Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite Prayer (Le Chung That): 49-Day Guide & A4 Scroll

Q: Do we stop the daily morning and evening rice offerings after the 49th day or wait until the 100th day?

According to classical Tho Mai Gia Le etiquette, the daily morning-and-evening meal offering ( Trieu Tich Dien ) continues through the full one hundred days and concludes formally at the 100th-Day End of Weeping Rite (Le Tot Khoc) . However, if modern work schedules make twice-daily cooking impossible after the seventh week, the family may petition the spirit on Day 49 to offer fresh water, fruit, and pastries each morning while serving cooked rice on Full Moon and New Moon days until Day 100.

Q: If we already registered a 49-day memorial service at a Buddhist temple, do we still need to make offerings at home?

Yes, performing a home offering remains deeply meaningful. While the temple service provides monastic chanting and Three Jewels blessings, the family home is the familiar hearth where your loved one lived. Either before heading to the temple or upon returning home at midday, prepare a warm vegetarian meal and light incense at both your main Ancestral Altar and the Spirit Altar.

IPersonalize Your Scroll, Select Ritual Date and Read Prayer

Tradition-Specific Sub-page of Ancestor Veneration (52 ritual prayers in this tradition)

Ancestor Veneration Pillar & Prayers ›

Quick-switch Ceremony (81 Rites across 10 Categories):

All 81 Rites ›

1. Select Solar Date (Auto-converts to Lunar Date, Sexagenary Cycle & Auspicious Hours)

Pick the actual solar date on which your household performs the rite

Ceremony Date (Solar Calendar)

Quick presets for Year-End and Lunar New Year 2027

Select an Auspicious Hour to insert into the prayer (optional)

2. Officiant and Household Details (Live Scroll Personalization)

Stored privately in your browser localStorage only; never sent to any server

Liturgical pronoun

Full name of chief officiant (Petitioner)

Solar birth year Enter solar birth year to auto-calculate Sexagenary stem-branch and lunar age

Paternal ancestral surname

Maternal ancestral surname (optional)

Honorific title of the departed

Full name (or dharma/posthumous name) of the departed

Age at passing (optional)

Annual lunar death anniversary date

Household or ceremony address

Co-attending household members (optional)

3. Choose Prayer Variant, Enter Altar Mode or Print A4 Scroll

The primary memorial scroll recited at home on the exact forty-ninth day after passing (completing the seven weekly cycles), invoking the compassionate light of Amitabha Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva while inviting the departed spirit to partake of pure offerings.

HALL OF MYRIAD PATHS · TRADITIONAL RITUAL SCROLL

Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite Prayer (Le Chung That): Home, Ancestral and Buddhist Temple Scrolls

1. Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Prayer (Le Chung That) Before the Home Buddha and Spirit Altars

Nam mo A Di Da Phat! (Three recitations, accompanied by three respectful bows)

Humbly bowing before the Nine Directions of Heaven, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions, and all Buddhas throughout the cosmos. Humbly bowing before Amitabha Buddha, Lord of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Earth Store King of the Unseen Realm), and all Noble Sangha Sages.

Humbly bowing before Imperial Heaven, Sovereign Earth, the Local Tutelary Guardian Deity, the Sovereign of the Eastern Kitchen and Arbiter of Destiny, and the Household Earth and Dragon Vein Deity.

Today is …………………….

………… ………………………………, residing at: ………….

Since our beloved ………… departed this mortal world on the …………, seven weekly cycles of mourning (That That Lai Tuan) have swiftly passed, and today marks the completion of the forty-ninth day, the solemn Chung That Memorial Rite according to traditional family custom.

Filled with deep filial remembrance and enduring affection, ………… have cleansed the domestic sanctuary and arranged fragrant incense, fresh flowers, illuminated lamps, pure water, warm tea, seasonal fruit, and a pure vegetarian memorial meal before the spirit seat.

………… wholeheartedly beseech the Buddhas of the Ten Directions, Compassionate Father Amitabha Buddha, and Great-Vow Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to shine forth liberating light, guiding the spirit of ………… of the ………… lineage so that all karmic hindrances and worldly attachments dissolve, wisdom awakens, and the departed soul ascends peacefully to a realm of serene liberation.

