Tet - the Vietnamese New Year - is the most important holiday of the year. In Vietnam, New Year's Day usually comes somewhere between January 20 and February 20 in the current solar calendar.
Traditionally, Vietnamese all over the country, rich or poor, greet the Lunar New Year as well as the coming of Spring almost in the same way and make whole-hearted preparations for this significant event.
The true meaning of Tet in Vietnam
From the day of its foundation, the basis of Vietnamese society has been based on families. So Tet is an occasion for grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends to tighten the bonds of relationships, to show mutual respect, and especially for the living to commemorate those who passed away.The early herald of Tet
Broadly speaking, from the spiritual, material viewpoints as well as social and cultural aspects, Tet is a special opportunity for the Vietnamese to pay homage to their ancestors and grandparents, to visit their graves, pray for well-being, good luck and for prosperity.
In addition, Tet is more than a New Year holiday. It is a vacation when people entirely stop working and enjoy merrymaking and festivities in compensation for days of hard work during the year.
Vietnamese legends have it that on the evening of the 23rd day of the Lunar calendar's 12th month, a send-off ceremony is given to the Kitchen Gods (in Vietnamese, Tao Quan) who will report to the Jade Emperor about the good and bad deeds along with the moral conduct of household members.Celebrating the transition from the Old to the New Year (in Vietnamese, Giao Thua)
The Kitchen Gods - a legendary Triad made up of one female and two males - are household guardians protecting the family and watching its members' activities throughout the year so as to make an annual report to the Heaven.
The Vietnamese calendar, is divided into lunar cycles of 60 years (one Ky), and periods of 12 years (one Giap), each year involving 12 months, each month 29 or 30 days of 12 hoours.Paying homage to the ancestors.
At midnight when the old lunar year ends, comes the sacred moment when the two years meet. Household members are earnest in waiting for this moment when a fresh change is brought forth to the universe. They come out in the open air, gathering in front of a candle-lit table full of offerings devoted to the Gods: xoi (glutinous cooked rice), che (green bean sweetened porridge), fruits and flowers - and solemnly celebrate the event. Household members take turns to celebrate the passing of the year, welcome the new one and also pray for the welfare and good fortune for the family. The ceremony is, undoubtedly, the most important popular manifestation of the year.
On the last day of the dying years, very home is made ready for Tet. This means people are ready to start the ceremony to invite their ancestors and their deceased parents to come over for a reunion and enjoy Tet with them. The ancestor altar is brightly lit and decorated with flowers and fruits. The most significant among the offerings are Earth Cakes (Banh Chung – square sticky rice cake). The origin of banh chung dates back to the Hung Vuong Dynasty, when people thought the square-shaped rice fields were an image of Earth.Visiting ancestor’s graves.
When everything is ready, household members take turns prostrating themselves before the altar paying homage to their deceased parents and ancestors, and also praying for well-being and prosperity throughout the year. On the third day of Tet, people prepare another ceremony intended to say goodbye to the dead who stayed with them during the three Tet days. In towns, this ceremony means to put an end to Tet festivities and enjoyment. In the countryside, the Baamboo pole (in Vietnamese, Cay Neu) is only removed on the 7th day when all duties towards God and the dead are completed.
People usually pay their first homage to Buddha in pagodas or temple, and make their first gifts to Buddhist monks and nuns. They offer aromatic incenses to good spirits and ask them for luck. On this occasion, some people would have their fortune told by fortuneteller and palmists, eager to know in advance the events that may happen to them in the course of the coming new year.The important of the First-Footing visitor.
Their activities on Tet days also include a visit to the tombs of their dead parents in the countryside or in the mountains.
“First-Footing” is a custom of waiting for the first person to enter a house in the New Year before celebrations can begin. Every householder nervously wonders who is to be his or her First-Footing Visitor this year.Other habits about Tet.
In the old days, the Vietnamese attached great important to the First-Footing Visitor from outside on the first day of Tet. This visitor was believed to be the one who brought good luck or bad luck to his/her family during the rest of the year. If a rich person visited first, people believed that their families’ fortune and prosperity would increase.
Some people were so superstitious that they try to arrange in advance by asking a good-humored and smiling friend to be their first visitor.
Tet is an important for everyone to relax and enjoy good drinks and good foods. All over the country, everybody is on vacation, there are absolutely no business activities. Market places are closed, people have to store foods and other things for at least three days.
Everybody is in the mood to welcome relatives and friends and exchanges best wishes good health, good luck and prosperity. All their finest clothes and jewels. The most remarkable thing that can be noticed is that during Tet days people, young or old, always try not to have any rough manners or utter any abusive language.
In the countryside, people take part in different exciting contest: wrestling, boat races, cock fights, games of chess with living chessman clad in colorful combat uniforms.
(By Phong Dao, from The Saigon Time Weeky, 1999)
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