The great mourning time for a funeral in Vietnam is 3 years, but in reality only lasts 27 months, while there are many types of small mourning periods, ranging from 3 months to a year. As mentioned before, death anniversaries bring generations of family members together in ancestor worship. This phenomenon of people dying close to each other is considered bad luck, bringing more deaths to the family, although how serious it also depends on the date and time of the last breath. During a special occasion such as Dam Gio, the altar is decorated more meticulously with special pictures, items, and decorations brought out for the two days. One of the greatest fears in Vietnam is that the dead won't find peace in the afterlife - that they'll be left to wander as tortured spirits. Therefore, it's bad luck to carry a corpse home. In the Vietnamese culture, remembering the death of a loved one and conducting a death ceremony is a filial act. In popular Vietnamese culture, the animistic folk religions were melded with, rather than supplanted by religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianis After the funeral ceremony is complete, a funeral procession follows the casket to the cemetery for burial. So they prepare great feasts for the dead to take on their journey. In modern times, and for practicalitys sake, home altars are now set up to ease the deceaseds journey into becoming an ancestor. The funeral music band follows with bittersweet melodies then comes family and guests. You can expect to take part in lighting the funeral pyre if the family chooses cremation. The first stage is called " Nhap Quan " (Entering the Coffin). This link will open in a new window. After three years, a completion mass is heldsymbolic of the souls passage as an ancestor into the afterlife. Kelley, Liam c. Confucianism in Vietnam: A State of the Field Essay. Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Vol. Cake values integrity and transparency. Family members coordinate and decide who is in charge of each task during the two-day celebration and ritual of Dam Gio. This ensures all the family ancestors are together in the afterlife. Bring comfort and peace to those grieving during the holidays. Tip: If you plan on hosting a virtual funeral using a service like GatheringUs, discuss with your funeral planner or director on how you can adapt these customs for a live stream and encourage online guest participation. Celebrating a Death Anniversary in Vietnam. Any information you provide to Cake, and all communications between you and Cake, The reason for this very cruel custom is explained in a very simple way, which is because life in the deep mountains in the past was inherently poor and harsh. Its a way to show respect and mourn their loved one. In fact, due to Confucianism, families are to set aside a three-year mourning period when parents pass away to show the proper amount of respect and honor. The family bathes and washes the body. Instead, youll most likely hear monks chanting throughout the funeral. Twitter. The funeral, held at home, usually includes a large tent set up in front of the building for guests to visit. This is seen as disrespectful. Then, the head of the family will thank guests and ask them to join the procession to the final resting place. The Vietnamese celebrate this event and invite the spirits of their family members to visit their home and fulfill their filial responsibilities. The Vietnamese funeral you attend in the U.S. may have some of the traditions above or all of them. If youre a close family member youll wear a white robe or hat. He then pours wine and burns incense previously placed in the altar. Depending on the position of each person in the family, their mourning time for the deceased is different, representing a long-standing civilization with hierarchical order and strict rules. In the Vietnamese culture, remembering the death of a loved one and conducting a death ceremony is a filial act. Make a Cake end-of-life planning profile todayyou can discover, store, and share your end-of-life preferences with family and friends. Although the extent of the preparations depends on the economic status of a family, the main elements of Dam Gio include prayer, an altar, and plenty of food and drink. To Vietnamese, the passing of a person is as important as his birth. If you're attending a Catholic Vietnamese funeral, some traditions may include: Funeral Masses usually follow the standard Catholic service; however, there may be readings or reflections based on the life and beliefs of the deceased. Vietnamese Author Dieu-Hien T. Hoang describes her uncle's death, recalling how each family member "used their talent to "serve" [her] uncle [on his deathbed].". The death body is cleaned with alcohol or water, removed from the old clothes and worn in the death clothes. We'll help you get your affairs in order and make sure nothing is left out. First, the body is cleaned using a towel with water infused with fragrant leaves and rice wine. For the Vietnamese, death, and the ritual and practice of ancestor worship, constitutes the transfer of power from the tangible life to the intangible. Existence is a continuum stretching through birth, a life spent in tangible form on Earth, followed by death and a spirit existence in another realm for a further two or three generations. Most Vietnamese Buddhists Belong to the Mahayana school. In Vietnam, this is a tradition known as Dam Gio. Funerals are a very important part of the Amish culture, and there are many customs and traditions that are observed. For example, white