A look at Tet holiday in Vietnam
1. What do Vietnamese people do on Tet holiday?
Vietnamese people practice many traditions during Tet:
Clean and decorate their homes before Tet.
Hold the Ong Cong – Ong Tao ceremony on the 23rd day of the last lunar
month.
Visit and clean the graves of their ancestors.
Gather with family members and celebrate family reunions.
Prepare and offer a year-end meal to ancestors.
Decorate their homes with flowers such as cherry blossoms and apricot
blossoms.
Display a five-fruit tray on the family altar.
Welcome the first visitor of the new year (xông đất or mừng đất).
Visit relatives, friends, and neighbors to exchange New Year wishes.
Give lucky money (lì xì) to children and elderly people.
Visit pagodas to pray for good fortune and happiness.
Buy salt at the beginning of the year for good luck.
Students practice the custom of writing at the start of the new year for academic
success.
2. What do Vietnamese people make or prepare on Tet holiday?
Vietnamese people create and prepare many cultural products for Tet:
Bánh chưng (square glutinous rice cake).
The year-end tray of food with dishes such as chicken, soup, vegetables, and
meat.
Five-fruit trays for family altars.
Calligraphic couplets (câu đối) with wishes for the new year.
Flower decorations, including cherry blossoms, apricot blossoms,
chrysanthemums, lilies, and marigolds.
Lucky money envelopes (lì xì).
Home decorations and ancestral altars prepared for Tet celebrations.
3. What do Vietnamese people believe about Tet holiday?
Tet reflects important Vietnamese beliefs and values:
Tet is a sacred time marking the transition from the old year to the new year.
It is a time of hope, good luck, and new beginnings.
Family reunion is one of the most important values of Tet.
Ancestors continue to be part of family life, so people honor and remember
them during Tet.
The first visitor of the year can influence a family's fortune for the entire year.
Praying at pagodas can bring good fortune, health, and success.
Giving lucky money symbolizes blessings, prosperity, and happiness.
Traditional customs help Vietnamese people remember their roots and preserve
their cultural identity.
Tet is a time to leave behind bad things from the old year and welcome positive
things in the new year.