Tet Nguyen Dan, or simply Tet (Festival), is Vietnam's most important annual event; it lasts for seven days and falls sometime between the last week of January and the third week of February, on the night of the new moon. This is a time when families get together to celebrate renewal and hope for the new year, when ancestral spirits are welcomed back to the household, and when everyone in Vietnam becomes a year older.
Festivals of interest to tourists include the Water Puppet Festival held at Thay Pagoda, west of Hanoi; Buddhist festival at the Perfume Pagoda, west of Hanoi and Trung Thu Festival, also known as Children's Day. when dragon dances take place and children are given lanterns in the shape of stars, carp or dragons.
How do Hanoians welcome Tet Nguyen Dan?
The most noticeable characteristic of the Tet holiday is the excited atmosphere of preparation in the streets and homes of Hanoi .As the year draw to a close, and the city is bustling as families engage in shopping, dressmaking, home decorating, cooking, and receiving relatives.
The larger the family, and the greater its social networks, the more preparing it has to do. The whole house is decorated and cleaned, but the ancestor worship altar is given special attention. All worshipping objects and cleaned carefully. In former times, folk paintings, called Tet paintings, were hung to welcome New Year. Rich or poor, each family places a couple of bánh chung ( a square cake made of sticky rice stuffed with pureed green beans and pork) and mâm ngũ quả ( a tray of five “ lucky fruits” ) on the ancestor worshipping altar during Tet. Customarily, Tet preparations begin in earnest after the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. According to custom, this is the day that Ông Công-Ông Táo ( the Kitchen God) departs earth for Heaven to report both the good and the bad deeds of the people to Ngoc Hoang ( the Jade Emperor, the Ruler of the Heaven).
In the days before Tet, the markets ( especially the markets selling traditional Tet flowers) are crowed eager shoppers and sellers. Since markets are closed for the three days of Tet, all necessary food items must be purchased ahead of time. Furthermore, many people like to visit the market on the days leading up to Tet in order to take in the hustle and bustle . Some large Tet markets in Hanoi include Đồng Xuân and Hàng Da in Hoan Kiem district, Hôm and Mơ in Hai Bà Trưng District, Châu Long in Ba Đình district, anh Bưởi in Đống Đa district. In additional, smaller and temporary markets spring up in residential areas around the city in order to meet the increased demand .
Also during this time, family members go to clean graves of deceased family members, planting new trees or refreshing the flowers on the graves, and lighting incense to invite ancestor’s souls to return home to celebrate Tet. This activity is a unique custom in Vietnamese spiritual life.
In Hanoi, during the Tet season, houses are full of flowers displayed in guestrooms and on altars . In northern Vietnam, pink and purple peach blossoms are the traditional Tet flowers. Houses are also decorated with ornamental kumquat trees. A kumquat tree, typically over one meter tall and laden with orange fruits, is placed in the guestroom. This tree is not only for decoration but also serves as a symbol of abundance and wealth. To meet the demand, many flowers market spring up in the last days of the year and end of the New Year’s Eve. Hàng Lược flower market in Hoàn Kiếm district and Nhật Tân peach blossom and kumquat tree market near West Lake are among the most popular spots to buy and sell these items.
“Lễ cúng tất niên” ( the end of the Year Ceremony), held at noon or in afternoon of New Year’s Eve, has an important role in the festival. At that time, preparations have been completed, and all family members, including those who live or work far from home, have gathered. Lights on the ancestor is burned. The family says prayers, inviting ancestors to join the family members, living and dead. All family members sit together, sharing a meal and talking to each other in a intimate, cozy atmosphere. Then, everyone rests and bathes before staying up late to welcome the New Year. Women in the family prepare boiled coriander leaves, giving the house the soft scent reminiscent of the countryside for people to enjoy during their bath. Customs states that, in bathing, people can wash away any unlucky things from the previous year.
Midnight on New Year’s Eve is the most scared moment of Tet festival. According to folk custom, it is the moment that Heaven and Earth meet. In the past, at the stroke of midnight, the entire city of Hanoi resounded with the explosion of firecrackers from every household. In addition, families would carry out the “ tục hái lộc” ( bud picking custom), where the head of the household would select a young bud from the family garden, and place it on the family garden, and place it on the family altar. This custom was a way for the family to ask for gifts from heaven and earth in order to start the New Year.
Furthermore, the scents of burning incense, flowers, and firecracker smoke mingled make people feel festive in the holiday atmosphere. However, in recent years firecrackers have been banned by the authorities for safety purposes. Most activities to welcome the New Year do not start until morning, though.
According to tradition,”ngày Nguyên Đán ( the first of the New Year) will reflect the fortune of individuals and the family throughout the year. So people are careful to exchange only kind words and best wishes when meet each other. Unpleasant and unhappy things are put aside. For this reason, the first traditional houseguest must be a kind, good-natured, successful, virtuous man, in order to bring the family good luck in the coming year. Children are not permitted to go out or visit other households until the first houseguest has arrived.
Another Tet’s custom, is” mừng tuổi” (expressing longevity whishes on New Year’s Day) since Tet is also considered a birthday of sorts for everyone in Vietnam. On the morning of the first day, grandparents and parents give their children “ tiền mừng tuổi” (lucky money). The money is usually small in quantity, but bears a symbolic meaning. Children also offer their parents and grandparent “tiền mừng tuổi”. People select new banknotes and put them into red pretty envelopes called “ bao lì xì”. When giving “ bao lì xì”, the giver also offers wishes such as “ have a good appetite and grow quickly” for children, “ good health and longevity” for elderly, or “ safety and prosperity” for other family members. Guests give children “ tiền lì xì” as well. This custom is a way of honoring children and the elderly in Vietnam.
Some people maintain the xuất hành custom in choosing an auspicious time and direction to go out for the first time on the morning of the first day. In the past, scholars and mandarins considered “ khai but”, the first writing in the new year, to be an important art. Today, some writers and poets continue the custom in early spring. Places around the Hoan Kiem lake and Văn Miếu Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature) are crowed with people who want to maintain the tradition of xin chữ ( asking for scripts): Chữ nho ( ancient Chinese script) or chữ nôm ( Vietnamese demotic cript). The scripts contain moral advice on such matters as Tâm ( heart), Nhẫn ( patience), Đức ( virtue), and Phúc ( good fortune). These scripts they want and bring it home to hang in a solemn place in their house or office. Previously, elderly scholars acted as calligraphers.Today, skilled calligraphy penmen are also asked for scripts.
Vietnamese people follow the saying, “ for New Year’s greetings, visit parents on the first day, the wife’s family on the third day’’. Among the teachers to be visited are literature and martial art teachers, phusician of traditional medicine, and trainers from work. The saying reminds people of the hierarchy in Vietnamese society: ancestors first, paternal and maternal grandparents and parents next, teachers and benefactors after that , and then friends and neighbors.
Tet offers a chance to entertain, give feasts and receive friends. Hosts are to receive guests warmly and heartily, inviting them to enjoy betel, lotus tea, wine, sugar-coated fruits, or even entire feasts. These meetings with old friends are a highlight for many people. Tet specialties are always put out for guests as part of the Vietnamese traditional of hospitality.
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Vietnam's customs: Tet Nguyen Dan
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