Tet Nguyen Dan
(The Lunar New Year)
Tet has become so familiar, so
sacred to the Vietnamese that when Spring arrives the Vietnamese, wherever they
may be, are all thrilled and excited with the advent of Tet, and they feel an
immense nostalgia, wishing to come back to their homeland for a family reunion
and a taste of the particular flavours of the Vietnamese festivities.
Tet starts on the first day of the first lunar month and is the first season of
the new year (according to the lunar calendar) and therefore it is also known
as the Tet Nguyen Dan, literally meaning Fete of the First Day, or the Tet Tam
Nguyen, literally meaning Fete of the Three Firsts.
The Vietnamese, wherever they may be, are all thrilled and excited with the
advent of Tet, and they feel an immense nostalgia, wishing to come back to
their homeland for a family reunion and a taste of the particular flavours of
the Vietnamese festivities. Those who have settled down abroad all turn their
thoughts to their home country and try to celebrate the festivities in the same
traditional way as their family members and relatives to relieve their
nostalgia, never forgetting the fine custom handed down from generation to
generation.
The Tet of the New Year is, above all, a fete of the family. This is an
opportunity for the household genies to meet, those who have helped during the
year, namely the Craft Creator, the Land Genie and the Kitchen God. As the
legend goes, each year on December 23 of the lunar calendar, the Kitchen God
takes a ride on a carp to the
Tet is also an opportunity to welcome deceased ancestors back for a family
reunion with their descendants. Finally, Tet is a good opportunity for family
members to meet. This custom has become both sacred and secular, and therefore
no matter where they are, or whatever the circumstances, family members find
ways to come back to meet their loved ones
Vietnamese Tet has quite a few original practices, with customs and
entertainment that have distinct Vietnamese cultural characteristics. In the
framework of this article, a few customs and practices are presented so that
readers can better understand the traditional Tet of Vietnam.
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