Standing before the sacred seat of …………, ………… reverently invite your spirit to return to this hearth, witness the filial devotion of your descendants, partake of these pure Chung That offerings, let go of every earthly worry, and bless our household with sound health, harmony, and steadfast virtue.

With modest offerings yet wholehearted filial devotion, ………… bow deeply before the spirit altar and pray that you graciously accept our tribute (phuc duy thuong huong).

Nam mo Tiep Dan Dao Su A Di Da Phat! (Three recitations, concluding with three grateful bows)

IIIInteractive 3D Altar, Layout Diagram and Ritual Protocol

Drag to rotate 360° · Click numbered pins 1 to 7 or cards below to inspect each offering

Rendering crimson-and-gold 3D ritual altar…

During the 49-day mourning period, Vietnamese households maintain a separate Spirit Altar (Ban Tho Vong) for the newly deceased positioned slightly lower than the main Buddha and Ancestral Altars. When officiating, always light incense and recite Variant 2 at the main Household Deity and Ancestral Altar first, then step before the Spirit Altar to recite Variant 1.

Portrait & Temporary Tablet of the Departed Alongside the Main Ancestral AltarThe departed's portrait rests at the center of the separate mourning altar, while the Nine Generations tablet remains enthroned on the elevated main ancestral altar.

Pair of Altar Lamps or Candles Illuminating Both AltarsKept steadily lit throughout the 49th-day ceremony to maintain warmth and spiritual brightness.

Household Deity & Ancestral Incense Bowls Plus the Departed's Separate BowlAt the 49-day and 100-day marks, the newly deceased still receives incense in their own dedicated bowl; merging into the shared Ancestral bowl occurs only after the Second Anniversary and Dam Te rite.

Fresh White or Golden Flower Vase on the East Side (Viewer Right)Placed on the officiant's right hand (Dong Binh), featuring white lotus, white tuberose, or yellow chrysanthemums.

Five-Fruit Platter on the West Side (Viewer Left)Placed on the officiant's left hand (Tay Qua), balancing the flower vase in classical symmetry.

Cups of Pure Water and Freshly Steeped Warm TeaPositioned directly in front of the incense bowl for the ceremonial offering of water and hot tea.

Front Offering Table Holding the Vegetarian Chung That Meal & Lotus Sweet SoupDisplays the freshly cooked vegetarian dishes, full steamed rice bowl, lotus-seed sticky rice, and sweet soup oriented toward the spirit seat.

Real-world reference photographs of traditional altars and offering trays

Open-license documentary photographs via Wikimedia Commons (click any photo for source file)

Pure vegetarian offering tray for Full Moon and New Moon rites. Modest household vegetarian offering featuring mung-bean sticky rice, leaf-wrapped cakes, plant-based savory dishes, dragon fruit and ripe bananas, a lit oil lamp and fresh flowers. — **Pure vegetarian offering tray for Full Moon and New Moon rites.** Modest household vegetarian offering featuring mung-bean sticky rice, leaf-wrapped cakes, plant-based savory dishes, dragon fruit and ripe bananas, a lit oil lamp and fresh flowers.
Photograph: Phuong Huy · License: Public domain · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Traditional Vietnamese death-anniversary meal (Mam Cung Gio). Southern Vietnamese death-anniversary table set with an incense bowl, red candle, three ceremonial wine cups, steamed rice bowls, grilled snakehead fish, boiled pork, herbs and fresh longan fruit. — **Traditional Vietnamese death-anniversary meal (Mam Cung Gio).** Southern Vietnamese death-anniversary table set with an incense bowl, red candle, three ceremonial wine cups, steamed rice bowls, grilled snakehead fish, boiled pork, herbs and fresh longan fruit.
Photograph: Baoothersks · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Step-by-step ceremonial sequence before the altar

Conducting the Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite at home calls for quiet dignity, harmonious family cooperation, and a seamless flow between ancestral reporting, spirit-altar offering, and sutra chanting.

