11/01/2023
Vietnamese Lunar New Year season, 2023!
Tết or Tet Nguyen Dan is a way of saying traditional Lunar New Year in Vietnam. It marks the advent of Vietnamese New Year, and the arrival of spring.
Very much like Chinese New Year, which is celebrated at the same time, the Tết holiday in Vietnam is a time when families meet each other to celebrate the forthcoming year, exchange gifts and eat a lot.
Tết in Vietnam
Tết Nguyên Đán means Festival of the First Day of the Year, the word Tết on its own just means festival, so you should not confuse it with Tết Trung Thu which is the mid-autumn festival, also known as Children’s Festival, regarded as the second most important festival in the Southeast Asian country.
What to Expect During Tết Holiday
It used to be that the whole country closed down for two weeks around the Vietnam New Year, as people travelled around he country, or visited relatives overseas. Now, things have changed with restaurants and shops open. However, you should note that the day of Vietnamese New Year is a national holiday.
It is a time when families meet each other and pay their respects to ancestors at pagodas. The days leading up to Tết will see people frantically cleaning their houses both to prepare for the celebrations as well as to wash away bad spirits in preparation for the forthcoming year.
Traditionally the first day in the lunar New Year is reserved for the family with children wearing their new clothes to give their elders greetings before receiving lucky money in red envelopes.
The person who first visits your house determines your luck for the following year. A good person will bring you good luck. Also, you are not allowed to sweep your house during Tết as this might sweep away your good fortune.
On the following days, Vietnamese people visit friends and relatives, as well as Buddhist pagodas. There will also be dragon or lion dances and public performances. It can be a noisy time as drums, bells, gongs, and firecrackers are used to ward off evil spirits.
Tết Decorations
Households assemble a large New Year tree made of a bamboo pole which is decorated with good luck charms. Flowers, blossoms and fruit are used to decorate houses depending upon which part of the country you are situated.
When Is Tết 2023?
The Tết Vietnamese Lunar New Year 2023 will be on 23 January.
