it and got their money swindled, so it gives a bad impression when people talk about fortune-telling. Just like the horoscope or zodiac sign, your element is also decided based on your year of birth. Tet, or the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is an incredibly superstitious time for Vietnamese families. Moreover, too many paper items burned can result in the possibility of fire. Meanwhile, others say 3 is an unlucky number in, 10. There are many Vietnamese superstitions that are evident following a death. As such, it is holy and shouldnt be used by mere mortals. The intention was to target the alleged superstitions of the North Vietnamese, by making the Ace of Spades the symbol of death, humiliation, and suffering. Vietnamese Superstitions. Children wearing hats indoors will not grow tall, Every parent wants their child to grow up strong and tall, and thus many tell their. Meanwhile, others say 3 is an unlucky number in fengshui. The job of coordinating and preparing Chinese funerals falls on the children or younger family members of the deceased person. Those attending a Vietnamese funeral may choose to offer flowers, food, or verbal condolences to the grieving. You can often see this ritualduring the Tet holiday, one's funeral, the death memorial occasions, andVietnamese Ghosts Month or so-called Thang Co Hon. Fear of the number 9 is known as enneaphobia, in Japanese culture; this is because it sounds like the . And when things are not going well, t va, also called t phong long is a common ritual that they often perform to shoo bad luck off. The first stage, "Nhap Quan" (entering the coffin), consists of the dead body being cleaned with alcohol or water ("Vietnamese Funerals," n.d. para. Do you find yourself throwing spilled salt over your shoulder without even stopping to consider why? Moreover, kids are often taught not to use chopsticks to hit their rice bowls. They will appreciate the opportunity to be open about their beliefs without offending you. Comes with fortune-telling, there have to be remedies if the result of reading your destiny is bad. Every action, gesture, on this day must be paid close attention to. Today, there are many who break with tradition and open a window so the soul can be . Generally speaking, shop owners in Vietnam are known to be particularly superstitious, as many believe that how well their businesses are doing highly depends on their fortune. It is believed that by doing so, youd sweep out the good luck that the new year brings. The word lon in Vietnamese means to reverse, so you should only eat a balut to reverse your bad luck and not when you are lucky. , telling them its a gift thatll help them learn how to swim. Find more hotels to stay in Vietnam below: Ho Chi Minh Private Tours:Saigon Shore ExcursionsMotorbike City ToursSaigon Food Tours, i Tour Vietnam - Private Tours Ltd. Outside Vietnam +84 986188801Inside Vietnam 0986188801 (English)info@itourvn.com. In fact, incense burning is a prominent part of Vietnamese funerals. Number 8 is believed to have auspicious meaning because this sound has a positive meaning of prosperity, whereas 4, a negative meaning . As a courtesy, ensure that your phone remains silent when in use. Even though most people believe that everything is numbered, they are still curious about their destiny and find horoscope masters to get informed and ask for advice. What Flowers are Appropriate for a Vietnamese Funeral? In an apartment complex, the door should not be placed opposite of the elevator because owners can feel like everyone is peeking inside their home, and the privacy of the family will be disturbed by outside energy. In Buddhism, for older people who are ill and know they are going to die, death is acceptable and is not shocking for the family. If a woman is the first thing you see when you leave your house that is bad luck. Family members will bathe and prepare the deceased in formal clothing. The superstition about the casket proves that while family members are honored and taken care of even after deatha highly important concept in Vietnamese cultureit is also necessary to watch the casket and guard the deceased for the livings sake. In the Buddhist tradition. It is part of the Confucian principle of filial piety and devotion to one's parents. No taking pictures with 3 people in the frame, Vietnamese people often avoid taking pictures in a group of 3, believing its bad luck, A lot of people in Vietnam would shy away from. Inhumation, the Main Funeral Style in China. Death is just as much a part of life as is the reverse, a delicate interwoven tapestry. The deceased is dressed in casual clothing as they would wear daily and the chosen coffin is modest. . Again, this is just wishful thinking from parents, hoping that their kids will have all the best in life. As such, dont let the rumors stop you from visiting this beautiful city with your significant other. Your birth year is 1996, 9 + 6 = 15 -> 1 + 5 = 6, If you are male: 10 - 6 = 4 then your