Thành Tet is short for Tet Nguyen Dan, or in translation, the ‘First Day of the Year’.
In Vietnamese culture, this festival marks the start of the new year with a focus on
renewal. Tet holiday is an occasion for people to reconnect with their families, reflect
on the past year, and make resolutions for the coming one.
Hùng Each Lunar New Year will have a symbolic animal. 12 Vietnamese zodiac signs
are different from Chinese ones (The fourth zodiac sign in Vietnam is Cat while it is
Rabbit in China). Every animal will bring unique luck in its year so you can see them
everywhere in Vietnam through Tet holiday decorations or advertisement signs. Tet
holiday 2023 is the year of the Cat.
Nhat Linh Tết is generally celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year (also
called Spring Festival), with the one-hour time difference between Vietnam and
China resulting in the new moon occurring on different days. Sometimes rarely, the
dates with Vietnamese and Chinese Lunar New Year can differ as such in 1985,
where Vietnam celebrated Lunar New Year, one month before China. It takes place
from the first day of the first month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar until at least the third day.
Hieu Anh If Western customs have their Christmas tree, Vietnamese houses are
also decorated with a tree for the New Year. It is one of the major elements of the Tet
holiday and the Vietnamese choose it with great care because its function is to ward
off evil spirits. In Northern Vietnam as in Hanoi, we will preferably choose a peach
tree or a kumquat, which are also popular in the central, while in the South, we will focus on an apricot tree.
Tăng Tú On the occasion of this great feast, all the members of the family clean
their home in order to welcome the guests and also to make way for the return of the
ancestors. Moreover, it will be necessary to ensure that the ancestral altar is very
clean, well flowered, that the offerings are placed there as they should. Tet being the
symbol of renewal, it is unthinkable to start the New Year in a house that is not clean!
Minh Hai Northern Vietnam is the area that takes Tet meals most seriously in
Vietnam. Here people still keep the rule of the recipe for Tet meals for generations.
Most of the families in the North will prepare these dishes for at least 3 first days of
Lunar New Year: Banh Chung (Square Cake), Gio Lua, Canh Mang (Dried Bamboo
Shoot Soup with Chicken or Pork Ribs), Nem (Spring Roll), Ga Luoc (Boiled chicken)
and Dua Cai Chua (Pickled Mustard Greens). Besides, due to the ancient tradition,
these foods will be dedicated to the ancestor first and then all family members will enjoy them together.
Ngoc Quanh On the other hand, Tet dishes in Southern Vietnam are fatter but with
more vegetables with Thit Kho Hot Vit (Chinese Braised Pork with Duck Egg), Canh
Kho Qua (Pork Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup), Banh Trang Cuon (Fresh Spring Roll with
Shrimp) and Cu Kieu Muoi (Pickled Scallion Head).In addition, there is a type of cake
that is similar to the Square Cake in the North and cannot be lacked on the dining
table in the South and the Central – Banh Tet.
Quỳnh Chi New Year’s Eve, the most sacred time of the year for many, is called
“giao thua.” Midnight marks the time that “Ong Tao” (The Kitchen God) returns from
the heavens. Therefore, the good deeds done over the preceding few days were all in
preparation for this moment. Midnight is also the time to begin praying and lighting
incense in the hope that the ancestors will accept the families invitation to enjoy the
party. Being present at your family home at midnight is of the utmost importance.
Mỹ Lông The first day of Tết is reserved for the nuclear family. Children receive red
envelopes containing money from their elders. This tradition is called lì xì. Since the
Vietnamese believe that the first visitor who a family receives in the year determines
their fortune for the entire year. During subsequent days, people visit relatives and
friends. Traditionally but not strictly, the second day of Tết is usually reserved for
friends, while the third day is for teachers, who command respect in Vietnam.
Yen Nhi These celebrations can last from a day up to the entire week, and the New
Year is filled with people in the streets trying to make as much noise as possible
using firecrackers, drums, bells, gongs, and anything they can think of to ward off
evil spirits. This parade will also include different masks and dancers hidden under
the guise of what is known as the múa lân or lion dancing.
Vương Quanh Traditionally, during the first three days of the Lunar New Year,
Vietnamese families go to pagodas and temples to pray for health, happiness and
good fortune in the year ahead. Offerings, including flowers, incense and fruit, are
given to wish for a successful year for friends and relatives.When going to
pagodas,you should visit scholars to ask for parallel sentences which are believed to
bring some of the scholars’ erudition and luck to their home and their children.
Plinh Once the holy resting time has ended, people resume their activities with a
renewed spirit and positive frame of mind. For the Vietnamese, honoring the coming
of the New Year looks ahead towards good fortunes while centering on happiness
and positive values. The numerous festivities aim on reinforcing Vietnamese culture,
beliefs and family ties. Their customary way of celebrating the Tet may not conform
to others’ opinions and may somewhat be superstitious, but the people of Vietnam
still practice them as these very traditions expresses their National identity. A long
and proud tradition of Vietnamese all over the world.