Step 1
Verify the exact 49th day (counting the passing date as Day 1) and cleanse the altars
Confirm the 49th calendar day by counting the day of death itself as Day 1. On the preceding afternoon or early morning, wipe the Buddha altar, Ancestral altar, and Spirit altar clean using dedicated cloths.
Step 2
Prepare a pure vegetarian memorial meal on the 49th morning
During the morning of the 49th day (ideally finishing before 10:30 AM), family members cook a clean vegetarian spread and arrange fresh flowers, fruit, pure water, and hot tea across the altars.
Step 3
Light incense at the Main Altar to petition Household Deities and Ancestors
Dressed in modest, respectful attire, the chief officiant lights lamps and 3 incense sticks at the main Household Deity and Ancestral Altar, reciting Variant 2 to request passage and ask the Forebears to shelter the newly departed.
Step 4
Light incense at the Spirit Altar and recite the Chung That 49-Day Prayer
Stepping before the departed's Spirit Altar, the officiant lights 3 incense sticks, bows three times, and reads Variant 1 (Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Prayer) while all relatives stand behind with joined palms.
Step 5
Chant sutras, recite Amitabha Buddha's name and pour warm tea
Following the scroll recitation, the family chants the Ksitigarbha Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, or Heart Sutra together, recites the Buddha's name in unison, and pours a round of hot tea.
Step 6
Bow in thanksgiving, share the vegetarian meal and practice life release
When the incense finishes burning, bow three times in thanksgiving, lower the offering tray to share a quiet family meal of remembrance, and optionally release rescued fish or birds into natural waters.

IVThe Meaning of Seven-Sevens (That That Lai Tuan) in Tho Mai Gia Le and the Ksitigarbha Sutra

Within the traditional Vietnamese funerary cycle, the Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite (Le Chung That), classically known as That That Lai Tuan (the cycle of seven sevens), stands as the most spiritually decisive milestone after burial or cremation. It represents a profound convergence of Confucian filial ethics in Tho Mai Gia Le and compassionate Mahayana Buddhist soteriology.

In Sino-Vietnamese liturgical terminology, That means seven and Chung That means the final seventh week. Every seven days following a person's death, the bereaved household gathers to present a formal weekly offering: So That (7th day), Nhi That (14th day), Tam That (21st day), Tu That (28th day), Ngu That (35th day), Luc That (42nd day), culminating in Chung That on the 49th day (seven times seven equals forty-nine). In traditional Vietnamese soul belief, these seven weekly intervals mark the gradual settling of the departed's vital and spiritual faculties as they adjust to leaving the physical body behind.

According to the tradition

According to Buddhist scripture, most notably Chapter Seven of the Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Benefits for Both the Living and the Dead) and the Abhidharmakosha treatise, the forty-nine days immediately following death constitute the Intermediate State (Antarabhava, or Than Trung Am) between one life and the next. During these seven weeks, the consciousness of the deceased undergoes periodic karmic review every seven days while awaiting its next rebirth destination. The sutra teaches that if living sons, daughters, and relatives cultivate pure vegetarianism, chant sutras, invoke the Buddhas, give charity to those in need, and release living creatures during this critical 49-day window, dedicating the merit directly by name to the deceased, that wholesome spiritual force can dissolve heavy karmic obstructions and guide their loved one toward an auspicious rebirth or the Pure Land.

According to the historical record

Historical ritual manuals such as Ho Si Tan's eighteenth-century Tho Mai Gia Le and Phan Ke Binh's Viet Nam Phong Tuc (1915) document how Vietnamese families harmonized the Confucian custom of daily morning-and-evening meal offerings (Trieu Tich Dien) with the Buddhist seven-week cycle. Far from viewing death as an abrupt severance, Vietnamese culture treats the first forty-nine days as an intimate spiritual escort in which filial love becomes a guiding lantern for the departed parent or grandparent.

VHow to Calculate the Exact 49th Day (Counting the Day of Passing as Day One)

One of the most frequent practical questions families face during mourning is how to count the exact 49th day without slipping off by one day due to standard arithmetic addition.

