Select and release carp for the ceremony to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao

The image of the Kitchen Gods going to heaven is always associated with the carp as a means of transportation. In many localities, carp is a must-have on the 23rd of December, when worshiping the Kitchen Gods.

How to choose carp to worship Ong Cong Ong Tao

Nowadays, many people choose paper carp to worship the Kitchen Gods for convenience, especially in the southern provinces. However, Vietnamese cultural researchers believe that it is better to buy live carp because in addition to the meaning of worshiping to offer the Kitchen Gods a means of transportation, the custom of releasing carp also has a valuable cultural meaning, demonstrating the humanitarian spirit of the Vietnamese people.

The carp chosen for incense is usually the red carp. The fish offered to the Kitchen Gods do not necessarily have to be large, as long as the fish is healthy, without scratches or missing scales. To test the health of the fish, the buyer can lightly touch the surface of the water in the fish bowl. If the fish swims fast and splashes vigorously, it is a healthy fish.

If more careful, the buyer can gently lift the fish's gills to check. If the gills are bright red, it means the fish is healthy. If the gills are dark red, it means the fish is weak and can die after a short time.

After buying the fish and bringing it home, you should put it in a bowl of clean water, and add a small piece of moss to the bowl if you bought the fish long before the offering time. When offering, the bowl (pot) of carp is placed next to the offering tray.

How many carp do you need?

The number of carp to buy is also a problem that many people wonder about. Should you buy one for each couple, should you buy a pair of carp or is just one carp enough?

In fact, the offering is up to you, the number is not mandatory but depends on the concept and belief of each family. Some people think that the offering of carp is just symbolic, one is fine, if there is no live carp, a plate of sticky rice in the shape of a carp, or a carp made of votive paper is fine. Some families often offer a pair because they like the balance.

However, if you want to follow the legend of the Kitchen Gods, buying 3 carps is the most suitable. Most families who maintain the tradition of releasing carps on the 23rd of December buy 3 fish for the 3 Kitchen Gods.

Release carp properly

After the ceremony to worship the Kitchen Gods, families will release fish into rivers, ponds, and lakes to send the Kitchen Gods to heaven. Here are some tips for releasing fish properly:

If you keep fish in a nylon bag, when releasing them, you should take a little water from the new environment and mix it into the bag to let the fish adapt first.

You should choose ponds and lakes with clean water, large spaces and not too polluted.

When releasing, do not stand on a high place and pour down or throw the whole bag of fish down, doing so may kill the fish and pollute the surrounding environment. Choose a place near the water's edge, gently tilt the bowl or bag so that the fish can splash and swim into the water.

The worship and release rituals need to be quick to release the fish soon, avoiding crowding and suffocation, fearing that the fish will die quickly. The homeowner also needs to choose healthy carp so that the fish can live long in strange water.

After releasing the fish, you should observe whether the fish has swum away yet, to avoid the situation where the fish gets stuck, or does not have time to orient itself and swims backwards, being pushed back to shore by the waves.

According to VTC