In each different country, Tet will have different cultural features and customs. Tet in Vietnam is an occasion for all family members to gather and reunite after a year of hard work. And Tet of Vietnamese people also has countless good and interesting traditional customs and practices. Let's find out through the article below!
1. Worshiping the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month
The first thing that makes us feel the atmosphere of Tet is that Tet is on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month every year. Vietnamese people have a legend that on this day, Ong Tao will ride a carp to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor the annual activities of a family.
The ceremony to worship the Kitchen Gods is considered to start the Tet atmosphere.
Therefore, Vietnamese people celebrate the farewell ceremony of Ong Cong and Ong Tao very lavishly with the hope that the best things will be reported to the Jade Emperor, and the unlucky or bad things will be reported lightly. This is a cultural feature and habit passed down from ancient times. The ceremony to send Ong Tao to Heaven is held on the evening of the 22nd day of the 12th lunar month every year.
2. Visiting ancestors' graves
One of the beautiful cultural customs passed down from generation to generation of Vietnamese people is to visit the ancestors' graves together and clean the grave area. This ceremony has the meaning of inviting the spirits of grandparents and ancestors to celebrate Tet with their descendants. It takes place from December 23-30 of the lunar calendar every year.
3. Go shopping for Tet
The Tet market is the most crowded, bustling and crowded occasion. The Tet market will sell many delicious and strange things, products and typical goods to serve Tet such as fruits, peach trees, kumquats, dong leaves, pork wrapped in cakes, candies, etc.
Tet markets are always busy and bustling.
Besides that, there are Tet decorations such as Tet jam trays, flashing lights, feng shui decorations to bring luck to the family or as gifts.
4. Clean the house for Tet
An indispensable job to celebrate Tet every year for Vietnamese people across the country is cleaning the house to welcome Tet.
On this day, people will clean their houses together, wash their blankets, decorate their houses and villages to make them clean and tidy. In addition, people will decorate with ornamental plants and parallel sentences to wish for a good and lucky new year.
5. Wrapping Chung cake and Tet cake
A familiar and indispensable dish in the traditional Tet holiday of the nation is Chung cake (of the Northern people) and Tet cake (of the Southern people).
6. Display the fruit tray
The five-fruit tray includes five different types of fruit. Depending on the tradition of each region, the North, Central, and South, there will be different types of fruit on the five-fruit tray.
The five-fruit tray on Tet holiday symbolizes the achievements of farmers after a year of hard work. Moreover, displaying the five-fruit tray also means praying for a new year of peace, happiness, luck, well-being and prosperity.
7. New Year's Eve dinner
Usually on the 30th of December of the lunar calendar every year (or the last day of the old year), families in Vietnam often prepare a meal to burn incense and invite gods and ancestors to celebrate Tet with their family. The meal is called the New Year's Eve meal or New Year's Eve offering with the meaning of ending the old year and preparing to welcome the new year.
8. New Year's Eve Offering
New Year's Eve is the transitional moment between the old year and the new year, an important moment when heaven and earth are in harmony. New Year's Eve worship takes place around the last minute of the new year and is performed outdoors.
9. The custom of entering the house and picking the first lucky branch of spring
Another very interesting and important custom for many Vietnamese people is the custom of visiting the first house of the year. Before New Year's Eve, people will ask the person with the best age and luck in the new year to visit their house or choose a gentle person, a happy family, a successful business, and a cheerful personality to visit their house.
Picking lucky bamboo shoots at the beginning of spring is a beautiful traditional custom of Vietnamese people in the new year. Picking lucky bamboo shoots is usually done on New Year's Eve or early morning of the first day of Tet to pray for luck and bring fortune into the house.
10. New Year greetings and lucky money
On New Year's Day, Vietnamese people have the custom of wishing their relatives and friends a happy new year, and usually start on the first day of the New Year by first wishing their grandparents and parents a happy new year. Then comes the custom of giving lucky money to wish them a new year of wealth, profit and luck.
11. Taboos and not taking out trash on New Year's Day
A taboo custom of Vietnamese people during Tet is sweeping the floor on Tet holiday. Because Vietnamese people believe that having many guests visiting the house is considered as good luck for the family in the new year.
Besides, the custom of not sweeping the house and taking out the trash during the 3 days of Tet is to avoid sweeping all the money and luck out of the house, so Vietnamese people will pile it up in a corner of the house and wait until after the 3rd day of Tet to take it out.
12. Going to the temple at the beginning of the year
A beautiful traditional culture of Vietnamese people is going to pagoda at the beginning of the year. Going to pagoda at the beginning of the year is a beautiful spiritual practice, not only to pray for a lucky and prosperous new year but also to show respect to Buddha and ancestors.
Hopefully through the above article, you have gained more understanding about the interesting customs of Vietnamese people during Tet.