Tet (Vietnamese New Year)

Tet (Vietnamese New Year), officially known as Tet Nguyen Dan, is the most important and widely celebrated festival in Vietnam. It marks the arrival of spring based on the lunisolar calendar and is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and wishing for luck and prosperity in the coming year. The holiday incorporates a blend of indigenous customs with influences from Chinese culture and Buddhism, creating a unique national celebration that profoundly influences Vietnamese society.

Etymology and significance

The full name, Tet Nguyen Dan, is derived from Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary, with "Tet" meaning festival and "Nguyen Dan" signifying the first morning of the new period. Its significance is deeply rooted in Vietnamese folk religion and agriculture, symbolizing rebirth, new beginnings, and the vital connection between humanity and nature. The period is considered a sacred time when the Kitchen Gods return to heaven to report on the household, and ancestors are believed to visit their living families. This spiritual dimension intertwines with social customs, reinforcing familial piety and communal bonds, principles also emphasized in Confucianism and observed in temples like the Temple of Literature, Hanoi.

Customs and traditions

Preparations begin well before the actual day, starting with the ceremony to send off the Kitchen Gods and a thorough cleaning of homes to sweep away bad fortune. Key traditions include decorating homes with hoa mai (apricot blossoms) in the south, hoa dao (peach blossoms) in the north, and kumquat trees. Families erect a Cay Neu, a tall bamboo pole, to ward off evil spirits. The most pivotal moment is Giao Thua (New Year's Eve), when offerings are made to ancestors at the family altar and people visit temples such as the Perfume Pagoda or Jade Emperor Pagoda to pray for luck. The first visitor of the new year, believed to set the household's fortune, is carefully chosen in a practice called xong dat. Other widespread customs include giving li xi (lucky money in red envelopes) to children and elders, and avoiding sweeping or arguing during Tet to prevent losing good luck.

Foods and cuisine

Tet cuisine is symbolic, with each dish carrying wishes for health, prosperity, and happiness. The most iconic food is banh chung (square sticky rice cake with mung bean and pork) and its southern counterpart banh tet, whose shape is said to represent the earth and the sky. These are prepared in the days before Tet, often becoming a family activity. Other essential items on the ancestral altar and feast table include mut (candied fruits), dua hanh (pickled onions), thit kho tau (caramelized pork and eggs), and xoi gac (red sticky rice). A tray of five fruits, known as ngu qua, is arranged as an offering to ancestors; its composition varies by region but typically includes fruits like pomelo, banana, persimmon, and mango.

Regional variations

While core traditions are shared, distinct practices exist between northern, central, and southern Vietnam, influenced by historical kingdoms like Dai Viet and Champa and local climates. In the north, the preferred floral decoration is the pink blossom of the hoa dao (peach flower), while the south favors the yellow hoa mai (apricot flower). Central Vietnam, particularly areas like Hue, formerly the capital of the Nguyen dynasty, often has more elaborate ancestral rites and may include unique local dishes such as banh in. In the Mekong Delta, river-based customs are common, and communities may celebrate with traditional performances of Don ca tai tu. The mountainous regions, home to ethnic groups like the Hmong people and Tay people, incorporate their own new year festivals, such as Tet Nhay, with distinct rituals.

Dates and calendar

Tet is calculated according to the Vietnamese calendar, a version of the lunisolar calendar that is adjusted to the time zone of Hanoi (UTC+07:00). It typically falls on the same day as Chinese New Year and Korean New Year, occurring between late January and mid-February on the Gregorian calendar. The celebration officially lasts for three days, but the festive period encompasses up to a week or more, beginning with Tet Tao Quan (Kitchen Gods Day) a week prior and extending through subsequent days dedicated to different familial and social visits. The specific date for each year is announced by the Vietnamese government, and the associated zodiac animal, part of a 12-year cycle that includes the Rat, Water Buffalo, and Dragon, is a central theme of the year's predictions and decorations.

Category:Vietnamese culture Category:New Year celebrations Category:Public holidays in Vietnam