| TET - Vietnamese and Chinese Lunar New Year, | | | | Dao, Mai, Quat (the Peach, Apricot and Kumquat) |
| is the most important Festival of Vietnamese | | | | Coming to Vietnam during the season of the Tet |
| people. | | | | festival, the visitor is engulfed in an ocean of |
| This scared Festival sometimes between late | | | | colorful flowers. Visiting flower shows, |
| January or early February (depend on Lunar | | | | contemplating the buds and blooms, and |
| Calendar) and Tet has become so familiar to the | | | | purchasing blossoms represents one of the |
| Vietnamese that when Spring arrives. The | | | | distinct Vietnamese cultural characteristics. The |
| Vietnamese, wherever they may be, are all | | | | peach (in the North ) and the apricot blossoms (in |
| thrilled and excited with the advent of Tet, and | | | | the South) are symbols of the Vietnamese Tet. |
| they feel an immense nostalgia, wishing to come | | | | The warm pink of the peach could very well |
| back to their homeland for a family reunion and a | | | | match the dry cold of the North, but the hot |
| taste of the particular flavors of the Vietnamese | | | | South seems to be flourishing in the riot of the |
| festivities. Although officially a three-day affair, | | | | yellow of the apricot. The mandarin is symbolic of |
| festivities may continue for a week or more with | | | | good fortune and, therefore, people tend to |
| every effort made to indulge in eating, drinking, | | | | choose the little plants laden with fruit, big and |
| and enjoyable social activities. It is also a time for | | | | orange, and verdant leaves for a longer display. |
| family reunions, and for paying respect to | | | | |
| ancestors and the elders. Gifts of food are made | | | | |
| to friends, neighbors and relatives in the days | | | | Apricot Flower in the South |
| before Tet. | | | | The Giao Thua ( New Year's eve ) |
| | | | The Giao Thua is the most sacred point of time, |
| | | | the passage from the old to the New Year. It is |
| Vietnam welcomes New Year | | | | popularly believed that in Heaven there are twelve |
| The Tet of the New Year is, above all, is an | | | | Highnesses in charge of monitoring and controlling |
| opportunity for the household genies to meet, | | | | the affairs on earth, each of them taking charge |
| those who have helped during the year, namely | | | | of one year. The Giao Thua is the moment of |
| the Craft Creator, the Land Genie and the Kitchen | | | | seeing off the old chieftain upon the conclusion of |
| God. Tet is also an opportunity to invite and | | | | his term and welcoming in the new one upon his |
| welcome deceased ancestors back for a family | | | | assumption of office. For this reason, every home |
| reunion with their descendants to join the family's | | | | makes offerings in the open air to pray for a |
| Tet celebrations. Finally, Tet is a good opportunity | | | | good new year. |
| for family members to meet. This custom has | | | | |
| become sacred and secular and, therefore, no | | | | |
| matter where they are or whatever the | | | | Parallel sentences in Tet |
| circumstances, family members find ways to | | | | After the Giao Thua is the start of the New Year |
| come back to meet their loved ones, gather for | | | | with many customs and practices, amusements |
| a dinner of traditional foods like "Bánh Ch?ng" (a | | | | and entertainment, all of a distinct Vietnamese |
| square cake made of sticky rice stuffed with | | | | folk culture. If you have an opportunity to visit |
| beans and pork), "M?ng" (a soup of boiled bamboo | | | | Vietnam during the Tet Holidays and to welcome |
| shoots and flied pork) and "Xôi G?c" (orange | | | | the Tet Festivities, together with the Vietnamese |
| sticky rice). This is followed by a visit to the local | | | | people, you will surely be profoundly impressed by |
| pagodas. | | | | the distinct traditional culture that is rich in national |
| | | | identity. |
| | | | Food specialties for TET |
| Peach Flower in the North | | | | |
| Everyone is in a rush to get a haircut, buy new | | | | |
| clothes, spruce up their homes, visit friends, settle | | | | Food specialities for Tet |
| outstanding debts, and stock up on traditional Tet | | | | On the last day of the old year, the preparation |
| delicacies. Businesses hang festive red banners | | | | of food to offer to the ancestors is of special |
| which read "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New | | | | significance. Dishes to offer to the ancestors |
| Year) and city streets are fes¬toned with | | | | differ in the Northern, Central and Southern parts |
| colored lights. Stalls spring up all over town to sell | | | | of the country, depending on their respective |
| Mut (candied fruits and jams), traditional cakes, | | | | weather conditions at the time and on different |
| and fresh fruit and flowers. Certain markets sell | | | | local agricultural products available. What is |
| nothing but cone-shaped kumquat bushes. Others | | | | common in all regions of the country during Tet |
| sell flowering peach trees, symbols of life and | | | | holidays are the varieties of soups, fried, boiled, or |
| good fortune which people bring into their homes | | | | stewed dishes, meat, fish, vegetable... The foods |
| to celebrate the coming of spring. As vendors | | | | that the Vietnamese eat at Tet are varied and |
| pour into the City with peach trees strapped to | | | | diverse. What they have in common is that the |
| their bicycles, the streets look like moving pink | | | | people throughout the country all want to have |
| forests. | | | | the best and the most beautiful looking food on |
| | | | this occasion to offer their ancestors and to treat |
| | | | their friends and guests. |
| Shopping for Tet | | | | |
| The "Mam Ngu Qua" | | | | Banh Chung, Mut, Banh Day |
| The "five-fruit tray" on the ancestral altar during | | | | Vietnamese is waiting for a New Year 2009 which |
| the Tet Holidays symbolizes the admiration and | | | | is considered to be a water buffalo in the |
| gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth | | | | Vietnamese zodiac. The Tet atmosphere is |
| and their ancestors, and demonstrates their | | | | overwhelmed on streets with characteristic peach |
| aspiration for a life of plenty. Legend said alot of | | | | and apricot flower, red parallel sentences, "mut" |
| theories but in a simpler way, the five fruits | | | | (candied fruits and jams)...; happy children are |
| represent the quintessence that Heaven and | | | | worn with new clothes; adults are hurry in |
| Earth bless humans. This is one of the general | | | | decorating and buy things for the special holiday... |
| perceptions of life of the Vietnamese, which is | | | | Some want to go abroad or come to another |
| "When taking fruit, you should think of the | | | | city for a different Tet atmosphere. While |
| grower". | | | | foreigners go travel Vietnam to experience and |
| | | | know more about a traditional holiday |
| | | | We are all wish a happy, lucky and successful |
| Mam ngu qua - Five fruit tray | | | | NEW YEAR! |