The universal rule of Vietnamese funerary calendrics is inclusive counting: Count the actual day of passing as Day One (Day 1), and then count forward through each actual calendar day (carefully accounting for months with 29, 30, or 31 days) until reaching Day 49.

Expressed as a simple arithmetic formula: if you add days to the date of death, add 48 days to the passing date (`Passing Date + 48 days = 49th Day`). You can verify your calculation instantly using the day of the week: if a relative passed away on a Tuesday, then every weekly Tuan That cycle (Days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and the 49th-day Chung That rite) will fall on a Monday.

Complete schedule of the seven weekly mourning cycles (from So That to Chung That) and exact counting formula.
Weekly Mourning Cycle	Inclusive Day Count (Passing Day = Day 1)	Date Addition Formula	Spiritual Focus & Family Observance
1st Week (So That)	Day 7 from passing	Passing Date + 6 days	First weekly awakening of the spirit to its separation from the body; offer vegetarian rice, tea, and gentle chanting.
2nd Week (Nhi That)	Day 14 from passing	Passing Date + 13 days	Second weekly prayer soothing the spirit's initial disorientation and longing for home.
3rd Week (Tam That)	Day 21 from passing	Passing Date + 20 days	Third weekly gathering for filial repentance and charitable merit dedication.
4th Week (Tu That)	Day 28 from passing	Passing Date + 27 days	Midpoint of the intermediate period; maintain serene household harmony and scripture reading.
5th Week (Ngu That)	Day 35 from passing	Passing Date + 34 days	Fifth weekly petition invoking compassionate light to untangle past karmic knots.
6th Week (Luc That)	Day 42 from passing	Passing Date + 41 days	Sixth weekly preparation of mind and altar ahead of the final seventh-week completion.
7th Week (Chung That)	Day 49 from passing	Passing Date + 48 days	Solemn completion of the 49-day intermediate state, observed at home and at the Buddhist temple.

VIWhy the 49th-Day Offering Prioritizes Vegetarian Meals, Sutra Chanting and Life Release

Many families wonder whether they should prepare lavish meat banquets featuring roast pork, chicken, or fish dishes that their parent or grandparent enjoyed during life for the 49th-day ceremony. Both Buddhist masters and classical Vietnamese ritual scholars give a clear, compassionate recommendation: Throughout the first 49 days, and especially on the Chung That memorial day, a pure vegetarian feast is the highest expression of filial love.

According to the tradition

In the Ksitigarbha Sutra, the Buddha cautions grieving families never to slaughter animals or serve flesh foods in the name of a newly deceased relative during the forty-nine days after death. A spirit in the intermediate realm partakes not of coarse physical meat, but of the subtle fragrance of purity and loving intention; taking the lives of sentient creatures to host a funeral banquet binds the resentment of those slain animals directly to the deceased's karmic ledger. Conversely, a clean vegetarian meal crafted from lotus seeds, mung beans, mushrooms, and fresh garden produce, paired with sincere sutra recitation, charitable aid to the poor, and liberating captive fish or birds, creates a buoyant spiritual current that lifts the departed soul toward peace.

Pure Vegetarian Meal Before the Spirit Altar

Prepare fragrant steamed white rice, lotus-seed and mushroom soup, braised tofu, mung-bean sticky rice, vegetable rolls, and sweet dessert soup free from any harm to living beings.

Family Chanting of the Ksitigarbha or Amitabha Sutra

When children and grandchildren chant sacred verses aloud in their own voices before the home altar, their bloodline resonance reaches the departed spirit with unmatched clarity.

Mindful and Humane Life Release (Phong Sinh)

Rescue healthy fish or birds directly from a market without pre-ordering trapping, release them into a clean natural river or habitat, and dedicate the life-saving merit to the departed.

Charitable Giving in the Departed's Name

Rather than burning piles of paper effigies, channel funds into feeding the hungry, supporting medical patients, or helping underprivileged students in honor of the deceased.

