khấn khứa
Definition
- Verb:
- To pray or make offerings to spirits or ancestors: The primary meaning of "khấn khứa" refers to the ritual act of praying, often aloud, and making offerings to deities, spirits, or deceased ancestors to seek blessings, give thanks, or fulfill a vow.
- To engage in superstitious rituals: It can describe performing traditional rites or ceremonies based on folk beliefs, often involving altars, incense, and ceremonial food.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Các cụ già thường khấn khứa trước bàn thờ vào ngày rằm. (The elderly often pray before the altar on the full moon day.)
- Mẹ tôi đi chùa để khấn khứa, cầu mong sức khỏe cho gia đình. (My mother goes to the temple to pray, wishing for health for the family.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a repeated, habitual, or earnest series of prayers and rituals. It can carry a slightly informal or colloquial tone compared to the more formal "cúng bái" (to worship).
Variants and Related Words
Khấn (v): to pray, to invoke (spirits, gods). This is the root verb, with "khấn khứa" being a reduplicative form that emphasizes the action.
- Bà khấn vái trước khi thắp hương. (She prayed before lighting the incense.)
Cúng khấn (v): to worship and pray; a common compound.
- Gia đình cúng khấn tổ tiên vào dịp Tết. (The family worships and prays to ancestors during Tet.)
Synonyms
- Pray (to spirits/ancestors): to make a solemn request to a spiritual entity.
- Make offerings: to present ritual items as part of worship.
- Invoke: to call upon (a spirit or deity) in prayer.
Related Idioms
- While "khấn khứa" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, the practice is central to phrases describing traditional worship:
- Khấn vái: to pray and bow in reverence.
- Mọi người thành tâm khấn vái trước tượng Phật. (Everyone sincerely prayed and bowed before the Buddha statue.)