News and EventsTet Nguyen Dan or the Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival is the most important Vietnamese holiday.Tet is also a sacred time of the vietnamese people because it is the time for fmailies to reunite and return to their origin. There are a lot of customs practiced in the Lunar New Year.
Before New Year's Eve
Cleaning and decorating the home
The Vietnamese people often clean and decorate their homes a week before New Year's Eve.
The kitchen needs to be cleaned before the 23rd night of the last lunar month. Usually the head of the household cleans the dust and ashes froom incense from the ancestral altars. It is a common belief that cleaning the house will get rid of the bad fortunes associated with the old year. Some people paint their house and decorate it with festive items. The altar is placed with offerings such as mam ngu qua or a tray of five fruits, sticky rice cake, jams, candies, and wine. Every house is usually decorated by hoa dao which are the marm pink petals of the peach blossoms that match well with the dry, cold weather from the North.
Hoa mai are the yellow apricot flowers often seen in the Central and Southern Vietnam. The kumquat tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tet. Its many fruits symbolize the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes for in the coming year. visiting the ancestors' graves From the 23rd day to the 30th day of the last month of the lunar year, families often visit their ancestors'graves. They clean the graves and then place offerings like fruits, flowers, lights, and incense. Then they invite the souls of their ancestors to come back to celebrate Tet with the family.
Farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods
According to the Vietnamese people, each family is cared for by the Kitchen Gods (Tao QUan) consisting of two Kitchen Gods and one Kitchen Goddess. Every year on the 23rd night of the last month of the lunar year, each Vietnamese family offers a farewell ceremory for Ong Tao to go up to Heaven. His task there is to make an annual report to the Jade Emperor of the family's affairs throughout the year. On this day people normally worship and propitiate the Kitchen Gods with offerings such as meal, votive papers and carps. Carps are thought to be the vehicles by which the Kitchen Gods fly to Heaven.
Making offers for the ancestors
This ceremony is held in the afternoon of the 30th day of the last month. The head of the household should perform the proper rituals and place offerings like food, wine, cakes, fruits and incense to invite the souls of the ancestors to join the celebration with the family. This is the time families honour the souls of their ancestors and present the welfare of the family.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is the most sacred time of the year. According to Vietnamese lore, on the eve of the Lunar New Year new official are elected in Heaven and charged with overseeing the world. If the newly appointed officials are trust-worthy, harvests will be good and the world will be free of wars, natural disasters and plagues. If this year's group of officeals are lazy and greedy, however, life down on earth will be dreary. To give thanks to Heaven's departing officials and to welcome the newcomers, it becomes customery for Vietnamese families to place offerings of steamed sticky rice, boiled chicken, cakes, and fruits out of doors on New Year's Eve.
The New Year
Giving away red envelopes (filled with lucky money)
This tradition is called li xi (also known as mung tuoi or happy new age). Li xi is similar to the Cantonese pronunciation "lai see". This is a cultural practice that has been maintained for generations. It is very common to see older people giving sealed red envelopes to young people. Before the younger ones could receive the envelopes, they have to perform a certain greeting. Reciprocally, the older onces would return good advice and words of wisdom, encouraging the younger one to keep up with their schoolwork, live harmoniously with others and obey their parents. The red colour of the envelope symbolizes good luck.
Who's first
The most crucial time during the festivities is New Year's morning. The first person stepping across the houses's threshold is thought as setting up the tone of his/ her family in the coming year. Home owners go to great lengths to arrange the first footer, whose age must be lucky according to the complicated calculations of the traditional Vietnamese horoscope. This person is usually someone healthy, successful and prosperous. They should visit in the early morning (to be the first footer) and bring fruits, cakes and red envelopes to give to the children. The first footer often stays for five or ten minutes so that everything through the new year for the home owners goes smoothly. While some people no longer believe in the significance of the first footer, it is probably wise to play it safe and stay hoome. Many Vietnamese people dont venture outdoors on the first day of the New Year. They are afraid that they might inadvertenly be the first guests to show up at someone's house. They could be blamed for any misfortune in the coming year.
Exchange Visit
During subsequent days, people visit relatives and friends and they also exchange visits. Traditionally, the first morning is reserved for the nuclear family or the husband's household. The second day of Tet is reserved for visiting the wife's family while the third day is for teachers and close friends.