lucky number is 4, If you are female: 6 + 5 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3 then your lucky, Irrational Beliefs in Vietnamese Superstitions. Tet is more than just family gatherings,sticky rice cakes, and Lixi(lucky money). Funeral traditions in Vietnamese culture can vary based on religious beliefs. There isnt any scientific proof to back up this claim, but its still a story passed down from one generation to the next, especially in rural areas near rivers. A bowl of rice filled to the brim is said to be for the dead and should not be served to the living It is believed that doing so will inhibit the childs growth. There are no unique expectations of conduct at a Vietnamese wake and funeral. Quite silly, actually. Your luck for the entire year depends on the first visitor. It is also about turning to a new page and having a fresh start for a new year. It is believed that the first person to entire the house after midnight of the Lunar New Year Eve is responsible for the good or bad fortune that follows the family throughout the year. Ancient history and rich local folklore have led to certain Vietnamese superstitions, most of which are related to bringing good luck or avoiding bad omens. 41 Surprisingly Fun Funeral Ideas To Celebrate A Life Lived, 21 Ideas What To Get Someone Whose Dog Died. For more insights on, check our guide onwhat to expect in Vietnamese Tet. Therefore, it's bad luck to carry a corpse home. , check out our authentic motorbike tours with professional local guides! A marching band will lead the hearse which is followed by attendees. The best approach is to consult the family before the wake or funeral. Preparing the Deceased's Body In feng shui law, your personal lucky number iscalculated by adding the last two digits of your birth year together until you get a single digit. Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news. The rest of the country is divided between atheism and smaller religious groups. Still, when it comes to their childrens well-being, its understandable that a lot of parents would rather be safe than sorry. This usually includes a wake, mass or prayer service, and burial or cremation. Don't swear or fight. However, many feng shui masters have said that 9 is the luckiest number, it represents completion, fulfillment, and achievement. Once all clock hands hit number 12, the old year ends, a new one comes, the person is expected to enter the gate of the house, send best wishes to the host, and just remain for a short time. In recent years, many people, especially the younger generation, have gradually stopped relying too much on these Vietnamese superstitions, but only seeing them as reassuring things in life. Our Thomas Miller Mortuary & Crematory staff considers it an honor to help families pay tribute to their loved ones after they die. These Vietnamese superstitions originated from two folk tales. If you wish to learn more about Vietnamese, traditions and customs, check out our previous article, A bowl of rice filled to the brim is said to be for the dead and should not be served to the living. Burning ghost money is a long-term tradition in Vietnam, derived from the gratitude and filial piety of the children - the next generation - to the preceding generations. In Vietnam, reading. By firing a piece of paper or some incense and flinching to anywhere perceived to be haunted while murmuring spells, the folk thinks they are saved from being affected. There are also other superstitions in Vietnam to wear off bad luck like wearing lucky charms made from jade. Losing your temper or shouting will bring bad luck for the year. meaning wealth, prosperity. But all in all the best method to cultivate good fortune is to do as many good deeds as you can. And there are more because every person, with their unique background, occupation, and experience will have their own superstition and ritual related to it. Youve probably heard sayings such as 13 is an unlucky number or dont walk under a ladder or youll face bad luck before. Get the world-leading travel insurance for your adventure in Vietnam: itourvn.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thats why this superstition in Vietnam comes to life. To this end, key informants and focus group interviews were conducted with members of these ethnic groups, and significant differences among . The first customer of the day will determine whether it is a good or bad day for business. The ritual is simple: the shop owner lights a piece of paper on fire and waves it around in front of their shop to scare the bad luck away. Depends on what youre praying for, be it health, wealth, or general fortune for yourself and your family, you will pray to different deities. Also, while it is customary for people to visit their friends and relatives during. When she is not trying to configure websites, Kate can be found walking in nature with a coffee firmly in hand. Swimming is a useful and, in many situations, a life-saving skill thats best