Discovering Vietnamese Holiday Tet: Customs and Traditions

The Vietnamese Holiday Tet, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the most important and cherished holiday in Vietnamese culture. It is a time of great celebration, filled with colorful customs and traditions that reflect the country’s rich history and diverse ethnic groups. From decorating homes with flowers and preparing traditional foods to honor ancestors and welcoming the New Year with fireworks, there are many fascinating aspects to discover about this vibrant and joyous holiday. Let’s explore some of the customs and traditions of the Vietnamese Holiday Tet together.

What is Tet? Introducing the traditional Vietnamese holiday Tet

Tet, also known as “Tet Nguyen Dan”, is the most important traditional holiday in Vietnam. It is a celebration of the Lunar New Year and typically falls between late January and mid-February, according to the lunar calendar. Tet is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and wishing for good fortune in the new year. People mark it with a variety of customs and traditions, including decorating homes with flowers, preparing special foods, and exchanging gifts.

The celebration lasts for at least three days, but many businesses and schools will close for up to a week to allow families to fully enjoy the holiday.

The origin of Tet Nguyen Dan

The origin of Tet can be traced back to ancient agrarian rituals, where people celebrated the end of the harvest season and the start of a new year. The holiday also has significant Confucian and Buddhist influences, as it is a time to honor ancestors and seek blessings for the upcoming year. Over time, Tet has become an integral part of Vietnamese culture and is celebrated with various customs and traditions.

The meaning of Tet

Tet, the traditional Vietnamese holiday, holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Vietnamese people. Tet marks the start of a new year. It is a time for reflection and reunion with loved ones. Tet includes a range of customs and traditions. These include cleaning and decorating homes, preparing special foods, giving gifts, and visiting temples and ancestral graves.

Tet is a time of honoring and showing gratitude to ancestors and deities. Many rituals and offerings are performed during this time to ensure good luck and fortune for the year ahead. During Tet, family members share meals and participate in various activities together, emphasizing family values and solidarity.

Overall, Tet is not only a time for celebration and joy but also a time for reflection and appreciation of cultural heritage and values. It embodies the essence of Vietnamese culture and serves as a reminder of the importance of family, community, and spiritual connection.

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The Customs of Vietnamese holiday Tet

Cleaning and Decorating

Cleaning and Decorating are one of the most important customs during Tet in Vietnam. It is believed that cleaning and removing all the old and bad things from the house will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. Before Tet, people clean their homes, repaint the walls, and decorate the house with colorful flowers, fruits, and ornaments. The most popular flowers used for decoration during Tet are peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and chrysanthemums. People also use the colors red and yellow extensively as they symbolize luck and wealth.

The preparation of Cleaning and Decorating serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it is a way to welcome the new year. Secondly, it is a time for families to gather and enjoy the festive atmosphere together.

Preparing for Tet

Preparing for Tet is an important part of Vietnamese culture, and it involves various traditions and customs. One of the most common practices is buying new clothes, which is believed to bring good luck and symbolize new beginnings. People also stock up on food and drinks to ensure they have enough to last throughout the holiday season.

In addition to everyday foods, traditional holiday dishes are also prepared, such as Banh Chung (Chung Cake), a sticky rice cake filled with mung beans and pork, and “Mut”, candied fruits and seeds. Decorating the home is also a significant part of Tet preparations. Cleaning the house symbolizes the removal of bad luck from the previous year while decorating the home with colorful flowers and banners signifies new life and prosperity in the coming year.

These preparations are not only practical but also serve to reinforce the importance of family, tradition, and community during the Tet holiday.

Ancestor worship

During the Vietnamese holiday Tet, ancestor worship is an important aspect of the celebration. During Tet, families gather to pay respect to their ancestors, believed to bless them with good fortune. They visit graves to clean, decorate and make offerings, a Vietnamese tradition of filial piety, emphasizing respect for elders and ancestors.

Through this act of worship, families hope to receive blessings from their ancestors for a prosperous and happy year ahead.

Giving of Lucky Money

Giving Lucky Money, or “li xi,” is a long-standing tradition during Tet. Adults and elders typically give out red envelopes filled with money to children and unmarried adults. In Vietnamese culture, people consider the color red lucky, and they view the money inside the envelopes as a symbol of good fortune and blessings for the new year. It is customary to hand the envelopes to the recipients with both hands and exchange well-wishes for the new year.

Giving and receiving lucky money spreads happiness and joy during the holiday season. It also shows respect and gratitude to the elders in the family.

Enjoying Traditional Foods

Tet is a special occasion for Vietnamese people to enjoy traditional foods, and one of the most popular dishes during this time is Banh Chung (Chung Cake). People make this sticky rice cake by wrapping glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork in a square of banana leaves. Then, they boil it for hours until the ingredients are cooked through.

Another popular treat during Tet is Mut, which are candied fruits such as coconut, ginger, and lotus seeds.

People also enjoy Xoi, a type of sticky rice that can be mixed with a variety of ingredients such as mung bean paste, shredded chicken, or fried shallots. These traditional dishes are not only delicious but also carry cultural and symbolic meanings for the holiday.

Lion and Dragon Dancing

During the Tet holiday in Vietnam, one of the most exciting and lively traditions is the Lion and Dragon Dance. People believe that this performance brings good luck and wards off evil spirits. The dance is typically accompanied by loud drumming and cymbals, which adds to the festive atmosphere.

Lion and Dragon Dancing is a beloved Tet tradition, performed by both professional dance troupes and community groups. From small villages to large cities, people can see it throughout Vietnam. The dancers’ colorful costumes and intricate choreography create an unforgettable experience.

Greetings and Well Wishes

During Tet, exchanging greetings and well wish is a common tradition in Vietnam. People use phrases such as “Chuc Mung Nam Moi” which translates to “Happy New Year”. “An Khang Thinh Vuong” meaning “May you have good health and prosperity” to express their hopes for a prosperous and healthy new year. People see this custom as a way to renew relationships and mend any past misunderstandings.

It is also common to visit family and friends during Tet to exchange greetings and well wishes in person. This tradition reflects the Vietnamese people’s emphasis on the importance of familial and social ties, as well as their desire for a harmonious and prosperous new year.

Tet Nguyen Dan – the Vietnamese Holiday Tet, is a colorful and diverse experience for tourists. From the customs of welcoming Tet to preparing traditional dishes and showing respect and gratitude to ancestors, Tet is an important time of year to explore the culture and way of life of Vietnamese people. In addition, activities such as lion and dragon dancing and playing games are also interesting experiences on Tet day. Festivals also take place in all regions of the country, giving tourists a deeper insight into the culture and spirit of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, if you have the opportunity, join in the Vietnamese New Year celebration to experience and learn more about the diverse and rich culture of this country.