Lunar New Year in Vietnam | Jindal Home

by Linh P. Nguyen – January 27th, 2017 – College Knowledge, Joining JSOM

Year of the Rooster

Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!

It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year — the Year of the Rooster — so as a gesture of appreciation to our JSOM
students, staff and faculty who celebrate this holiday, let’s learn more about it.

Lunar New Year is calculated based on the lunar calendar and usually falls around late January or early February. It
is widely celebrated in East Asia, but each country does it a little differently. Here are a few holiday traditions
observed in my home country, Vietnam:

Flowers of Tết

Lunar New Year, also known as Tết, is a time for renewal. It marks the beginning of spring, when fresh buds bloom and
nature comes to life. As the weather gets warmer, families pour into flower markets to buy peach or apricot blossoms
for their homes.

Peach blossoms. Photo: Nam Nguyen Studio

Apricot blossoms.

Traditional Food

Boiled chicken, Vietnamese ham, fried rolls and candied fruits all sound yummy, but if there’s a must-have during
Tết, it has to be Bánh Chưng (northern Vietnam) or Bánh Tét (southern Vietnam). Although different in shape, they’re
both made of sticky rice, mung beans and pork wrapped in green leaves. The dish is steamed overnight, and family
members usually stay up together and play card games while taking turns to check on it.

Families making Bánh Chưng and Bánh Tét. Photo: vietravel.com

Lunar New Year feast. Photo: daynauan.vn

Ông Công, Ông Táo

According to folk tales, there are three little gods generally referred to as Ông Công Ông Táo who live in each home
and
would depart a week before New Year’s Eve to report to the King of Heaven about the family’s rights and wrongs
during
the year. Hence, every year on this day, each family would buy three carps and release them into a lake as means of
transportation for these gods to return to the sky.

Releasing of the carp. Photo: giadinh.net.vn

Good Luck

One of the most important rituals during Tết is choosing the first person to enter the house, because that person is
believed to determine the household’s good luck (or bad luck) for the whole year. People also generally practice
good
behavior during the holiday in hopes of a peaceful and prosperous year.

The Lunar New Year brings together family. Photo: blog.bizweb.vn

Reunion

Above all, Tết is a time for reunion. During the first five days of the new year, people visit their relatives and
friends to exchange gifts and good wishes. Children wish their parents good health and longevity, while little kids
receive lucky money in red envelopes as an encouragement to do well in school.

What do you think about our traditions? Do you celebrate Lunar New Year differently? Let me know in the comments
below
and CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI!