Tet holiday- Vietnamese traditional day

The meaning of Tet holiday

Tet is short for “ Tết Nguyên Đán” which means as “The Feast of the First Morning of the First Day”

Tet is the occasion for Vietnamese to express their respect and remembrance for their ancestors as well as welcoming the New Year with their beloved family members. Moreover, in the past, Tet was essential as it provided one of few long breaks during the agricultural year, which was held between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the next ones.

Vietnamese’s family will get together to have big meals with traditional food, decorate their houses with Tet trees and visit their relatives.

Date

The Vietnamese New Year takes place at the start of a new lunar year. Although the people of Vietnam observe the solar (Gregorian) calendar, the Solar New Year generally isn’t as important as the Lunar New Year.

Below are the dates of the first day of Tet in coming years:

2022: February 1

2023: January 22

2024: February 10

2025: January 29

Tet is officially a three-day national holiday in Vietnam. However, including preparations for Tet events, the holiday can stretch up to a week or longer.

Tet holiday customs and celebrations

Significant food and fruit in Tet

Bánh chưng (Banh chung)

According to a legend that has been passed on for thousands of generations, bánh chưng is the symbol of Earth because it combines all the unique ingredients of Vietnamese agriculture.

Mâm ngũ quả (A tray of five fruits)

A tray of five fruits is still used to express the wishes for the Lunar New Year of the host family by their names, colors, and arrangements.

Mứt ( Sweeten dried fruit)

This once-in-a-year mix of snacks is very large in variety, with so many tastes: ginger, carrot, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, etc.

Vietnamese traditional food

Traditional custom

Even though many Vietnamese traditions are based on old cultural beliefs that may strike some as a little superstitious, families believe that their activities during Tết must involve happiness, joy, and good luck. Below are some of the popular, long-standing Tết traditional customs that have stood the test of time from generations to generations.

Lucky money

The first day of Tết is reserved for the nuclear family. Children receive a red envelope containing money from their elders. Usually, children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional Tết greetings before receiving the money.

Xông đất

The act of being the first person to enter a house on Tết is called xông đất, xông nhà or đạp đất

Since the Vietnamese believe that the first visitor a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, people never enter any house on the first day without being invited first.

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.

Decoration

At Tết Vietnamese’s house is usually decorated:

Hoa mai – Ochna integerrima in the central and southern parts of Vietnam.

Hoa đào (peach flower) and kumquat tree in the northern part of Vietnam.

Kumquat tree

Hoa ban in mountain areas

4. Common Vietnamese New Year wishes

Furthermore, here are few common Vietnamese New Year wishes that you may send to your student

Chúc mừng năm mới- Happy New Year
Dồi dào sức khỏe –Plenty of health
An khang thịnh vượng –Security, good health, and prosperity
Phát tài phát lộc – To wish someone become rich and prosperous
Vạn sự như ý – May all your wishes come true

Tết is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture,

Tết carries love and hope; signifies family and friend kinship; and promises a better year ahead. If you are interested in learning about local life in Vietnam, there could not be a better time than Tet.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

5. References