{"id":20239,"date":"2022-12-09T08:48:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T13:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abroader.org\/?p=20239"},"modified":"2023-01-17T22:45:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T03:45:33","slug":"tet-holiday-vietnam-traditional-lunar-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abroader.org\/tet-holiday-vietnam-traditional-lunar-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Tet Holiday – Vietnam Traditional Lunar New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tet Holiday – Tet Nguyen Dan, more commonly known by its shortened name Tet. It is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar. The name Tet Nguyen Dan is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning. Tet Holiday is coming so let\u2019s take a look at some traditions and customs of this special holiday in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tet Holiday 2023 calendar – Year of the cat \ud83d\udc31<\/sup><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The dates of the Lunar New Year differ every year but it generally takes place around late January or February. This year, under the plan from the government, officials, civil servants, and workers of public agencies will begin their 2023 Tet holiday from January 20 (the 29th day of the 12th lunar month) to January 26 (the fifth day of the first lunar month). In this time period, companies (including ABROADER) in the country will not be working to celebrate the great holiday of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tet Holiday 2023 calendar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tet is different from Chinese New Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Credit: Kris Nguyen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While Tet shares many similarities with the Chinese New Year such as the Lunar Calendar system, there is more to differentiate. For instance, the zodiac animal of 2023 is Cat while in other countries, the spiritual animal is Lyn. Vietnamese people consider Tet Holiday the best occasion for family members to return home and get together. During Tet, Vietnamese spend time shopping for the New Year and going to Pagodas and Temples. The items of shopping range from food to clothing to decorations for the house. The Vietnamese believe that Tet Holiday is an occasion to enjoy life after a full hard-working year. Thus people forget their struggles and focus on making the celebration as festive as possible. With high regard, Tet is unique, with distinctive colors and flavors of truly celebrating the new year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Family meal on Tet holiday – Cre: elLotte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Banh chung (Sticky square cake)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Banh Chung is a food that they make from glutinous rice, mung bean, and pork, added with many other ingredients. It is covered by green leaves and symbolizes the Earth, invented by prince Lang Lieu from the Hung King dynasty. Banh Chung is the main food for the Tet holiday because it can last for long days in Vietnamese weather. And families usually store Banh Chung at room temperature for nearly 1 month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gio, cha (Vietnamese sausage)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vietnamese ham\/sausage – Gio\/Cha is another traditional food on T\u1ebft holiday. We usually serve it with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh Chung. Gio is different from Cha since Gio is boiled and Cha is deep-fried. Cha is also made of lean pork and ingredients. However, they do not wrap Cha in leaves and boiled but deep-fried in oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thit kho hot vit (Braised Pork Belly with Duck Egg)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This dish is more popular in the South than in the North. However, no one can deny the irresistible aroma, flavor, and great compatibility of this dish. People cook Pork Belly and Egg with coconut juice and fish sauce. When it is cooked, it becomes tender and absorbs all those unique flavors. The dish is so universal and easy to make. Therefore, it has become one of the most popular dishes served during the Tet Holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xoi (Sticky rice)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Xoi is also a very important part of the Tet holiday in Vietnam. Along with Banh Chung, Xoi is the main staple food for the T\u1ebft holiday. It has many forms: Xoi Lac (sticky rice with peanuts), Xoi \u0110o Xanh (sticky rice with mung bean), Xoi Gac (sticky rice with special \u201cgac\u201d fruit). Among these types, x\u00f4i g\u1ea5c is the favorite the most people because of its special red color \u2013 which symbolizes luck and new achievement for the New Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mut (Sugar-coated fruit)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mut Tet (Tet Sugar-coated fruit) is not a food to serve in a meal during the Tet holiday. It’s more like a snack to welcome guests in this special period. This once-in-year mix of snacks is very large in variety, with so many tastes: ginger, carrot, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there is also a lot more unique food in Vietnam, awaiting you to try. Find out more right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional customs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though many Vietnamese traditions are based on old cultural beliefs that may strike some as a little superstitious, families believe that their activities during Tet must involve happiness, joy, and good luck. Below are some of the popular, long-standing Tet traditional customs that have stood the test of time from generation to generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giving Li xi (lucky money)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first day of the Tet holiday is for the nuclear family. Children receive a red envelope containing money from their elders. This tradition is called “mung tuoi” (happy new age) in the north and l\u00ec x\u00ec in the south. Usually, children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional T\u1ebft greetings before receiving the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we want to wish you good luck, happiness, and a meaningful and adventurous new year with our red envelopes of:<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

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