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Lunar New Year Tet, also known as Traditional Tet or Lunar New Year, is the largest and most important holiday of the year in Vietnam. This period marks the transition from the old year to the new year according to the lunar calendar, holding profound spiritual and cultural significance and providing an opportunity for family gatherings. Let’s explore with Kamereo the main activities celebrated during Tet!
What is Tet?
Tet, also known as the Lunar New Year or Traditional Tet, is the most significant holiday in Vietnamese culture and for many Asian countries. Tet spans from the end of the last lunar month to the seventh day of the first lunar month, typically falling between late January and mid-February on the Gregorian calendar. This holiday is a time for family reunions, visiting relatives, honoring ancestors, and exchanging New Year’s blessings.
To prepare for Tet, families often clean their homes and decorate with symbols of good fortune, such as peach or kumquat trees in the North, and apricot blossoms or watermelons in the South. Additionally, Vietnamese people perform traditional rituals, including the Kitchen Gods’ ceremony on the 23rd day of the last lunar month and the New Year’s Eve feast on the final day of the lunar year.
During the Tet celebration, typical foods like banh chung (square sticky rice cakes), banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cakes), gio lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), and pickled onions are thoughtfully prepared. Customs like giving lucky money, wishing New Year blessings, and ancestral worship reflect respect and hope for a prosperous, peaceful year ahead.
Tet’s Origin
According to historical records, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year originated from wet rice civilization. In ancient times, communities divided the year into 24 solar terms, with “First Morning of the First Day” marking the start of a new agricultural cycle and becoming a prominent New Year celebration.
In “Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi” from the Nguyen dynasty, it is recorded that some regions of ancient Doai considered the eleventh lunar month as the beginning of the New Year. During the Hung Kings’ era, Tet was celebrated in the eleventh lunar month. However, under Chinese influence, the Vietnamese later celebrated Tet in the first lunar month.
The 13th-century work “An Nam Chi Luoc” by Le Tac describes Vietnamese New Year customs, including activities like soccer, wrestling, and ancestor ceremonies. By the Hong Duc era under the Ly and Le dynasties, Tet had become a grand occasion, with royal ceremonies praying for bountiful harvests and various springtime rituals.
The Meaning of Tet
Tet is the most important holiday of the year for Vietnamese people, embodying deep cultural, spiritual, and family values.
Family Reunion
Tet is an opportunity for family members to return home after a year of study or work far away. Family meals, visits to relatives, and ancestor worship ceremonies connect generations, strengthening family bonds and reinforcing traditional values.
Ancestor Worship
During Tet, Vietnamese people worship ancestors, lighting incense to honor and show gratitude to past generations. This is also a time to pray for health, peace, and prosperity in the new year. Traditional rituals include offerings to the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd day of the last lunar month, arranging a five-fruit tray, and cleaning and decorating the home to welcome good fortune.
Community and Culture
Tet is not only a personal and family event but also a communal one, with people exchanging greetings and participating in traditional games and spring festivals that preserve and promote Vietnamese culture. Traditional foods such as banh chung, banh tet, and pickled onions are also integral, showcasing the unique culinary culture of Tet.
Wishing for Good Luck and Prosperity
Tet is a time for everyone to wish for good fortune in the new year. Customs like first-footing, giving lucky money, and writing new year wishes symbolize the hope for wealth and blessings.
Main Stages of Tet Preparation
Vietnamese people consider Tet a special occasion that symbolizes new beginnings, so preparations are thorough. Here are the main stages leading up to Tet:
Mid-Twelfth Lunar Month
The mid-twelfth lunar month marks the last important full-moon ceremony of the lunar year, setting the stage for bidding farewell to the Kitchen Gods and welcoming the New Year. This is a time for Vietnamese families to reflect on the past year and pray for peace and good fortune in the year to come.
Kitchen Gods’ Farewell Ceremony
Tet preparations officially begin on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month with the Kitchen Gods’ farewell ceremony. According to tradition, the Kitchen Gods observe household affairs throughout the year and report to the Jade Emperor in heaven.
The ceremony usually includes offerings of incense, candles, fruits, paper money, three hats (two male and one female), and three carp (either real or paper carp), as it is believed the carp carries the Kitchen Gods to heaven.
In rural areas, people also maintain the custom of setting up a neu pole—an emblem to ward off evil spirits. Decorated with garlic, cactus, effigies, and pandan leaves, the neu pole is traditionally less common in urban areas. Additionally, people prepare traditional foods such as banh chung and banh giay in the North, and banh tet in the South for ancestral offerings and to foster a warm, festive atmosphere in preparation for the new year.
New Year’s Eve (Tất Niên)
New Year’s Eve typically falls on the 30th day of the last lunar month (in a common year) or the 29th day (in a leap year). It is an occasion for the family to gather and enjoy the New Year’s Eve meal. On the same evening, people perform the New Year’s Eve worship ceremony to express gratitude and to pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year.
Cleaning the Ancestral Altar
In Vietnamese culture, the ancestral altar is an important spiritual symbol—a place where descendants remember and honor their deceased grandparents and ancestors. The arrangement of this area varies depending on the family. However, most ancestral altars have one incense bowl placed in the center, possibly with two smaller incense bowls symmetrically placed on either side.
*The incense bowl symbolizes the connection between the current world and the spiritual world, and incense is often lit to remember previous generations.
The two lamps on the altar are seen as symbols of the Sun and the Moon. They also symbolize constellations and the guiding light for the ancestors’ souls. Behind the two lamps, there are usually chrysanthemums, symbolizing longevity and good fortune. The five-fruit tray is typically placed between the lamps and the incense bowl, representing prayers for a year of abundance, prosperity, and luck. The types of fruits on the tray may vary by region, but each fruit carries its own meaning, symbolizing the family’s wishes and respect.
