Tet, also known as Chinese or Lunar New Year in Vietnamese, is without any doubt the most significant celebration in Vietnam. Unlike New Year of the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese New Year is based on another type of calendar called “lunisolar calendar,” whose main functions are to keep track of important holidays and commemorations such as Mid-Autumn Festival and Tet. However, just like New Year as celebrated in western societies, Lunar New Year is also widely celebrated, particularly in South-East Asia, as it marks the end of a lunisolar cycle and the beginning of a new one.
Just like any other holidays and annual events, Tet has its own set of traditions that are deeply rooted in the Vietnamese culture. As Vietnamese people, we honorably and respectfully uphold these traditions and carry them out with the utmost scrupulosity and thoroughness.
- Prepare a plethora of food as well as a sumptuous fruit basket, burn incense, and ask the buddhas and the ancestors for good luck in future endeavors.
- Mừng tuổi (or Lì xì): during the first day of Tết, parents and adults give out red envelopes containing money (usually in small value) to children and the elderly.
- Xông đất: it is the Vietnamese belief that the first visitor a family receives on this day determines their fortune for the entire year.
- Never sweep, take out the trash, or do house chores; these acts are considered taboo because they imply that you are sweeping (or throwing away) any luck that you may have for the new year.
- Visit friends and relatives on the second day, as well as frequent Buddhist temples where people tend to give donations and get their fortune predicted on quẻ.
- Pay visit to the teachers on the third day. Teachers are viewed as people who deserve the utmost respect because of the roles they play in forming and educating generations and generations of Vietnamese people into successful, honest, and dedicated citizens.
Bear in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive. There are way too many traditions and customs for me to possibly list them all out in this article. These are merely the most common ones that I have seen others and my family practice over the years that I lived in Vietnam.
It has been 3 years since my last Tet with my family at home. I used to be so excited to get the lucky money and would wait till the end of the third day to see how much I had amassed (or “earned” from my religious and diligent visits to my relatives). Writing this article is a way for me to reminisce about those nostalgic moments of my childhood. Thank you Odyssey for giving me this incredible opportunity.
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!! (or shall I say: Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!!)
