What giỗ, jesa and 忌日 are
In Vietnam, China and Korea, families mark the death of a parent, grandparent or other relative every year on the lunar date of death. Relatives gather at an altar with food, incense and the person's photo or tablet, and remember them together.
- Giỗ (đám giỗ, ngày giỗ, kỵ nhật)
- The Vietnamese death anniversary. The first is giỗ đầu and the second giỗ hết, which traditionally ends formal mourning. Many families also make an offering on the eve, called tiên thường.
- Jesa 제사 · 기제사 (忌祭祀)
- The Korean memorial rite held on the 기일 (忌日), the anniversary of the death.
- 忌日 (jìrì · Cantonese gei6 jat6)
- The Chinese death anniversary. In Taiwan the first anniversary is called 對年 and has its own ceremony.
Customs differ between regions, religions and families. If your family has a tradition, follow it.
Why the date moves every year
A lunar year has 353 to 355 days, so the anniversary comes about 11 days earlier each year, then about 19 days later after a year with a leap month.
For example, a grandmother died on Thursday 15 September 2022, day 20 of the 8th lunar month (ngày 20 tháng 8 âm lịch) in the year Nhâm Dần. Her giỗ fell on Saturday 11 October 2025, then Wednesday 30 September 2026 and Monday 20 September 2027. See all her dates.
Questions families ask
Is a death anniversary on the lunar or the solar date?
In Vietnamese, Chinese and traditional Korean practice, the yearly anniversary (giỗ, 忌日, 기제사) follows the lunar date of death, so its Gregorian date changes every year. Some families, especially in Korea and overseas, keep the solar (Gregorian) date instead. Both are fine; what matters is that the family agrees.
How do I find my grandmother's lunar death date?
Enter the date she died and choose your family's tradition. The result shows the lunar month and day; write it down with the year's name (for example Nhâm Dần or 壬寅). If you only know the lunar date, from an altar tablet or family book, choose Lunar date and enter it.
What if the death was in a leap month, or on the 30th?
Most families hold it in the regular month with the same number, because the same leap month rarely comes back. If the death was on the 30th and the month has only 29 days that year, most use the 29th. Some families do it differently: set yours under Family customs. The table marks the years affected.
When is giỗ đầu, and when is giỗ hết?
Giỗ đầu (tiểu tường) is the first anniversary and giỗ hết (đại tường) the second. Many temples count them as exactly 12 and 24 lunar months, so a leap month in between moves them one month earlier. From the third year on, the yearly giỗ is held on the lunar date of death.
Is the Korean jesa held on the evening before the death date?
Traditionally, yes: the rite took place in the first hours of the death date (from 11 pm), so the family gathered the evening before. Today many families hold it on the evening of the death date itself, and Korea's Family Ritual Standards say it is held on the day the ancestor died. The table shows both dates.
Why can Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean dates differ?
Each lunar month starts on the day of the new moon, counted in local time: Vietnam's, China's (also used in Hong Kong and Taiwan) or Korea's. A new moon near midnight can start the month a day apart. Before 1968 (in the South, until 1975) Vietnam used China's calendar, so older dates may differ. Go by your family's records.
What if the death happened late at night?
The lunar day changes at midnight, like the ordinary date, so a death at 11:30 pm belongs to that day. Some older customs start the day at 11 pm, the hour of 子時 (자시). If your family follows that, enter the next day.
Can I add the dates to my phone's calendar?
Yes. Add to calendar saves a file with an all-day event for each year in the table, which Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook can open. A normal repeating event would be wrong, because the date moves every year.
Tính ngày giỗ theo âm lịch
Chọn Vietnam, nhập ngày mất theo dương lịch (hoặc ngày âm lịch nếu đã biết). Công cụ đổi sang âm lịch Việt Nam và liệt kê ngày giỗ dương lịch của từng năm, kèm thứ trong tuần. Giỗ đầu và giỗ hết được tính tròn 12 và 24 tháng âm lịch, nên nếu có tháng nhuận xen giữa thì sẽ lùi sớm một tháng. Bạn có thể đổi sang cách tính “cùng ngày âm lịch”. Người mất vào tháng nhuận thì giỗ vào tháng thường cùng tên. Nếu mất ngày 30 mà năm đó tháng chỉ có 29 ngày thì lấy ngày 29.
제사 날짜 계산 (음력 기일)
Korea를 선택하고 돌아가신 날(양력)이나 음력 기일을 입력하면, 한국 음력(1901–2049년 한국천문연구원 자료와 일치) 기준으로 해마다의 양력 기일과 요일을 보여 줍니다. 전통적으로는 기일 전날 밤 자시(밤 11시 이후)에 제사를 지냈고, 요즘은 기일 당일 저녁에 지내는 집이 많아 두 날짜를 함께 표시합니다. 윤달에 돌아가신 경우 기본값은 평달이며, 30일에 돌아가셨는데 그해 그 달이 29일까지만 있으면 29일로 계산합니다.
Sources
Calendar rules from Hồ Ngọc Đức, Âm lịch Việt Nam, and J. Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms. Chinese dates match every month of the Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables, 1901–2100; Korean dates match every month of Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) data, 1901–2049. Customs from Giác Ngộ, VTC News, the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, Korea's 건전가정의례준칙 and the Taipei City Government funeral guide.