The Importance of the Tet Holiday in Vietnam

The Importance of the Tet Holiday in Vietnam

The Vietnamese New Year, more commonly known worldwide as the Tet holiday, is probably the longest festival that represents Vietnam’s traditional culture and history. It takes place in the beginning of spring, as well as of a new year in the lunar calendar. Though there are a variety of festivals during the year such as the Mid-autumn Vietnamese New Year and Cold Food Vietnamese New Year, the Lunar New Year is the most important festival for Vietnamese. They believe it is the biggest and the most sacred festival, which attracts visitors to Vietnam. Usually, the festival occurs sometimes between the end of January and early February. It depends on the lunar calendar. During Tet, winter concludes and spring begins. It is the time when the cycle of the universe ends to give way for the beginning of a new one. There are three important things in Tet. They are the Vietnamese New Year customs, Vietnamese New Year Food and the meaning of Tet.

Tet consists of a process based on the lunar calendar. Kitchen God Day occurs on December 23rd. It comes from a common fairy tale between two men and a woman. On Kitchen God Day, mothers and grandmothers clean and decorate the altar with fresh flowers and fruits. During Tet, people decorate their house with the color of red. Peach flowers symbolize life and good fortune. It is an important aspect of the Vietnamese New Year. Vietnamese believe that it bring them luck. It is a colorful celebration in the spring. The Kitchen God can only travel to the Heavens with the help of golden carp. The carp are alive and bred in a lake or a river. From December 26th to December 28th, the Vietnamese people make Square Cake to prepare the essential food for Tet. On December 30th, the last day of a year, they cerebrate with a family reunion and New Year’s Eve Party. New Year's Eve is an important ceremony with each family, including praying sessions to the gods and ancestors. They wait for the first person who visits their family in the new year. They think the first person will bring luck and happiness for them. On the first three days of the new year, people wait for and welcome relatives, and come back home to visit their parents. They get new clothes because they believe that it is symbolic of a new start. From January 3rd to January 5th, Vietnamese people visit relatives, friends and neighbors to wish them a Happy New Year. Moreover, people give each other lucky money in order to give them a good health, luck and happiness.