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Who are Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao and the story of December 23?

VN (according to VTC News) January 21, 2025 12:59

Many Vietnamese families always clearly understand the rituals of worshiping on the 23rd of December, but are unclear about who Ong Cong and Ong Tao are and why we worship Ong Tao on the 23rd of December.

3 vị Táo quân trong tranh dân gian Đông Hồ. (Ảnh: Pinterest)
3 Kitchen Gods in Dong Ho folk paintings

Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao are the gods closest to life in Vietnamese folk beliefs, especially associated with the Tao Quan worship ceremony on the 23rd of December every year.

Who are Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao?

Similar to the image of the Vietnamese Kitchen Gods are the three gods Tho Cong, Tho Dia, and Tho Ky according to the concept of Chinese Taoism. In Vietnamese folk beliefs, the three gods worshiped by homeowners are the God of Earth, the God of House, and the God of Kitchen (Tao Quan), commonly known as Ong Cong and Ong Tao.

The story of the Kitchen Gods begins with a touching folk tale about love and affection with many different versions. According to one version, Trong Cao and Thi Nhi were a married couple who lived together for many years but had no children, leading to frequent conflicts. One day, after a big argument, Thi Nhi left home and after a period of wandering, she married a new husband, Pham Lang.

As time passed, Trong Cao realized his mistake and began to look for his wife. After many days and months, he met Thi Nhi again in Pham Lang's kitchen. To avoid an awkward situation, Thi Nhi hid Trong Cao in a pile of straw. By a painful coincidence, Pham Lang also came home at that time and lit a fire to cook, causing the man inside to burn to death. Thi Nhi was heartbroken and blamed herself, then jumped into the fire to die with her ex; Pham Lang, out of love for his wife and regret, also jumped into the fire.

Touched by the three's sincerity and wanting them to always be together, the Jade Emperor made them gods and assigned them the task of taking care of the kitchen in each family. Since then, they have become symbols of harmony, reunion and love among family members.

In that trio, Pham Lang is Tho Cong who looks after the kitchen, Trong Cao is Tho Dia who looks after the house and his wife Thi Nhi is Tho Ky who looks after the market.

The Kitchen Gods also prevent the invasion of evil spirits into the land, keeping peace for everyone in the house. Every year, on the 23rd of December, the Kitchen Gods go to heaven to report all the good and bad deeds of people during the year so that the heavens can decide on merits and sins, and reward and punish fairly.

With the wish that the Kitchen God will bless their family with good luck, Vietnamese people often hold a solemn ceremony to send the Kitchen God to heaven.

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Who are Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao and the story of December 23?