Longevity celebration
Unlike Westerners, elderly people in Vietnam aren't usually in the habit of celebrating their birthday. Instead, many old folks choose to celebrate the start of their 70th, 80th, or 90th decade around the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year is the time for family reunions.
Forbidden Customs
These following forbidden customs are not based on any scientific foundations, but they are the traditions passed from generation to generation and have become standard. With the opinion that the beginning impacts on the process and the end , Vietnamese people avoid doing bad things and try to do good things during Tet holiday.
- One should avoid burying: Tet is an important festival for the Vietnamese people. If a family member becomes seriously ill before lunar new year, they often try to cure the patient in order to keep them alive until they alive until the new year. In case someone passes away on the 30th day of the last month of the lunar new year, they try to bury the dead before the New Year's Eve in order to avoid bad fortunes for the entire family and relatives in the new year. If someone dies on the first day or second day of the new year, their family must keep it quite. They must try to inform their neighbours and relatives not to visit their house. The burying ceremony must be held right after third day of the new year.
It is also taboo for anyone who has experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tet.
- On the first day of the new year, one shouldn't go to other house to ask for fire. Because it is believed that fire symbolizes good fortune. If one gives good fortune to others, they will get bad fortune in the new year.
- One shouldn't borrow anything, including money, on the first days of the new year. One should return all things borrowed and pay debts before Tet.
- One shouldn't have tench or duck meat because it brings unluckiness. In addition, one shouldn't have shrimp because they're afraid that they would move backwards like shrimp, in other words, they would not succeeed.
- Parents remind their children to behave themselves and- at least for a few days- feuds with the neighbours are dropped. Since nobody wants to spoil the first few days of the year and invite bad luck by bickering, everyone is on their best holiday behaviour.
- One shouldn't buy or wear white clothes because white is the colour of funerals in Vietnam.
- One shouldn't refuse anything others give or wish you during tet.
- Farmers shouldn't go to the field on the first days of the new year. Only when a representative in the village starts working on the field, they can go to work. For businessmen, they often choose a good day to start their business in the new year.
Officers and students also practice taboos. They often choose the right direction to go out in the new year. If they go out in the wrong direction, their wishes for good health and work won't come true.
Before New Year's Eve
Cleaning and decorating the home
The Vietnamese people often clean and decorate their homes a week before New Year's Eve.
The kitchen needs to be cleaned before the 23rd night of the last lunar month. Usually the head of the household cleans the dust and ashes froom incense from the ancestral altars. It is a common belief that cleaning the house will get rid of the bad fortunes associated with the old year. Some people paint their house and decorate it with festive items. The altar is placed with offerings such as mam ngu qua or a tray of five fruits, sticky rice cake, jams, candies, and wine. Every house is usually decorated by hoa dao which are the marm pink petals of the peach blossoms that match well with the dry, cold weather from the North.
Hoa mai are the yellow apricot flowers often seen in the Central and Southern Vietnam. The kumquat tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tet. Its many fruits symbolize the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes for in the coming year. visiting the ancestors' graves From the 23rd day to the 30th day of the last month of the lunar year, families often visit their ancestors'graves. They clean the graves and then place offerings like fruits, flowers, lights, and incense. Then they invite the souls of their ancestors to come back to celebrate Tet with the family.
Farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods
According to the Vietnamese people, each family is cared for by the Kitchen Gods (Tao QUan) consisting of two Kitchen Gods and one Kitchen Goddess. Every year on the 23rd night of the last month of the lunar year, each Vietnamese family offers a farewell ceremory for Ong Tao to go up to Heaven. His task there is to make an annual report to the Jade Emperor of the family's affairs throughout the year. On this day people normally worship and propitiate the Kitchen Gods with offerings such as meal, votive papers and carps. Carps are thought to be the vehicles by which the Kitchen Gods fly to Heaven.