learnt at a young age. There are a total of five feng shui elements: earth, air, fire, wood, and metal. If you are able to speak Vietnamese, then some sympathy messages include: If you do not speak Vietnamese, then general condolences will be welcomed by the grieving. According to Vietnamese superstitions, whenever you seem to have too much misfortune in your life, youre being shadowed by a spirit. The rites consist of making offerings of fruits, food, wine, votive paper, lighting candles and burning incense before praying in front of the altar. They choose their numbers using a wide range of tools ranging from the year of birth, elemental/zodiac sign, or just a beautiful sequence of numbers, most notably quadruple eight and nine. When it is the, Vietnamese people have one believe that a human has souls and spirits, in particular, a man has 3 souls and 7 spirits while these numbers are respectively 3 and 9 to a woman. Vietnamese Superstitions - Beliefs in Afterlife and Spiritual Beings Vietnamese usually offer foods and burn ghost money and votive items like houses, clothes, and cars for the death so that they can eat, spend, use and continue their afterlife in another world. You shouldnt place any mirror opposite to the entrance because after a long day of working, seeing a shadow or reflection in the mirror as the first thing when you come home can create paranoia which can negatively affect homeowners mental health or make them suffer from nightmares, especially if you are a woman. Remove a Corpse From a House Feet-first. Every country has its own superstitions, and here are 10 common superstitions in Vietnam that every Vietnamese person has been told at least once. The funeral occurring at a random time and day. The second way is decided by the compatibility of the guest and the homeowner based on their age and zodiac signs. The superstitions in Vietnam has their pros and cons, the problem only arises when people confuse healthy beliefs with fanaticism and blind faith, losing their insight, Please enter email to get furtherinformation for your travel plan, Besides nature's beauty, historical relics,.. Vietnamese souvenirs especially handcrafted gifts with unique and catchy processes, also attract tourists a lot. Buddha-anything. On the other hand, the meowing of cats sounds similar to ngho, which means poor in Vietnamese. Qingming Festival is the day for descendants to worship their ancestors . Another bizarre superstition in Vietnam is that it is not advisable to prepare clothes or baby stuff before eighth-month pregnancy. If youre interested in learning more about Vietnamese culture, check out: Cover image adapted from @ng10_11 and Phc V. Those following Buddhism (14.9% of the population) believe in reincarnation, however, the majority of the country is atheist and do not have firm views on this. In the past, a Vietnamese funeral could last up to a month or more. Those attending a Vietnamese funeral usually provide gifts as a gesture of sympathy. During the wake period (usually three days), loved ones will keep constant vigil over the body. TOP 7 VIETNAMESE SUPERSTITIONS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT, 1 - Vietnamese superstitions list: The first caller bringing luck, 2 - Avoiding sweeping the house during Tet holiday, 3 - Top 7 Vietnamese superstitions: Burning ghost money, 4 - Vietnamese superstitions: Burning a bamboo spill for chasing ill luck away, 5 - Top Vietnamese superstitions: Judging home direction before buying, 6 - Top 7 Vietnamese superstitions: Consulting horoscope, In Vietnams daily life, there are a lot of unusual things happening that no one can explain. Couples going to Lt together will break up. The majority of Buddhists are cremated rather than buried. Every country has its own superstitions, and here are. If you are a man, subtract 10 from the final result, and add 5 if you are a woman. So, relish the nightmares! Except for blood, probably. A majority of traditional Vietnamese funerals consist of three stages ("Vietnamese Funerals," n.d. para. Placement of an oil lamp under the coffin during the wake will keep the spirit warm. One story has it that an American commander always consulted a Vietnamese astrologer before planning the deployment of his troops. The number four gets its bad name because it sounds like "death" in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai. Family members must consult the Chinese Almanac to determine the best date to hold the Chinese funeral ceremony. One of the most common superstitions is the number four. Here the Vietnamese superstitions that I love and know: 1. . Traditional Vietnamese funerals are multi-day events that last anywhere from one to three days or more. 5. The family of the deceased will prepare a banquet to share and visit the grave of their loved one to pray. This practice is known as Dot phonglong. Thus certain traditions are observed to ward off bad luck. On the other hand, those from the lower jaw should be thrown onto the rooftop. Even