đàn chay

Một đàn chay được dựng lên trong sân chùa để cầu siêu cho người đã khuất.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Vegetarian altar: An altar, specifically within the context of Buddhist liturgy, set up for a ceremony to pray for the peace and repose of the soul of a deceased person. The term is now considered archaic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Gia đình lập một đàn chay để cầu siêu cho cụ ông. (The family set up a vegetarian altar to pray for the grandfather's salvation.)
  • Theo nghi lễ cũ, đàn chay được bài trí rất trang nghiêm. (According to the old rite, the vegetarian altar was arranged very solemnly.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "đàn chay" is deeply rooted in Vietnamese Buddhist funeral and memorial practices. It specifically denotes the physical altar used in ceremonies like "cầu siêu" (praying for the soul's transcendence) or "chẩn tế" (offering alms to spirits), where only vegetarian offerings are presented.

Variants and Related Words

• Lễ chay (n): a vegetarian ceremony or rite.

  • Lễ chay được tổ chức vào ngày rằm. (The vegetarian ceremony is held on the full moon day.)

• Cúng chay (v): to worship or make offerings with vegetarian food.

  • Nhà Phật thường cúng chay. (Buddhist households often worship with vegetarian offerings.)

Synonyms

• Buddhist altar (for souls): An altar used in rites for the deceased.
• Memorial altar (vegetarian): An altar for commemorating the dead featuring only plant-based offerings.

Related Cultural Context

• "Lập đàn chay": to erect a vegetarian altar. This phrase describes the action of setting up the altar for the specific ceremonial purpose.

  • Họ lập đàn chay trong ba ngày. (They erected the vegetarian altar for three days.)

• The concept highlights the Buddhist practice of using pure, non-animal products (chay) in rituals intended for merit-making and spiritual liberation of the deceased, contrasting with altars for other purposes that may include meat offerings.