Tet Nguyen Dan, or Tet for short, is considered the
biggest and most popular festival of the year in Vietnam. Celebrated on
the first day of the first month in Lunar Calendar,
Tet’s celebration is the longest holiday which may last up to seven
days (with the exception of Tet 2012 when the holiday is expected to
last for 9 days!). Vietnamese New Year in 2013 will last from February
10-13, and in 2014 from January 31st to Feb 4th.
Tet is the occasion for Vietnamese to express their
respect and remembrance for their ancestors as well as welcoming the New
Year with their beloved family members. Moreover, in the past, Tet was
essential as it provided one of few long breaks during the agricultural
year, which was held between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing
of the next ones. To make it easier, one can imagine Tet as a
combination of Christmas and New Year: every family will get together to
have big meals, decorate Tet trees and eat Tet food but to welcome the
new year instead of a religious cause.
How Tet is calculated?
Different from the Gregorian calendar, Lunar Calendar has a fix number
of twelve months with 30 days each, and a leap-year will have a whole
intercalary month instead of the 29th day of February. The new year of
Lunar Calendar normally will start in late January or beginning of
February according to Gregorian calendar. That explains why Tet days
vary from year to year: it is because the leap month may fall shorter or
longer which create a smaller or bigger gap between the two calendars.
When is Tet?
* In 2016, Tet is on February 8th (actual holiday from Feb 6-14)
* In 2017, Tet is on January 29th
The actual holiday will last 1 day before and about 3-5 days after the day mentioned above.
How is Tet celebrated?
Since Tet occupies an important role in Vietnamese’s
religious beliefs, Vietnamese will begin their preparations well in
advance of the upcoming New Year. In an effort to get rid of the bad
luck of the old year, people will spend a few days cleaning their homes,
polishing every utensil, or even repaint and decorate the house with kumquat tree, branches of peach blossom,
and many other colorful flowers. The ancestral altar is especially
taken care of, with careful decoration of five kinds of fruits and
votive papers, along with many religious rituals. Everybody, especially
children, buy new clothes and shoes to wear on the first days of New
Year. People also try to pay all their pending debts and resolve all the
arguments among colleagues, friends or members of family.
Like other Asian countries, Vietnamese believe that the color of red
and yellow will bring good fortune, which may explain why these colors
can be seen everywhere in Lunar New Year.
People consider what they do on the dawn of Tet will determine their
fate for the whole year, hence people always smile and behave as nice as
they can in the hope for a better year. Besides, gifts are exchanged between family members and friends and relatives, while children receive lucky money kept in red envelope.
No matter where Tet is celebrated, it must be clarified from the
beginning that Tet is not a day, but several days of celebration.
The general process is as follow (all dates quoted in lunar calendar):
1. Ông Công, Ông Táo Day (Kitchen God day) - December 23rd
2. Wrapping Chung cake - December 26-28th
3. Family reunion and Tất niên - December 30th
4. Giao thừa - New Year's Eve: including praying sessions to God and Ancestors, Xông đất (First visit to a family in the new year)
5. First three days of the new year: visit paternal side on the first day, maternal side on the second day and teachers on the third day
6. Visit relatives, friends and neighbours: can take place from January 3rd - 5th
7. Hóa vàng - burn the offerings near Tet's end for ancestors: January 4th
8. Reopen business: usually owners pick a good date that matches their age
9. Tết Nguyên Tiêu: January 15th
Food for Tet
The following food is often consumed during Tet; some are particular to Tet and often associated with the grand celebration:
- Banh Chung/ Banh Tet
- Pickled onions
- Boiled chicken
- Mung bean pudding
- Vietnamese sausage - giò chả
- Xôi Gấc - Red Sticky Rice
- Roasted nuts and seeds
Read more about Essential Food for Tet holiday
Travelling to Vietnam during Tet
Tet has a very special attached meaning to all Vietnamese. It is
the time for everybody to come back to their hometown, gathering with
family, visiting relatives and having a good relaxing time after a
hard-working year. If you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam during
Tet holiday, make sure you join this festive and happy moments of
Vietnamese!