when science and education have strongly developed, the majority of the Vietnamese still rely on common conceptions There is no worship without sacredness, there is no taboo without luck. Vietnamese Buddhist Funeral Customs (49 days). The Vietnamese strongly believe that a person should die at home and be surrounded by his family. Tibetan Buddhists use this book to help guide their consciousness toward rebirth after they die. While much of the culture is past-oriented, these superstitions mostly focus on preparations for the future to ensure that it is a successful and bright one. Read more about, Depends on what youre praying for, be it health, wealth, or general fortune for yourself and your family, you will pray to different deities. Dogs are known for their absolute loyalty and love toward their hoomans, and thus their arrival is associated with positive things coming. They say doing so would bring misfortune upon the person at the center. Therefore, buying a house is a basic need for everyone. It is used as a lucky color for wrapping gifts, including red envelopes. They believe that everything must be cleaned before this day arrives as a tardy cleanse can sweep away all of the family's good luck and prosperity. 5:00-7:00 p.m.: Guests are on their way. You don't dispute facts"(118). Some believe the ringing sound attracts hungry ghosts. Gold coins and rice are placed in the mouth of the deceased during the preparation of the body. Stay updated with the latest news of the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam and information for traveling to Vietnam. Check here for more exotic Vietnamese dishes. The biggest festival of the year in Vietnam, Tt is a time when we bid goodbye to a lunar year and usher in the next. Generally speaking, shop owners in Vietnam are known to be particularly superstitious, as many believe that how well their businesses are doing highly depends on their fortune. You can see more of these irrational beliefs inchopsticks-using manners and gift-giving etiquettes in Vietnam. There are some zodiac signs that will be on good terms with one another (usually a group of three zodiacs), while others will be conflicted with one another. However, you are best placed to avoid red flowers as this color is reserved for happy occasions such as the new year. 1. First of all, we do not fill our bowl to the brim with only one big scoop of rice, and it is also frowned upon to plunge chopsticks straight down into the rice bowl. Some people possess "good spirits" which will bring happiness and good luck to the person they contact. As we were readying the food and setting up the table, she asked if I knew any Vietnamese superstitions regarding the New Year, and proceeded to enlighten me. Customers buying a lot is considered a good sign and vice versa. Read more here. Some wealthy businessmen would even go as far as paying millions to acquire a good number. Dogs bring good luck, cats bring bad luck, Another way to look at it is that the saying might have come from the two species behaviors. The Vietnamese believe when you see one that means someone, especially those who are close to you, is going to die. Especially red envelope money. The death body is cleaned with alcohol or water, removed from the old clothes and worn in the death clothes. Embalming, burial, organ donation, and medical donation of the body are acceptable in the Buddhist faith. When in doubt, observe how the family behaves during the funeral and be guided by them. However, it is a custom of the country that people dont clean their homes during the time because sweeping dirt means throwing away fortune. Many people are carried to the hospital if they are sick. Eggs look like the number 0, implying that theyd get a bad score. The same is true for many other Asian cultures, which share a number of linguistic similarities. Burning votive paper. Again, this is to avoid bringing bad luck into other peoples houses. On the 12-year lunar calendar commonly used throughout Asia, many of the years are considered incompatible. Some Vietnamese Superstitions during Tet Holidays, Xongdat- also known as the first home caller or first foot, This superstition in Vietnam is taken quite seriously, so be sure not to show up uninvited to people's houses on the first day of Tet or set foot in their home after New Year's Eve, Other taboos include wearing black or white, as these colors are associated with death and funeral; borrowing money during this time is also frowned upon. The sellers often do this when a customer comes and leaves without buying anything first thing in the morning as they believe the customer has brought bad spirits to the shop. It is unclear where the rumor comes from. Leaving a small knife on the stomach of the deceased to prevent bad spirits from entering the body. These somewhat uncustomary views or actions arise from cultural beliefs, with some including: Pregnancy is viewed as causing bad luck. List. 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