Making offers for the ancestors
This ceremony is held in the afternoon of the 30th day of the last month. The head of the household should perform the proper rituals and place offerings like food, wine, cakes, fruits and incense to invite the souls of the ancestors to join the celebration with the family. This is the time families honour the souls of their ancestors and present the welfare of the family.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is the most sacred time of the year. According to Vietnamese lore, on the eve of the Lunar New Year new official are elected in Heaven and charged with overseeing the world. If the newly appointed officials are trust-worthy, harvests will be good and the world will be free of wars, natural disasters and plagues. If this year's group of officeals are lazy and greedy, however, life down on earth will be dreary. To give thanks to Heaven's departing officials and to welcome the newcomers, it becomes customery for Vietnamese families to place offerings of steamed sticky rice, boiled chicken, cakes, and fruits out of doors on New Year's Eve.
The New Year
Giving away red envelopes (filled with lucky money)
This tradition is called li xi (also known as mung tuoi or happy new age). Li xi is similar to the Cantonese pronunciation "lai see". This is a cultural practice that has been maintained for generations. It is very common to see older people giving sealed red envelopes to young people. Before the younger ones could receive the envelopes, they have to perform a certain greeting. Reciprocally, the older onces would return good advice and words of wisdom, encouraging the younger one to keep up with their schoolwork, live harmoniously with others and obey their parents. The red colour of the envelope symbolizes good luck.
Who's first
The most crucial time during the festivities is New Year's morning. The first person stepping across the houses's threshold is thought as setting up the tone of his/ her family in the coming year. Home owners go to great lengths to arrange the first footer, whose age must be lucky according to the complicated calculations of the traditional Vietnamese horoscope. This person is usually someone healthy, successful and prosperous. They should visit in the early morning (to be the first footer) and bring fruits, cakes and red envelopes to give to the children. The first footer often stays for five or ten minutes so that everything through the new year for the home owners goes smoothly. While some people no longer believe in the significance of the first footer, it is probably wise to play it safe and stay hoome. Many Vietnamese people dont venture outdoors on the first day of the New Year. They are afraid that they might inadvertenly be the first guests to show up at someone's house. They could be blamed for any misfortune in the coming year.
Exchange Visit
During subsequent days, people visit relatives and friends and they also exchange visits. Traditionally, the first morning is reserved for the nuclear family or the husband's household. The second day of Tet is reserved for visiting the wife's family while the third day is for teachers and close friends.
Longevity celebration
Unlike Westerners, elderly people in Vietnam aren't usually in the habit of celebrating their birthday. Instead, many old folks choose to celebrate the start of their 70th, 80th, or 90th decade around the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year is the time for family reunions.
Forbidden Customs
These following forbidden customs are not based on any scientific foundations, but they are the traditions passed from generation to generation and have become standard. With the opinion that the beginning impacts on the process and the end , Vietnamese people avoid doing bad things and try to do good things during Tet holiday.
- One should avoid burying: Tet is an important festival for the Vietnamese people. If a family member becomes seriously ill before lunar new year, they often try to cure the patient in order to keep them alive until they alive until the new year. In case someone passes away on the 30th day of the last month of the lunar new year, they try to bury the dead before the New Year's Eve in order to avoid bad fortunes for the entire family and relatives in the new year. If someone dies on the first day or second day of the new year, their family must keep it quite. They must try to inform their neighbours and relatives not to visit their house. The burying ceremony must be held right after third day of the new year.
It is also taboo for anyone who has experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tet.
- On the first day of the new year, one shouldn't go to other house to ask for fire. Because it is believed that fire symbolizes good fortune. If one gives good fortune to others, they will get bad fortune in the new year.
- One shouldn't borrow anything, including money, on the first days of the new year. One should return all things borrowed and pay debts before Tet.
- One shouldn't have tench or duck meat because it brings unluckiness. In addition, one shouldn't have shrimp because they're afraid that they would move backwards like shrimp, in other words, they would not succeeed.
- Parents remind their children to behave themselves and- at least for a few days- feuds with the neighbours are dropped. Since nobody wants to spoil the first few days of the year and invite bad luck by bickering, everyone is on their best holiday behaviour.
- One shouldn't buy or wear white clothes because white is the colour of funerals in Vietnam.
- One shouldn't refuse anything others give or wish you during tet.
- Farmers shouldn't go to the field on the first days of the new year. Only when a representative in the village starts working on the field, they can go to work. For businessmen, they often choose a good day to start their business in the new year.
Officers and students also practice taboos. They often choose the right direction to go out in the new year. If they go out in the wrong direction, their wishes for good health and work won't come true.