VIICoordinating the Home Chung That Ceremony and the Buddhist Temple Memorial Service

In contemporary Vietnamese practice, many households maintain a Spirit Altar at home for daily rice offerings while simultaneously entrusting a portrait or temporary spirit tablet to a local Buddhist temple so monastics can chant prayers across the seven weekly cycles. How should families coordinate both locations on the 49th day?

The two settings complement each other harmoniously: the Temple Memorial Service relies on the pure monastic precepts of the Sangha and the collective power of the Three Jewels to awaken and guide the consciousness, whereas the Home Chung That Rite anchors filial devotion within the family hearth and formally petitions the Household Deities and Nine Generations of Ancestors to welcome the kinsman into the lineage.

Comparison and practical coordination between the Home 49th-Day Rite and the Buddhist Temple Service.
Dimension	Home Chung That Ceremony	Buddhist Temple 49-Day Service
Core Spiritual Purpose	Expresses intimate family devotion at the domestic hearth; petitions Household Deities and asks the Ancestors to receive the newly departed.	Draws upon the liberating grace of the Three Jewels, Amitabha Buddha, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and monastic chanting.
Prayer Scrolls Used	Recite Variant 2 at the main Deity & Ancestral Altar, followed by Variant 1 at the home Spirit Altar.	Recite Variant 3 before the Main Buddha Hall and the temple's Memorial Spirit Hall.
Timing Coordination	If attending the temple service in the morning, perform the home vegetarian meal offering at midday (or offer at home early before going to the temple).	Register in advance with the temple office; family members dress modestly and join the chanting session in person.
Appropriate Offerings	Fresh flowers, five fruits, pure water, hot tea, and a freshly cooked vegetarian meal tray.	Strictly vegetarian items only (fresh flowers, fruit, sweet rice, tea, lamp oil for the Three Jewels); never bring meat or votive paper into a temple.

VIIISolemn Mourning Etiquette and Five Mistakes to Avoid on the 49th Day

Because the 49th-day rite falls within the acute mourning phase (Hung Le), preserving an atmosphere of gentle stillness, sincerity, and sibling harmony is the greatest comfort a family can offer the departed soul.

A common misunderstanding

Five common mistakes to avoid when observing the 49th-Day Memorial Rite:

First, miscounting to the 50th day by forgetting to count the passing date as Day One. Always verify the exact calendar day across 29-, 30-, or 31-day months using inclusive counting (Passing Date = Day 1). If work schedules require gathering extended relatives slightly early, hold the gathering on Day 48 while still lighting incense on Day 49; never delay the Chung That rite past the 49th day.

Second, turning the 49th-day meal into a loud drinking party. The 49th day remains a solemn mourning observance; the post-offering meal should be a quiet, affectionate family gathering where relatives remember the virtues of the deceased without noisy toasting.

Third, prematurely merging the departed's incense bowl into the main Ancestral Altar on Day 49. In classical Tho Mai Gia Le order, the newly deceased retains a separate Spirit Altar and incense bowl through the 49-day and 100-day rites; formal merging (Le Hop Tu) takes place only after the Second Anniversary (Dai Tuong) and Mourning Completion (Dam Te), unless extreme space constraints in a small apartment require an earlier petitioned transition.

Fourth, burning giant paper mansions, cars, or human effigies. Excessive votive paper burning has no basis in Buddhist teaching and creates fire hazards and environmental waste; true spiritual benefit comes from sutra chanting, mindfulness, and charity.

Fifth, arguing over inheritance or funeral expenses before the spirit altar. Discord among children and siblings weighs heavily on a newly departed parent's heart; maintain mutual kindness and patience throughout the mourning period.

?Quick Questions

If our relative passed away at 11:30 PM at night, which day counts as Day One for the 49-day calculation?

In traditional lunisolar timekeeping, a new lunar day begins at the start of the Zi Hour (11:00 PM, or 23:00), whereas civil death certificates switch dates at midnight (00:00). The best practice is to follow the official lunar passing date recorded on the family obituary notice and headstone so that the 49-day, 100-day, First Anniversary, and Second Anniversary rites all follow a single consistent reference date.