is typically seen as a color of mourning in Vietnam, so it's not uncommon for Vietnamese mourners and funeral attendees to wear white headbands or armbands. By spending quality time with family from all over and remembering their elders, they adhere to the important tradition of respecting their elders and honoring their loved ones. Purple wreaths, often using orchids, are also chosen by many people when they want to show pride, respect, and admiration for the contributions and achievements of the deceased. While setting up the altar, a family member will take care of hiring a music band to play at the funeral. LinkedIn. The ceremony is held at the house of the eldest member of the family, who is in charge of arranging the necessary elements of the ceremony. Many Vietnamese are lactose intolerant as adults so do not consume much milk. 4 Visit/perfume the pagoda festival Pagoda. A funeral procession is a colorful event. Many Vietnamese people see death as a natural phase of the life cycle. This belief dictates death planning for the Vietnamese. This period of mourning usually lasts 7 weeks (or 49 days). Sally is a prolific non-fiction and fiction writer, who has appeared in multiple print and digital publications. The Dam Gio celebration is one tradition that has become an integral part of Vietnamese culture, and therefore, should be appreciated and respected. Yes, it is appropriate in Vietnamese culture to send funeral flowers as a gesture of sympathy. At the celebration friends and family present mother and child with luck money. Later, the family sends photographic mementos to family and friends that couldn't attend. Each region, each ethnic group will have different customs and habits, so the music used in a Vietnam funeral will also vary, bringing different atmospheres of the funerals. Loss is hard. Easily publish a free obituary, share funeral details, collect memories and more. According to Vietnamese funeral traditions, when the person is out of breath, a chopstick is placed across the jaw to prevent teeth from grinding together and some rice, and three coins (or gold) are put in so that the dead person does not turn into a hungry ghost. Christmas Card Etiquette After a Death in the Family. Puerto Rican funeral traditions and customs are deeply rooted in the cultural beliefs of the island. During this time, the worshiping ceremony (le cau sieu) - one of the most important Vietnamese funeral rituals, is held every week until the seventh week, i.e. Traditionally, children of the deceased dress in white gauze clothes and matching hats. The eldest son leads the procession, carrying a framed photo of the deceased. The fees for the advice of an attorney should not be compared to the fees of do-it-yourself online Instead of celebrating individual birthdays, families join together in death anniversaries. When not deep in writing, I enjoy a long walk by the beach and contemplating what to write next :D. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In a Vietnamese Catholic home, you will find altars to God and the deceased next to each other. Visitations include an open casket and may last several days. form. Arriving at a funeral empty-handed is not a good gesture. English Deutsch Franais Espaol Portugus Italiano Romn Nederlands Latina Dansk Svenska Norsk Magyar Bahasa Indonesia Trke Suomi Latvian Lithuanian esk . Death is an unavoidable part of life, and Vietnamese culture has its own customs, beliefs, and superstitions when it comes to death and funerals. If the deceased will be cremated, then this is likely to be a final aspect of the service. As soon as the family is certain their loved one is no longer alive, the cleansing ritual starts. Traditionally, blood sacrifices and magic words made spirits happy. The family places the body in the coffin on the first day, relatives and friends visit on the second, and on the third, they bury or cremate the body (cremation is a traditional Buddhist approach, but customs differ among families). Dam Gio preparations begin months before the actual day of celebration. A Vietnamese funeral begins with a wake and follows specific traditions and rites. During this time, families will gather together to offer prayers and offerings to the deceased. Death is seen as a natural part of life that should be honored with respect and tradition, The traditional German funeral is steeped in age-old customs and beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. Thus, individuals or groups often show up with packs of incense sticks and sympathy money. A Vietnamese funeral tradition that cannot be missed is the Filial Music played by Ceremony Band, which used to be called 8 Sound Band for using various musical instruments to represent 8 tones. Vietnamese funerals offer you a brief look at the colorful culture of its people. