This blog post is by Biblio Lotus team member Vivian N., Eckstrom-Columbus Library.
Vietnamese New Year
Lunar New Year or Tét is the most important and widely celebrated holiday in Vietnam. Its celebration follows the lunar calendar, falling between late January and mid-February and is regarded as a time for new beginnings, gratitude, and family.
Preparation for the New Year
A week before New Year's Day, families will thoroughly clean their homes in order to sweep away bad luck. Flowers and decorations are used to celebrate the new year alongside preparations for food to be eaten on Tét.
While the most common flowers used are peach blossoms in North Vietnam and yellow apricot blossoms in South Vietnam, other common flowers that are used to celebrate Tét are dahlias, marigolds, and yellow chrysanthemums.
Traditional Foods for Tét
Food plays a critical role in Tét celebrations. Two of the most important foods are bánh chung, a square shaped cake in the north, and bánh tét a cylindrical cake in the south. Both are made with sticky rice and are filled with a mixture of mung beans and pork, and wrapped in banana leaves that are boiled and eaten. Ginger candies, alongside candied coconut, carrot and lotus seeds are popular sweets eaten during the new year.
New Year Traditions
On New Year’s Eve, families will cook food and present food and fruit to their ancestors, inviting them to join them for the new year.
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First day of Tét
Families will visit their grandparents' homes, or visit cemeteries in order to celebrate with their loved ones. One of the most beloved traditions is lì xì, red envelopes given to children and the elderly containing money as a symbol of good luck for the year ahead. During this time, choosing the first visitor of your home is important, as it sets the tone for the family’s fortune in the new year. -
Second day of Tét
This day is about visiting friends and people you don’t get the opportunity to see often. -
Third day of Tét
Families will cook food once again, but this meal will be used as a send off to their ancestors who were there to celebrate during the new year.
My family practices most if not all of these traditions despite having immigrated and settling here in Tucson. My mother usually comes home with yellow chrysanthemums and will display them for the entirety of the celebration. In addition, we would go to my grandparent's home and have dinner to celebrate the new year. When I was really little, I would receive a red envelope with money inside from all the grownups which was my favorite part of the celebration. My grandparent’s house had an altar with photos of our ancestors and a food offering to have them join us for the new year. In preparation for the new year, my mom and her sister would prepare bánh tét and we would eat that for even weeks after the new year was already over.
Tét is one of my favorite holidays as it brings my family together and allows us to celebrate something vital to our culture despite not living in Vietnam. It is a celebration that my family and I anticipate every year.