May we hold the 49th-day memorial gathering a day early if Day 49 falls on a busy mid-week workday?

Traditional etiquette follows the principle of observing on time or slightly early rather than late. The household should always light incense and offer tea and rice before the home Spirit Altar on the exact morning of Day 49. If out-of-town relatives can only attend on the weekend, you may hold the collective chanting and reunion meal 1 or 2 days early (on Day 47 or Day 48), never postponing past Day 49.

Do we stop the daily morning and evening rice offerings after the 49th day or wait until the 100th day?

According to classical Tho Mai Gia Le etiquette, the daily morning-and-evening meal offering (Trieu Tich Dien) continues through the full one hundred days and concludes formally at the 100th-Day End of Weeping Rite (Le Tot Khoc). However, if modern work schedules make twice-daily cooking impossible after the seventh week, the family may petition the spirit on Day 49 to offer fresh water, fruit, and pastries each morning while serving cooked rice on Full Moon and New Moon days until Day 100.

If we already registered a 49-day memorial service at a Buddhist temple, do we still need to make offerings at home?

Yes, performing a home offering remains deeply meaningful. While the temple service provides monastic chanting and Three Jewels blessings, the family home is the familiar hearth where your loved one lived. Either before heading to the temple or upon returning home at midday, prepare a warm vegetarian meal and light incense at both your main Ancestral Altar and the Spirit Altar.

How should we select the honorific title for the departed in the 49-day prayer scroll?

During the 49-day and 100-day mourning rites, combine filial kinship titles with spiritual titles: for a deceased father select Beloved Father (Hien khao), for a mother Beloved Mother (Hien ty), or for a grandparent Paternal or Maternal Grandfather or Grandmother, adding their birth name and Buddhist Dharma Name (Phap danh) in the name field above.

Should family members visit the grave or columbarium niche on the 49th day?

If the burial site or columbarium is nearby, family members often visit the day before or early on the 49th morning to tidy the resting place, offer fresh flowers, and light incense inviting the spirit home for the Chung That ceremony. If the cemetery lies in a distant hometown, officiating sincerely before the home and temple altars fulfills filial duty completely.

Compiled, textually collated and diagrammed by Master Ưng Khiêm and UK MASTER ACADEMY. Last updated: 31 October 2026. Sources: Collated from Tho Mai Gia Le (Ho Si Tan), Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Chapter 7), Van Khan Co Truyen Viet Nam (Culture and Information Publishing House), Viet Nam Phong Tuc (Phan Ke Binh, 1915), and traditional Vietnamese mourning practice.

Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite Prayer (Le Chung That): Home, Ancestral and Buddhist Temple Scrolls

IPersonalize Your Scroll, Select Ritual Date and Read Prayer

1. Select Solar Date (Auto-converts to Lunar Date, Sexagenary Cycle & Auspicious Hours)

2. Officiant and Household Details (Live Scroll Personalization)

3. Choose Prayer Variant, Enter Altar Mode or Print A4 Scroll

Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Rite Prayer (Le Chung That): Home, Ancestral and Buddhist Temple Scrolls

IICeremonial Offerings and Preparation Checklist

Incense, Lamps, Flowers & Pure Offerings on the Spirit and Ancestral Altars

Forty-Ninth Day Memorial Meal (Prioritizing a Pure Vegetarian Feast)

IIIInteractive 3D Altar, Layout Diagram and Ritual Protocol

Real-world reference photographs of traditional altars and offering trays

Step-by-step ceremonial sequence before the altar

IVThe Meaning of Seven-Sevens (That That Lai Tuan) in Tho Mai Gia Le and the Ksitigarbha Sutra

VHow to Calculate the Exact 49th Day (Counting the Day of Passing as Day One)

VIWhy the 49th-Day Offering Prioritizes Vegetarian Meals, Sutra Chanting and Life Release

VIICoordinating the Home Chung That Ceremony and the Buddhist Temple Memorial Service

VIIISolemn Mourning Etiquette and Five Mistakes to Avoid on the 49th Day

?Quick Questions

›Read Next