18/01/2023
Main traditional customs during Tet
1. Offer Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao
According to the tradition of our people from ancient times, on the 23rd of the lunar calendar on the 23rd day of the lunar calendar, Mr. Tao went to heaven to report everything in the house of the owner to the Jade Emperor. Therefore, in these days, families in Vietnam will clean the kitchen, buy goldfish to worship and see Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao back to heaven.
2. Make Chung cakes
Making Chung cakes are a traditional dish dating back to King Hung’s time and this is also an indispensable culinary culture in the Tet days of the Vietnamese people until today. Families often pack banh chung from the 27th, 28th and 29th of Lunar New Year, which is also a meaningful gift for our relatives and friends on this occasion.
3. Traditional trees
Northern peach blossoms or Southern apricot flowers as well as kumquat trees are one of the trees symbolizing luck, happiness and prosperity for the family. In Vietnam, there are many other beautiful flowers that people love to buy in home decoration to welcome the new year like orchids, daffodils, lilies, chrysanthemums …
4. Five fruits tray
The five fruits tray that we still use on ancestor altars is an indispensable custom in the Lunar New Year of Vietnamese people to pray for a new year with peace, luck, health, wealth and happiness.
The five fruits tray is a fruit of 5 different kinds of fruits, corresponding to the meanings that it brings, it is also the wishes that the homeowner wishes for a future of a new year. For example, papaya will symbolize fullness and fullness, but these cultural traditions in the North, Central and South have different traditional characteristics.
6. Visiting ancestors
Children and grandchildren in families will come together to visit and clean up the resting place of their ancestors and relatives. This is considered a popular traditional custom of Vietnamese people, expressing filial piety, as well as respect for the birth and deceased ancestors.
7. Year End worship
On Tet holiday, families in Vietnam often make incense tray and invite gods and family to celebrate Tet with their family on the afternoon of December 30, at the same time to finish an old year and prepare to welcome the new year.�
8. New year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is a time of transferring meaning and holiness between the new year and the old year, which is an important time when heaven and earth intersect. The ritual offering ceremony on the 30th night is also called the exorcism ceremony which takes place at the last minute of the year with the meaning of removing all the bad things of the old year to welcome the good of a coming year. New Year’s Eve offering ceremony is done outside.
9. Picking render year
The beauty of spring and spring picking is a traditional beauty in a new year of Vietnamese people. The custom of picking locus is usually done on New Year’s Eve or early morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year to pray for good luck, and to bring the fortune to the house.
10. First footing
After the eve of the New Year and starting the new year, who was the first person to enter the house with the New Year greetings, it was the one who broke ground for your family.
According to the concept of Vietnamese people, the people who come in the beginning of the year are very important because for that reason, families often choose for themselves people who are old, gentle, happy families, prosperous business and count Cheerful love to land your home.
11. Exchange the wishes, give and receive lucky money.
Vietnamese people have a custom as well as a culture to celebrate Tet and relatives on Tet holidays and especially on Lunar New Year. Usually in the morning of a New Year, the children and grandchildren will come to bless them and celebrate their grandparents and parents. After that, the children and grandchildren will be happy to welcome new money to grandchildren and parents to wish the luck and happiness will come to their children and grandchildren in red envelopes to get sewing with wishes for children or grandchildren to eat fast, study well, happy and happy in the new year. The age of happy money is not important in the amount of money, but the important is the meaning and heart of the happy person.
12. Beginning of the year
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people often choose beautiful hours and bring the best of wealth and wealth as well as the appropriate direction of age to depart with the hope of having luck and peace when leaving the house.
A typical cultural feature of Vietnamese people is that the custom of going to the temple during the first days of the new year is a beauty of spiritual culture in Vietnamese’s life. Incense to worship the temple at the beginning of the year is not only to pray for a new year of luck and happiness, but also to express your mind and respect to the Buddha and ancestors.