To know if a carp is healthy or not, you can check its gills. If the gills are bright red, the fish is healthy. If the gills are dark red, the fish is weak and will die easily.
According to folk legend, the three Kitchen Gods Tho Cong, Tho Dia, and Tho Ky are the gods who govern all family activities, decide luck and misfortune, and bring peace to the homeowner.
The custom of worshipping the Kitchen Gods is to pray for prosperity and abundance, and to respect the "Kitchen God" - the god who oversees the kitchen in the house. Therefore, the worship of the Kitchen Gods usually requires 3 red carps, symbolizing the means for the Kitchen Gods to return to heaven.
Nowadays, some people choose paper carp for convenience, but according to cultural researchers, using live carp not only has the meaning of offering sacrifices but also shows cultural beauty through the custom of releasing animals, affirming the humanitarian spirit of Vietnamese people.
Regarding how to choose carp, the ancients believed that when buying carp, you should choose fish that are red, big, healthy, without scratches or peeling scales...
To know if a fish is healthy, you can check its gills. If the gills are bright red, the fish is healthy. If the gills are dark red, the fish is weak and will die easily.
In addition, you can test the health of the carp by temporarily releasing the fish into the jar. When touching the water surface, the fish swims fast and splashes strongly, meaning it is very healthy and energetic.
After bringing the fish home, you should put them in a basin of clean water with a little algae to help them adapt. Note, you should use river water, lake water, or well water instead of tap water because this type of water often has a lot of chlorine that can easily kill fish.
According to folk beliefs, the carp should be released at noon (around 12:00 noon) on December 23, the time when the Kitchen God rides the carp to heaven. However, if you are busy and cannot make the offering on time, families can perform the offering at any convenient time before noon on December 23. It is important to complete the offering and release the fish before this time, because after that, the Kitchen God will officially fly to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor.