Tet is from “Tiet” it means a season or “weather”, or understanding in other meanings Tet is a festival. Tet is the occasion of family reunion, visiting relatives, ancestor worship. Tet is also an opportunity to rest, to play to prepare for a new year.
Tet tradition reflects the particularities of culture Vietnam through many generations, and will depend on the region of the country. But we can still divide into two main types: Tet with family and Tet with village.
Tet is the time as all family members gathering. Whoever is going far for studying will be home around December 23 to welcome the New Year with family. Typically 1 Vietnamfamily spent half months to prepare for the New Year, such as housekeeping, shopping, decorating house... Normally Tet customs with families include: visiting ancestral graves, grandparents shadowy procession, fireworks, exodus, stormed the house, good life, taciturn, visits, and continuous abstinence.
We also welcome Tet traditions from ancient villages because society is organized according Vietnam village system, in which the village is the smallest unit. Welcoming New Year with villages include: up yet, Lucky early spring, the crowd singing the Spring Festival as they sing, then wrestling, rowing competition, competition for food.
The spring recreation include: pen spring opening, Festival couplets, New Year paintings, knife sharpener, rated chess lion dance.
Food is very much spring day on the altar but usually always have 4 fruits (bridges, coconut, papaya, mango) stands for " spending enough bridges " in the South, also in the North often green bananas, grapefruit, blueberries, persimmons, eggs, Buddha's hand fruit. Especially some indispensable on ancestral altars that pair’s rice cakes, jam box.
Some cultural practices:
Visiting ancestral graves: From 23 December to 30 children in the family gathered together enough east to visit, remodel ancestral graves and bring fruit aroma lamp to cozy, inviting ancestral spirits to eat Festival for children.
Give the kitchen god to heaven also known as king kitchen. Legend each year to theHeaven god gives kitchen god 1 time, on December 23 to report to God what's happened in that time of year. So on that day people usually worship Vietnam is a precursor to Apple solemn adoration of the Creator and to 30 re-offered to invite grandparents and military Apples spend the holidays. According to custom, practice outside of Kitchen god also coat crown tray of rice paper, double- hia, and carp drop in the water bowl to create military ride to heaven. Generally this ratio in order to keep the commandments we should preserve behavior, because everything would ship up to the Jade Emperor.
His torch shadowy third: the festival invited him to spend the holidays with her children and grandchildren.
On the afternoon of 30 December, on the ancestral altar was presented first feast included fruits and food. The chief offered incense on the altar, begging ancestors witness and bless the family many blessings in the new year. By then everyone in the family are respectfully invited to join hands and shadowy grandparents spend the holidays.
Fireworks: firecracker believed to be able to drive out evil spirits and bring blessings for the new year. There are legends that among teenagers Na 2 Asian couple or vandalism Vietnam harm people, they are just afraid of light and noise, and the people we laid out loudly dazzling fireworks to chase the 2 teenagers. New Year's Eve fireworks right (time between 12 midnight reconciled December 30 of the previous year and the first of the new year), people set off firecrackers at the same time, all sorts of wild crunchy crackers main gun and the burning smell firecrackers mingled scents of incense on the altar lights create a very special festival atmosphere of our nation.
Today not many people still believe the fireworks to banish evil spirits, but firecracker explosions today represents the day the jubilant excitement of spring, determine crimson fireworks symbolize good luck for the new year . But now this is no longer customary for the production and fireworks have caused too many tragic accidents.
Choose a family member passed out in the first minute of the new year. The exodus to view the calendar, choose a good direction, steamed with lucky old to look forward to in the new year when stepped out of the house.
There are so many people believe that the first step in his house at the beginning of the year will bring luck, bad for families throughout the year. Should one or inviting people have luck (thriving, happy family) stormed home to Dum. The bath house had dressed, walked into the front door and went around the house, the kitchen, implying bring luck in every corner home.
In the morning first day of Tet, the children in the show filial piety through good old congratulated for their parents and grandparents. Good old as the Vietnam notion that each person that day to 1 year old, regardless birthday as Westerners.
Li xi word means: is the transliteration from Cantonese to Vietnamese, formerly the “marketing margin “in kanji, which means money, benefits. To celebrate the age of the children, the adults in the family donated the money and wished them a small fast growing, reaching that learning in the new year. It is placed in the red bag, because red symbolizes luck.
Visiting customs: it's time to welcome all the dear friends to visit, and also visited paid holidays. Usually the first day is dedicated to the good life for elders, relatives. 2nd day for teachers, the 3rd is fun to visit with friends
In the first 3 days it is common to eat voices cautious words and actions because we believe that it may bring bad luck for the whole year. For example, do not sweep, scan identify most guns out of the money being considered to the door sweep. No drugs or knives gift of being seen as a sign of illness and conflict. Do not lament or weep smashing dishes because it is a sign of the breakdown of the family. Do not wear white or black because being seen as a sign of mourning.
