Tet is
an exceptional holiday for Vietnamese. It is the biggest event of the
year as everyone gathers together to welcome the New Year with their
neighbors and family members. Loved ones come back home from far away
for this special occasion.
The Vietnamese people will begin their preparations well in
advance for the upcoming New Year. It starts with an event called "Chụp
mã" where people will spend a few days cleaning their homes, the
gravestones of ancestors, the ancestral altar, polishing every utensil
and then inviting nearby friends and families to celebrate with a feast
and religious rituals. From there, people begin to shop for things such
as kumquat trees, branches of peach blossoms, and many other colorful
flowers such as hoa Mai to decorate the house. The marketplace is
especially a fun and exciting place to visit during this holiday because
fresh and luscious fruits, candies, and gifts are on beautiful displays to
attract customers from near and far. Children who have left home for
jobs send money home for their parents as a way to show gratitude for
their blessings. Every household buys votive paper clothing and
accessories for the ancestors along with many other purchases such as
new clothes like áo dài
and shoes to wear on the first day of New Year. Workers are given end
of the year money in red envelopes as they try to pay off debts and
resolve all arguments among their colleagues, friends or family members.
Children get red envelopes with money inside from family members and
close family friends.
New Year's Eve when I was growing up included firecrackers and
fireworks. Now it is celebrated with just fireworks as families gather
around eating Banh Chung/ Banh Tet (sticky rice cakes in a square
shape). Weeks before the New year you could see scallions and carrots
being dried in the heat on the streets as people get ready to make
pickled onions and pickled carrots, a very popular dish eaten with Banh
Chung. Xôi Gấc - Red Sticky Rice, is also commonly used as red means
good luck. Among the savory dishes are the sweet treats such as Mức
(colorful roasted sweetened coconuts), mức gừng (sweetened roasted
ginger), bánh thuẫn (steamed cake). Most popular finger snacks are
roasted nuts and watermelon seeds.
In the agricultural perspective, the Lunar New Year is held
between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the next ones. Tet has
a very special attached meaning to all Vietnamese. It is the time of
year that family members come back to their hometown, visiting
relatives, sing karaoke, and relaxing after a hard-working year. If you
have the opportunity to visit Vietnam during the Tet holiday, this is a
festive holiday you don't want to miss! It was our very favorite time of
the year and our children loved getting red envelopes as we serve up
big meals over a 2 weeks period. Tet is not a day, but several days of
celebrations and festivities. The streets are vibrant with colorful
flowers and decorations. Businesses shut down for days so that everyone
could be outside enjoying the gorgeous scenery, playing games like Tôm cua bầu cá gà nai with their Tet money, and relaxing. 
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| mức gừng (sweetened roasted ginger) |
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| bánh thuẫn (steamed cake) |
