Traditional festival · Lunar calendar
Vu Lan Festival
Full moon of the 7th lunar month
August 2027
Monday, August 16, 2027
7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Goat
In 292 days
Meaning and origins
The season of filial gratitude, honouring parents and ancestors on the full moon of the 7th lunar month.
Vu Lan comes from the Buddhist story of Maudgalyayana saving his mother, and has become the Vietnamese season of filial gratitude. The same full moon is also the day of pardon for wandering souls in folk belief.
In the rose ceremony, people whose mother is living wear a red rose and those who have lost her wear a white one, a reminder of gratitude to one's parents.
This translation is an AI draft pending review by a native speaker.
Customs and activities
- Vu Lan ceremony and rose pinning at pagodas
- Offerings to ancestors and wandering souls
- Charity and releasing animals
At a glance
- Type
- Traditional festival
- How the date is set
- Lunar calendar; the solar date changes every year
- Lunar date
- 7th lunar month, day 15
- Day off
- Not a day off
Dates are calculated in Vietnam time (UTC+7).
Dates in the coming years
| Year | Solar date | Lunar date | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Horse | Past | |
| 2027 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Goat | In 292 days | |
| 2028 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Monkey | In 676 days | |
| 2029 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Rooster | In 1031 days | |
| 2030 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Dog | In 1385 days | |
| 2031 | 7th lunar month, day 15 · Year of the Pig | In 1769 days |
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