Worshipping the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month in an apartment: a compact, safe way

Customs are part of traditional culture, and every region and family does things differently. This article presents common practices for your reference, does not claim what is right or wrong and does not aim to frighten anyone. Updated 24 October 2026.

The Kitchen Gods festival (Tết ông Công, ông Táo) falls on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. According to common sources, this is the day the kitchen deities go up to heaven to report on the family's year; folk belief holds that a household's blessings depend on how the owners live by moral principles. The carp is the typical offering, because of the belief that the Kitchen God rides a carp to heaven. A family in an apartment can still hold the ceremony, just adjusted to suit the space.

Meaning and common offerings

The traditional Kitchen God altar is placed near the stove. In an apartment, the kitchen often opens onto the living room, and many families make the offering at the ancestral altar or a small table in the kitchen area. Offerings vary by family and usually include:

• A carp (live or paper), the hat, robe and boots of the paper Kitchen Gods set (not required).
• Incense, flowers, betel and areca, wine, water, fruit.
• A full meal tray or vegetarian offering, sweets, sticky rice, sweet soup depending on the region.

Offerings differ by region, and this article does not claim any one way is the only correct one. Many families say a short prayer: thanks for the year, wishing for peace and plenty.

Releasing the carp: how to keep it tidy

After the ceremony, many people take the carp to a pond or lake to release it. In a city, choose a place where releasing is allowed, and avoid dumping fish in drains, polluted canals or the apartment complex's artificial lake unless the management board permits it. Some families choose the simple route: replacing the live fish with a paper set or paper carp to avoid waste. If you buy a live fish, buy only what you need and carry it in a bag of aerated water.

Votive paper and burning it in an apartment

Burning votive paper is the point needing the most caution. According to fire-prevention advice from Hanoi's police, at Tết you should be careful when lighting incense and burning votive paper, and keep flammable items away from flames. In an apartment, burning paper indoors is almost never appropriate: the smoke rises and sets off the automatic smoke detectors, disturbs neighbours and may breach the house rules.

Some alternatives families commonly choose:

• Burn it at the place the management board provides (the building's separate burning area, if there is one).
• Ask a relative who lives in a landed house to burn it for you.
• Reduce or skip the paper items and keep only the vegetarian offering; many people regard sincerity as what matters.

Practical corner: cost, safety, neighbours

• Reference cost: the paper Kitchen Gods set, carp, fruit and offering tray usually cost only a few hundred thousand VND, depending on the tray. Prices often rise before the 23rd, so buy early; ask for actual prices at a market near your home because each place differs.
• Fire: light low-smoke incense, set it in a firm holder, and keep it away from curtains, paper and votive items. Do not leave incense burning when the whole family goes out; check the altar before sleeping. Keep a portable fire extinguisher and know the number 114.
• Building rules: ask the management board about lighting incense, burning votive paper, placing offerings in the corridor and releasing fish in the grounds. Many buildings issue a separate notice before Tết.
• Neighbours: limit smoke and strong food smells; homes near stairwells and light wells need more care.
• Waste after the ceremony: collect wrappers, ash and paper in the designated place, and do not pour them into the corridor.

Moving into a new home at year-end

Many families move into a new apartment before Tết. If you are holding the Kitchen God ceremony for the first time in a new home, finish taking over the home and checking electrical and water safety first, then plan the ceremony (see taking over the home and choosing a date to move in). Check gas and induction cookers beforehand; place the altar steadily, and see also kitchen feng shui.

A compact schedule for the 23rd of the 12th lunar month

In the morning, prepare the offering tray and tidy the altar; make the offering before noon if your family follows that custom; once the incense has burned down, remove the offerings and the family eats the meal together. If everyone works, you can make the offering early in the evening, and it need not be at one exact hour. What matters is keeping respect and safety, without chasing an oversized offering tray.

Note

This is a traditional custom, and each family follows its own beliefs and circumstances. The article makes no promise of wealth or luck. Building rules and fire-safety requirements should come first.

• Vietnamese Wikipedia — Ông Táo (worship on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, meaning, carp as the typical offering), reopened 24 October 2026.
• VOV — Be careful when lighting incense and burning votive paper at Tết and early-year festivals 2023 (advice from Hanoi's police: keep flammables away from flames, check the altar before sleeping, keep a portable fire extinguisher, call 114 in a fire), 23 December 2022; reopened 24 October 2026.
• Sài Gòn Giải Phóng — Beware of fires at places of worship (do not burn votive paper on your own, do not bring flammable fuel, check old electrical systems), 21 February 2019; reopened 24 October 2026.