Tết!

      Tết is a big celebration in Vietnam that celebrates the Lunar New Year. It occurs the first day of the first lunar month when the busy harvest time ends.  This celebration is filled with rituals and allows for the strengthening of social ties and is ideal for family reunion. What is most interesting about Tết is the differences in celebrations among the different cultural groups in Vietnam. All the different ethnic groups seem to view the New Year as a time of worship and a great way to reconnect with family;however, different groups celebrate it in different ways and practice different rituals.


    The flower market is held once a year and many people purchase flowers to display as signs of luck for the new year outside of their house.  In the north, peach flowers represent fertility and longevity while the apricot flower in the Southern region represents things that are elegant and modest.

  

   There is a feast for worship Ancestors for the New Year’s Eve. Everyone family member’s success in the existing world is witnessed by forefathers. After dinner, there is an outdoor art performance that pays tribute to the Buddha.  People wish their parents and grandparents good health, which is a custom.  If you respect the elderly they will expect to live long. On the morning of the first day of the new year, people often visit close ones such as teachers and other family members.  The festivals last many days after the official Tết holiday. This is very different than American holidays in which celebrations rarely last some days before the holiday but not usually after.

    For the Mông ethnic people Tết is a relaxing festivity and an occasion for family reunion. the Mông people's celebration of Tết does not seem to be as chaotic and busy because they are in a more rural area. They believe the festival represents perfect harmony between Yin and Yang. They use a chicken for blood and neck feather as a symbol of sacrifice offering on the last day of the lunar New Year. The hunting tools are believed to hold spirits meaning they are entitled to rest and to be worshipped alongside the alters. They make delicious cakes to put on alters to worship ancestors and a strange bird that saved their ancestor. The festival lasts for three days. And in these three days they visit friends and family and have a meal with them. They drink alcohol, which Is bitter and can make you drunk very quickly.

    The Dao Tiền people live in a more rural area. The festival for them begins from early of the last day of the old lunar New Year but not all families celebrate the festival. Families encountering bad fortune in the last year hold rituals to pray for a better year. Those who encountered good fortune hold rituals to thank the genie for their blessing. The festival includes worshiping, dancing and singing.