Tết (, ), short for (; ), is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring, which is on the first day of the first Vietnamese lunisolar month, and usually falls between late January and 20 February in the Gregorian calendar.
is not to be confused with Tết Trung Thu (Mid–Autumn Festival). "" itself only means "festival", but it would generally refer to the Lunar New Year in Vietnamese, as it is often seen as the most important festival amongst the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese diaspora, with regarded as the second-most important.
Vietnamese people celebrate annually, which is based on a lunisolar calendar that calculates both the motions of Earth around the Sun and of the Moon around Earth. Tết is generally celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival), with a one-hour time difference between Vietnam and China resulting in the new moon occurring on different days. The dates of the Vietnamese and Chinese Lunar New Year occasionally differ, such as in 1985, when Vietnam celebrated Lunar New Year a month before China. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day.
Tết is also an occasion for pilgrimages and family reunions. Celebrants set aside the trouble of the past year and hope for a better and happier upcoming new year. This festival can also be referred to as in vernacular Vietnamese, (from , "festival", and , "spring").
The reason why the celebration is celebrated is told in a legend which is recorded by Dat Le Que Thoi. Long ago, a couple was so destitute that they were forced to separate. Later, the wife remarried a wealthy man. One day, while she was burning ritual paper offerings in the courtyard, her former husband—who had come to beg for food—happened to appear; recognizing him and moved by compassion, she brought out rice and money for him. When her current husband discovered what had happened, the wife threw herself into the blazing pile of offerings and perished in the flames. Touched by this, the former husband leapt into the fire and died alongside her. Overcome with grief, the second husband also jumped in. All three burned to death. The Jade Emperor, recognizing their devotion and righteousness, appointed them as the Kitchen Gods.Nhất Thanh (Đất Lề Quê Thói, Saigon 1970, tr. 320) chép huyền thoại này như sau: Ngày xưa có hai vợ chồng nghèo đến nỗi phải bỏ nhau. Sau, người vợ lấy được người chồng khác giàu có. Một hôm cúng, đang đốt vàng mã ngoài sân, vô tình người chồng trước vào xin ăn, vợ nhận ra, động lòng thương cảm, đem cơm gạo tiền bạc ra cho. Người chồng sau biết chuyện, người vợ bèn lao đầu vào đống vàng cháy chết thiêu. Người chồng cũ cảm kích nhảy vào lửa chết theo. Chồng sau vì thương, nên cũng nhảy vào nốt. Cả ba đều chết cháy. Ngọc Hoàng thấy ba người có nghĩa, phong làm vua bếp."
History The Lunar New Year holiday was originally brought to Vietnam by the Chinese, who had formally conquered Vietnam into their Han Dynasty empire in 111 BC and mostly ruled it for over 1000 years until the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in the 10th century. That historic period of Chinese rule significantly influenced Vietnamese culture, language, and administration, as Chinese governors had attempted complete Sinicization. Today, Vietnamese Lunar New Year still follows the lunar calendar and retains original Chinese customs, such as gifts of lucky money in red envelopes. However, Vietnam also evolved its own distinct traditions, including customary Tết dishes, that reflect Vietnamese culture. The Vietnamese zodiac has the Buffalo, Cat, and Goat instead of the Ox, Rabbit, and Sheep in the Chinese zodiac.
Controversies Tết's origins have been a subject of scholarly research for many generations. Most information sources state that Tết originated from the period of Chinese domination. However according to the official online newspaper of the Vietnamese government, some historical materials suggest otherwise.
According to researcher Toan Anh, Tết Nguyên Đán is considered the first festival of the new year, beginning at midnight with the ceremony. The ceremony usually takes place between the hour of the Pig on the 30th day or, if it is a short month, on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month, and the hour of the Rat on the 1st day of the first lunar month.
Researcher Phan Cẩm Thượng, in his book Customs of Human Life, explains that the Vietnamese use the agricultural calendar or lunar calendar, which is based on the moon's rotation around the earth but also accounts for the 24 solar terms of the earth with the sun, including the four key points of the spring equinox, autumnal equinox, winter solstice, and summer solstice. Tết begins on the first day of lunar January, marking the start of a new year and a new farming cycle.
Historian Trần Văn Giáp asserts that there are many ways to divide time into months and years. From the beginning, each ethnic group had its own way of dividing months and years. According to Trần's research, Tết Nguyên Đán in Vietnam dates back to the first century AD.(While during this period, northern Vietnam was under Han administration, and the imperial Chinese calendar system was in use.）The origin and meaning of Tết Nguyên Đán have been prevalent since then.