New Year’s Eve (Giao Thừa)
New Year’s Eve is the moment of transition between the old year and the new year. It is an important occasion for Vietnamese people, when families gather and exchange their best wishes. At this time, many localities organize fireworks displays lasting from 10 to 15 minutes in public areas to mark this special moment of the year.
Outdoor New Year’s Eve worship ceremonies are usually prepared to bid farewell to the old Household Gods and welcome the new ones descending to the mortal realm. According to ancient customs, each year is overseen by a specific Household God, and the gods transfer their duties during Giao Thừa. The outdoor altar displays the host family’s respect and includes offerings such as a roasted pig or chicken, bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), bánh giầy (square glutinous rice cake), fruits, alcohol, water, and paper money. The gods only need to witness the host family’s sincerity and do not require physical offerings.
Indoor New Year’s Eve worship ceremonies are dedicated to ancestors, with the hope that the family will receive blessings in the new year. The altar usually includes Tet dishes such as bánh chưng, pork sausage, chả, xôi gấc (red sticky rice), and various beverages. Additionally, a sweet tray with incense, flowers, candles, sweets, and Tet preserves is solemnly arranged. The host family will pray to the Earth God, the deity overseeing the household, to allow ancestors to return and reunite with their descendants to welcome the new year.
Main Activities during Tet
Three Days of the New Year (Ba Ngày Tân Niên)
Tet in Vietnam is considered the most important occasion of the year, with each day carrying its own significance:
First Day (Ngày Mồng Một)
The first day of the new year, called Tân Niên, is a time for the family to gather, perform the New Year’s worship ritual, and host a family-scale Tet feast. Notably, there is the tradition of “Mồng Một Tết Cha,” where descendants visit and wish their father in the family a happy new year, symbolizing respect and honoring the role of the head of the family.
Second Day (Ngày Mồng Hai)
Dedicated to the tradition of “Mồng Hai Tết Mẹ,” where descendants visit and wish their mother a happy new year, expressing deep gratitude and affection. For those preparing to marry, they will visit the prospective wife’s family (future father-in-law’s house), a custom known as “Đi Sêu,” showing respect to the future wife’s family.
Third Day (Ngày Mồng Ba)
This day is dedicated to the tradition of “Mồng Ba Tết Thầy,” when students visit and wish their teachers a happy new year, showing gratitude to those who imparted knowledge. After the first three days of the new year, people usually visit and inquire, visit their hometowns, and share their plans for the new year.
First Footing
First Footing is an important tradition during the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. People believe that the first person to enter a home after the New Year’s Eve brings either good fortune or bad luck for the entire year. Therefore, many families choose a “lucky” individual to perform this role, selecting someone who is compatible in age with the homeowner, has a cheerful personality, is successful in life, and possesses good moral qualities.
First Outing and Picking Fortune
The first outing, or the initial departure from home in the new year, is carefully timed based on auspicious dates, hours, and directions to attract luck and receive blessings from gods of wealth and fortune. This timing is typically chosen based on the Yellow Calendar and favorable directions to encounter the Gods of Wealth and Happiness, which are believed to bring blessings for the year.
In the North, there is an added custom called “picking fortune” early in the year. After visiting a temple or shrine, people take a green branch from a tree like a banyan, fig, or bodhi to bring home, symbolizing luck and vitality. The branch is then placed on the family altar as a prayer for blessings.
New Year’s Greetings
On the morning of the First Lunar Day, it is customary for the younger generations to gather and pay respects to their ancestors, then extend New Year’s wishes to elders and other senior members of the family. This custom expresses not only respect but also the tradition of “longevity wishes” for older family members. Traditionally, each new year signifies an increase in age for everyone, adding significance to these greetings as an expression of admiration and heartfelt wishes for health and longevity.
The custom of New Year greetings on the morning of the First Lunar Day is more than a meaningful ritual; it is a cherished cultural value, fostering generational bonds within families and reflecting the filial piety of children toward their elders.
Visiting Relatives
Visiting relatives early in the year is an essential tradition in Vietnamese New Year, strengthening family bonds. New Year’s wishes often center around health, prosperity, and good fortune. Visiting neighbors and nearby friends also helps to maintain goodwill and foster a sense of community. This occasion provides an opportunity for people to set aside misunderstandings or conflicts from the previous year and join in welcoming the new year with joy.
Visiting friends and colleagues also serves to maintain and strengthen friendships, reflecting a spirit of unity and creating a joyful start to the new year for everyone.
Giving Lucky Money
“Li xi,” or giving lucky money, is a traditional practice in which elders give children money in red envelopes as a token of good luck and a wish for health, prosperity, and intelligence. Traditionally, the lucky money given was often an odd amount, symbolizing growth and prosperity throughout the year.
Burning Offerings
On the 4th day of the Lunar New Year, known in ancient calendars as the “water day,” families perform an ancestral ceremony to thank their ancestors for celebrating the New Year with them and pray for their blessings and protection in the new year. An important part of this day is burning paper offerings to send money and valuables to those who have passed, helping them gain more blessings in the spiritual world.
Lowering the Neu Pole
The 7th day of the Lunar New Year marks the end of the celebrations with an important ritual called “Lowering the Neu Pole” or the “Khai Ha” ceremony, symbolizing the start of a hopeful new year. This ritual not only honors ancestors but also embodies a unique Vietnamese custom in welcoming the new year, establishing a link between people, nature, land, and the spiritual world.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with a deeper understanding of Tet – one of the most important celebrations of the year. With its rich history, this holiday holds immense cultural significance, strengthening family ties. Follow Cuisine and Life for more helpful information about the Lunar New Year!
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