Tet Nguyen Dan
(Lunar New Year), more commonly known by its shortened name Tết, is the most
important festival in Vietnamese culture and some ethnics influenced in Chinese
culture. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the
Lunar calendar until at least the third day.
Althought each
region and religion in Vietnam
has its own customs, there are some main customs as follows:
1. Kitchen God worshipping
Traditionally, Kitchen God (Ông Táo), who report to the Jade Emperor
about the events in that house over the past year, return to heaven on the 23rd
day of the twelfth month by lunar calendar. Their departure is marked by a
modest ceremony where the family offers sacrifices for them to use on their
journey.
Vietnamese
families usually have a family altar, to pay respect to their ancestors. The "five-fruit tray" (Ngũ Quả) on
the ancestral altar during the Tet Holidays symbolizes the admiration and
gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors and
demonstrates their aspiration for a life of plenty.
In the days leading up to Tết, each family cooks special holiday foods: Chung
cake and Rise cake. Family members often take turns to keep watch on the fire
overnight, telling each other stories about Tết of past years.
4. Visiting a person's
house on the first day of the new year
One of the most important rituals during Tết is the act of being the
first person to enter a house on Tết is called “xông đất”. According to
Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the
lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings.
Usually, a person of good temper, morality and success will be the lucky sign for
the host family and be invited first into the house.
5. Wishing New Year's
greetings
During Tết,
Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of
the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year.
6. Giving lucky
money
Giving lucky
money is also the popular custom in the main days of Tet holiday. Adults who
have already got married and have income are supposed to give the children
lucky money” (tiền lì xì) and best wishes when visiting other’s homes.
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