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HAPPY CHUC MUNG NAM MOI!!! (HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR)
Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Tết shares many of the same customs of its Chinese counterpart.
A colourful family occasion, Tet, or Chinese New Year, marks the most important time of year for the people of Vietnam. The holiday's full name, Tet Nguyen Dan, means "festival of the first day" and celebrations take place for weeks leading up to, and for a few days following, the last day of the last month of the lunar new year. This year, Tet celebrations begin on February 17 — new year's eve.
Though Tet is celebrated throughout the country, many Vietnamese (romantics at heart) think that Hanoi is the place to be. In the weeks leading up to Tet, Hanoi streets are ablaze with colour, as impromptu market stalls selling cumquat and pink peach blossoms pop up everywhere. Unlike many parts of the country, Hanoi also experiences a drop of temperatures during the winter months, so Hanoians in particular associate Tet with cold weather and all the associated trappings: hearth fires, rugging up, hot food. Hanoians who move south, where winter temperatures still hover around the low 30s, experience a disorientation akin to northern hemisphere residents who find themselves celebrating Christmas in Australia — on a beach with the sun blazing and not a snowman in sight.
But wherever you are in Vietnam, Tet is a big thing. The warm weather down south doesn't dampen the celebratory vibe. The tamarind trees along Saigon's famed Dong Khoi Street are laden with fairy lights and in the weeks leading up to Tet, streets are blocked off for the annual flower market. It's a colourful, exciting time to be in Ho Chi Minh City. While the warmer weather may not be conducive to growing peach blossoms, the Saigonese don't miss out. If they can't get a northern relative to bring them one (a fairly easy task that any traveller on a Hanoi to Saigon flight or train can back up — there tend to be more blossoms than passengers aboard!) they have their own version, 'hoa mai', the yellow-coloured apricot blossom.
An ancient tradition dating back 4000 years, Tet has all sorts of rituals and superstitions associated with it: houses are cleaned, debts are paid off, new clothes are bought and offerings are made to 'Ong Tau', the Taoist god of the hearth. The special tree known as the 'cay neu', made of bamboo and decorated with red paper, is planted outside the house to ward off evil spirits. And, being a family occasion, it is also time to pay respect to those who have passed away, as well as celebrating with those still living. To this end, cemeteries are visited and ancestral spirits are welcomed back to the household. Don't be surprised if you're met by a request for 'li xi', or lucky money — handing a small red envelope with a small denomination inside to close friends and family, especially children, is all part of the effort to usher in good luck for the coming year.
Tet Eve is the biggest party of the year. In Hanoi, locals gather around Hoan Kiem Lake for parades, live music and, at the stroke of midnight, fireworks. In Saigon and elsewhere through the country, the scene is much the same — extended families roam the streets, or cruise about on motorbikes, bands play, fireworks explode, lighting up the night sky. In Hoi An, the charming riverside town in Central Vietnam, the streets are shut off to vehicle traffic and streetlights are turned off; shopkeepers and residents hang traditional lanterns outside their houses and the result is amazingly beautiful. Festivities take place on and around the river, and parties continue late into the night and often until dawn.
The next morning, and during the days that follow, markets stop trading and restaurants close as extended families gather under the one roof for a three-day feast of special Tet treats such as 'banh chung', a square-shaped sweet rice cake stuffed with mung beans and pork. The streets are all but deserted. Traditionally, the first day of Tet is reserved for immediate family, while on the second day the streets begin to stir with life again as people begin to parade their new clothes about and pay visits to close friends and other family members. The third day of Tet is traditionally the day to visit teachers and the family doctor. Many people also visit fortune tellers, in order to see what the year might bring. That night the family might burn offerings to assist their ancestors' transition back to the spirit world. This done, the family can safely have contact with the outside world again.
Tet can be a great time to visit Vietnam, especially in the colourful, chaotic weeks leading up to it. Bear in mind that flights are likely to be full and Highway One even madder than usual as people make a last minute dash to get back to their families. In contrast, over the first few days of the year, the streets are quieter than at any other time, and most services are closed. While many businesses stay shut for weeks, some which cater mainly to foreigners reopen after a few days. If you are in Vietnam over Tet, make the most of it — it's a truly special time.
In Vietnamese, to celebrate Tết is to ăn Tết, literally meaning "Tết eating", showing the importance of food in its celebration. Some of the food is also eaten year-round, while other dishes are only eaten during Tết. Also, the food is usually vegetarian since it is believed to be bad luck to eat meat on that day. These foods include:
• Bánh chưng and bánh dầy: essentially tightly packed sticky rice with meat or bean fillings wrapped in banana leaves. Bánh chưng (rectangular) and bánh giầy (circular) are symbolically connected with Tết and are essential in any Tết celebration. Preparation is time-consuming, and can take days to cook. The story of their origins and their connection with Tết is often recounted to children while cooking them overnight.
• Hạt Dưa: roasted watermelon seeds, also eaten during Tết.
• Dưa Hà nh": picked onion and picked cabbage.
• Củ Kiệu: pickled small leeks.
• Mứt: These dried candied fruits are rarely eaten at any time besides Tết.
• Cầu Dừa Äủ Xoà i - In southern Vietnam, popular fruits used for offerings at the family altar in fruit arranging art are the custard-apple/sugar-apple/soursop (mãng cầu), coconut (dừa), papaya (Ä‘u đủ), and mango (xoà i), since they sound like "cầu vừa đủ xà i" ([We] pray for enough [money] to spend) in the southern dialect of Vietnamese. |
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