According to the legend of Bánh chưng Bánh giầy, the Vietnamese have celebrated Tết since before the time of the Hùng kings. The legend of Lang Lieu and Bánh chưng also suggests that Tết existed over a thousand years before the period of Chinese domination. (To date, no substantial archaeological evidence has been established to support this claim.)
Name The name is a shortening of , literally written as (meaning 'festivals'; only used in festival names) and which means the first day of the year. Both terms come from Sino-Vietnamese, respectively, () and .
The word for festival is usually , another Sino-Vietnamese term .
Customs
In Vietnamese Tết culture, there are many traditional customs and preparations leading up to the Lunar New Year celebration. The holiday is typically divided into two parts: the two weeks before the first day of the new year, which are dedicated to preparations, and the first three days of the new year, which focus on customs for welcoming and celebrating the new year. During Tết, people usually return home to be with their families. From the 23rd day of the last lunar month to New Year’s Eve, many families begin the tradition of visiting their ancestral homeland to worship at the family altar or pay respects at their ancestors’ graves. They also clean and tend to the gravesites as a gesture of respect and remembrance. Although Tết is a national holiday celebrated across Vietnam, each region and religion observes it with its own unique customs and traditions.
Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday food and doing house cleaning. These foods include , , , , , dried young bamboo soup (), , and xôi (sticky rice). Many customs and traditions are practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on the first day of the new year (), ancestor veneration, exchanging New Year's greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, opening a shop, visiting relatives, friends, and neighbors.
Tết can be divided into three time periods, (celebrations before the end of the year), (New Year's Eve), and (the New Year), representing the preparation before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tết, respectively.
New Year in Tết
The first day of Tết is reserved for the immediate family. Children receive red envelopes containing money from their elders. This tradition is called "" (happy age) in the North region and "" in the South region. Usually, children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional Tết greetings before receiving money. Wearing red clothing during Tết is common as it is associated with good luck.
Since the Vietnamese believe that the first visitor who a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, people never enter any house on the first day without being invited first. The verb of being the first person to enter a house at Tết is , , or , which is one of the most important customs during Tết. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to a family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings. Usually, a person of good temper, morality, and success will be a lucky sign for the host family and be first invited into his house. However, just to be safe, the owner of the house will leave the house a few minutes before midnight and come back just as the clock strikes midnight to prevent anyone else from entering the house first who might potentially bring any unfortunate events in the new year to the household. This is a common practice done by many families.
Sweeping during Tết is taboo, it is or (unlucky), since it symbolizes sweeping the luck away; that is why they clean before the new year. It is also taboo for anyone who experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tết.
It is important to retain harmony within the household during the first three days of Tết. Engaging in conflict, arguments, or exhibiting any feelings of anger and hatred may bring upon bad luck for the upcoming year.
During subsequent days, people visit relatives and friends. Traditionally but not strictly, the second day of Tết is usually reserved for friends, while the third day is for teachers, who command respect in Vietnam. Students in Vietnam are usually given a one-week long break from school to celebrate Tết. Local Buddhist temples are popular spots because people like to give donations and get their fortunes told during Tết. Children are free to spend their new money on toys or on gambling games such as , which can be found in the streets. Prosperous families can pay for dragon dancers to perform at their house. Also, public performances are given for everyone to watch.
Traditional celebrations These celebrations can last from a day up to the entire week, and the New Year is filled with people in the streets trying to make as much noise as possible using firecrackers, drums, bells, gongs, and anything they can think of to ward off evil spirits. This parade will also include different masks and dancers hidden under the guise of what is known as the or lion dancing. The is an animal between a lion and a dragon and is the symbol of strength in the Vietnamese culture that is used to scare away evil spirits. After the parade, families, and friends come together to have a feast of traditional Vietnamese dishes and share the happiness and joy of the New Year with one another. This is also the time when the elders will hand out red envelopes with money to the children for good luck in exchange for Tết greetings.Lucky money in tet. Vietnamese Culture and Tradition. https://www.vietnam-culture.com/lucky-money-in-tet/
It is also a tradition to pay off debts before the Vietnamese New Year for some Vietnamese families.
Decorations
Traditionally, each family displays , an artificial New Year tree consisting of a bamboo pole long. The top end is usually decorated with many objects, depending on the locality, including good luck charms, origami fish, cactus branches, and more.
At Tết, every house is usually decorated by yellow Ochna blossoms () in Central and Southern Vietnam, peach blossoms () in Northern Vietnam, or mountain ebony () in the Northwestern mountain areas. In the north, some people (especially the elite in the past) also decorate their house with plum blossoms. In the north or central, the kumquat tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tết. Its many fruits symbolize fertility and fruitfulness which the family hopes in the coming year.