By Joe Fotalattee
Listen up, foreigner, do you feel like you never know what is going on? It’s time to look ahead to the nearly month long holiday of Tet 2023, The Year of The Cat, and the secrets of the start, end and in-between.
Although the official national holiday is six days, January 21 through January 26, the celebrations last roughly 30+ days, from the “Minor New Year” or “Kitchen God Day” January 14 to Tet Nguyen Tieu — the “First Full Moon of the Year” February 5.
Key dates:
January 14: During a Feast and House Cleaning “Kitchen God Day” households are cleaned and feasts are enjoyed. Three gods—God of the Kitchen, God of the Land and House, and God of the Market—are in charge of overseeing people’s homes and property in Vietnamese culture. The three deities go to Heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to make their annual report and offer prayers for the upcoming year. On New Year’s Eve, they return to Earth and pick up where they left off. Vietnamese families clean their homes on this day and prepare a tray of traditional farewell offerings including boiled or steamed chicken.
January 17–19:
A traditional and indispensable dish for the Vietnamese New Year is Chung cake. They resemble square cakes and are encased in bamboo or banana leaves. They are made of glutinous rice, pork, and green beans. The shape of Earth is traditionally thought to be square with heaven being round. Vietnamese people make Chung cake to show their gratitude to their ancestors and their country of origin.
January 21 is Vietnamese New Year’s Eve:
Typical of Western New Years Eve, New Year’s Eve is a time for gathering with family, wrapping up the year’s events, and getting ready for the next. Cleaning your home is a must if you want to remove any bad luck from the previous year. It is forbidden to clean during the first three days of the new year because it is believed to frighten away the luck-controlling deity who determines a family’s wealth for the upcoming year.
The most widely used ornaments for decorating homes are small red ornaments, trees, and flowers. Cleaning ancestral altars and placing offerings there are done to appease the spirits of the family’s ancestors because an altar symbolizes their residence or front door to Earth. Family members gather for a special New Year’s Eve meal as they exchange tales about the year that was and their expectations for the coming year.
Children and seniors are given red envelopes as a sign of good luck. The night typically ends watching the fireworks and the New Year’s TV show
February 5 is Tet Nguyen Tieu
On the first full moon on Tet Nguyen Tieu additional relatives and childhood friends are visited. The First Full Moon of the New Year occurs on the fifteenth day of Vietnam’s first lunar month, which is significant for Vietnamese cultural and religious life. Vietnamese people consume vegetarian food. Families will often visit pagodas to offer a new year’s prayer for prosperity.
February 22nd: Vietnamese New Year’s Day and Fathers’ Day
Vietnamese visit their father’s side relatives on the day after their national holiday. This refers to the father and close family members of the husband or father for wives and young children.
February 23rd: Visit Relatives on the mother’s side although these previous two days have become interchangeable in recent years. Vietnamese people pay a visit to their (husband’s/father’s) maternal relatives on the third day of the first lunar month.
February 24–26: Visiting Teachers, Friends, Other Relatives, and Neighbors
Dragon and lion dances, flower vehicle parades, and street lantern performances can be seen throughout the city. During the Tet holiday, many businesses, governmental institutions, and banks close. Employees who work on Tet Day are entitled to 300% of their regular daily wage, so expect a special Tet menu and don’t complain about higher pricing.
Vietnamese New Year is the most significant holiday in Vietnam, marking the beginning of spring, love, and the best wishes for the coming year. Respect and enjoy the traditions as the welcoming Vietnamese generously invite you to their homes and celebrations. We would wish you luck for the new year, and we hope you appreciate how lucky you already are!