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Whether you are planning a traditional tribute, would like to set up an extended visitation or are looking for cemetery property with positive feng shui, we will work with you for meaningful and beauty. Distant relatives only have to wear a Vietnamese funeral white headband, except the grandchildren might have different colors depending on their generations. By clicking "Accept", you agree to our website's cookie use as described in our Cookie Policy. When the two-day celebration concludes, it is customary for hosts to offer their guests Vietnamese cakes to take home. Buddhist dont eat meat products 49 days after the funeral (and most dont eat them at all!) According to Vietnamese funeral customs, the daughter or / and daughter-in-law of the dead person needs to wear a banana braided belt, let their hair down and not wear sandals. The main Catholic traditions observed in a Vietnamese funeral include: Most funeral rites are performed in the presence of the body. | Terms | Privacy Policy. Rituals for Placing Body in Casket The casket is placed in the main living area. The deceased continues to lives as an ancestor. The traditional "banh . In this chapter we shall describe the way in which some Vietnamese people cope with death and dying. Once a taboo in the past, cremation is as popular as burying these days. In the past, a Vietnamese funeral could last up to a month or more. Since filial responsibilities are weighed heavily in the Vietnamese culture, and proper death rituals according to one's abilities are important, death rituals give the bereaved a final chance to make it right by the deceased and thus provide a sense of continuity as well as final closure. Death is also an occasion of major religious significance, serving as a reminder of the Buddhas teaching on impermanence as well as providing an opportunity to assist the loved ones as they travel on to their new existence. The deceaseds spirit finds a new life and body to begin the cycle of rebirth over again. If you have been invited to a Dam Gio, its customary to arrive with a. . Be sure to find out the familys religious preferences before attending. A mix of political and religious history has made these funerals special to witness. Ghosts in Vietnam are known to take on many forms and do not fit into one category. Many Vietnamese traditions and customs are based around their ancestral beliefs. They often light an incense stick and bow one or three times before the casket. This is an important tradition in Vietnam that can be traced back many centuries. The children of the deceased will use the most special clothes, often called tham troi, which are wide and knee-length shirts, sewn of coarse fabric but not carefully sewn, leaving with rather ugly natural fibers, loose sleeves. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. The men slaughter larger animals such as cows and pigs and take care of chores for the day. You will act with the same kind of somber respect as you would at any funeral. Whether you're attending a Vietnamese funeral, organizing one, or just are curious about the customs, this article will provide an overview of Vietnamese beliefs and traditions regarding death, as well as what to expect when attending a Vietnamese funeral. , but thats not always the case. Traditional Vietnamese funerals are multi-day events and involve several elaborate rituals. While Vietnamese mothers are expected to rest indoors without taking a shower for a month after giving birth. Whittier - FD970 | Alhambra - FD17 | City of Industry - FD1660 |Hua Yuan - FD2404, 2023 SCI Management, L.P., All Rights Reserved, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. For example, Vietnamese Buddhists pray for the deceased for 49 days. It marks the end of a lifetime and premises a good beginning of the next life. Because the celebration is so closely tied to honoring and respecting elders, while at a Dam Gio celebration, it's essential to give preference in food, seating, and conversation to anyone older than you. The casket is set inside a funeral car or hearse. Vietnamese bishops issue guidelines on ancestor veneration., www.ucanews.org/news/vietnamese-bishops-issue-guidelines-on-ancestor-worship/86469, Nguyen, Peter. After that, friends and neighbors come to light up incense, offer prayers, and take a last look at the deceaseds face. At the celebration, friends and family present mother and child with luck money. The Witness Crematorium at Rose Hills accommodates this preference. Why do people throw beans at a Vietnamese funeral? Catholic families hold one mass, but Vietnamese Catholics offer mass for ancestral souls year-round. A car adorned with funeral flags and flower arrangements leads the entourage. The funeral will last three days. Vietnamese Burials, Mourning, and Death Anniversaries The burial is another time for the family to grieve and say their last goodbye. 49 days, then 100 days, 1 year, and 3 years is the official end of the funeral. Not all Vietnamese people eat vegetarian at a funeral, but most do. For example, Vietnamese Buddhists pray for the deceased for 49 days. Here are the most common funeral rituals so you can knowwhat to expect at a Buddhist funeral: Death is another part of life for Vietnamese Buddhists. And for me, it will be so great to share some of my travel experience in Vietnam to other travelers through my posts on this site. Funeral songs arent played at Buddhist ceremonies. Vietnam or Viet Nam (Vietnamese: Vit Nam, [vt nm] ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia. These wreaths are not required but are often sent by many visitors, showing compassion, respect and sympathy for the family. Vietnam is an atheist state, so you might expect a human-centered. The traditional diet is mostly rice, fish, and vegetables, plus pork or chicken when available. Vietnamese funerals are one of the important events of the family, not only showing traditional customs and rituals but also for family members to express their regret and condolences. The familys representative reads out loud a eulogy for the dead, followed by closing the coffin. Once the family table is set with all the food, the eldest member of the family prays in front of the altar to invite spirits into the home. Pinterest. 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