Definition

1. Noun:
   • Gold votive paper: A specific type of votive offering made from paper, traditionally crafted in a rectangular, three-dimensional form and colored gold or yellow. It is burned in Vietnamese ancestor worship and religious rituals as a symbolic offering of gold or valuables to the spirit world.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong mâm lễ cúng, có vàng hồ và tiền vàng. (In the offering tray, there is gold votive paper and votive money.)
  • Người ta đốt vàng hồ vào ngày rằm. (People burn gold votive paper on the full moon day.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is specific to Vietnamese spiritual practice. It refers to the object itself, not the act of offering.

Variants and Related Words

• Tiền vàng (n): Votive money; paper crafted to resemble currency, burned as an offering.
• Mã (n): A general term for votive paper offerings, including paper replicas of clothes, houses, and other items.

Synonyms

• Votive gold paper: Paper offering symbolizing gold.
• Gold joss paper: A type of joss paper used in rituals.

Related Cultural Context

• Vàng hồ is a component of đồ mã (votive goods). Burning it is believed to send material wealth to deceased ancestors or deities in the afterlife. Its rectangular, box-like shape is distinctive compared to flat sheets of tiền vàng.