When is Vietnamese New Year?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Interest in everything Asian is growing in the world every year. More and more tourists are trying to spend New Year holidays in Thailand, China and Vietnam. These countries have long been accustomed to the influx of Russian tourists at the end of December and are even ready to provide a traditional program with a glass of champagne. But still, a real holiday can be seen only during the celebration of the New Year according to the lunar calendar. Each of the Asian countries has not only its own traditions, but also the dates of the holiday. Today we will discuss the Vietnamese New Year, which is very different from the already familiar Chinese holiday in early February.

Vietnam is a country of great opportunities

Vietnam has not yet become familiar to Russian tourists, our compatriots are just discovering the possibilities of this country and studying all its holidays with interest. It is good to relax in Vietnam at any time of the year, but tourists traditionally prefervisit hot countries in winter, when there are snowdrifts and blizzards outside the window.

This approach has a lot of advantages, because it allows you to get a much-needed boost of emotions and warmth in the middle of the long Russian winter. But besides this, you can witness a truly unprecedented and enchanting show dedicated to the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year. You will definitely remember this holiday for a long time, because it is not celebrated anywhere in Asia like in Vietnam.

Vietnamese New Year: celebration number

New Year in Asia is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, the holiday begins on the first day of the first lunar month. And this means that if you want to become a participant in the holiday, you need to find out what date the Vietnamese New Year is before buying a ticket. Every year, the date of the celebration shifts and in some cases differs by several days from the Chinese New Year. On average, the holiday always fits in the time interval between the twentieth of January and the twentieth of February, and its occurrence is calculated using a special formula. For example, in 2017, the New Year in Vietnam came on the twenty-eighth of January, but next year the Vietnamese will celebrate it on the sixteenth of February.

Therefore, always find out the expected date of the holiday in advance if you want to get to the Vietnamese New Year. It is best to come to the country a few days before the event itself in order to observe the preparations for the holiday and take part in them directly.

What is New Year in Vietnam?

Vietnamese New Year has its own name, shortly it is called Tet, but in full it can sound like "Tet nguyen dan". It is considered a family holiday, and during this period, numerous relatives flock home from all over the planet. According to tradition, the Vietnamese try to gather as many family members as possible in their home, and elderly relatives are most revered.

The holiday itself is usually celebrated at home, and after midnight the whole family goes out into the street. Here, the Vietnamese take part in processions and performances that last for four days. Shops and all public institutions are closed during the holiday.

If you're wondering if the Vietnamese New Year is worth your attention, the photo from this extravaganza of colors and fun will convince you that this is the best time to explore Vietnam. In these four days you will be able to get a lot of positive emotions and return to a carefree childhood.

Preparing for the holiday: what must be done?

The month before Tet in Vietnam is very important. For thirty days, each family tries to make repairs in their home, full-scale changes are welcome, including the exterior painting of the house. After that, it is necessary to arrange a general cleaning and throw away all broken things. By the coming of the holiday, order and almost sterile cleanliness reign in the homes of the Vietnamese.

Every self-respecting Vietnamese spends a few days before Tet in shops, and they choose not gifts for relatives and friends, but clothesfor myself. The fact is that it is necessary to celebrate the holiday in new clothes, but it is allowed to wear it only after midnight. Otherwise, happiness and prosperity in the new year is not expected. Shops in Vietnam before the New Year sell a lot of different outfits at the lowest prices. Therefore, tourists who arrive a few days before the holiday will have time to go to local shops with great benefits for themselves.

Traditional Vietnamese New Year decorations

In Vietnam, it is customary to richly decorate houses before the holiday. Blooming apricot branches are used as decoration; on the eve of the holiday, they are everywhere here. They decorate houses, shops, public institutions. Locals make bouquets of apricot blossoms and put them in vases throughout the house. Such a sight strikes the imagination and sense of smell, because the scent of flowers reigns on every street.

Another decoration of the New Year holiday is the orange tree. Behind him, the Vietnamese go to special bazaars, they can be compared with traditional Christmas tree markets in any city in Russia. An orange tree must have fruits - they symbolize prosperity, so every Vietnamese tries to get a tree with a lot of fruits. We althy Vietnamese people buy several trees to decorate rooms and the yard around the house.

Features of the celebration of the New Year in Vietnam

Before the holiday, every Vietnamese must make a sacrifice to three gods:

• To the Master Craftsman.
• Kitchen god.
• To the Spirit of the Earth.

Sacrifices are fruits and various traditional dishes. The gods need to be appeased for several days, because only after that the Kitchen God goes to heaven and tells the Jade Emperor about everything that happened in the house for the whole year. The success of the family in the coming year depends on this report, and therefore the Vietnamese are trying with all their might to appease the deity in order to improve their position and financial condition.

Many well-to-do Vietnamese families buy live carp from markets and release them into the river. This custom is also associated with the Kitchen God, who goes to heaven on a carp. The Vietnamese believe that a lot of fish released into the river will greatly facilitate the deity's journey through the heavenly path.

On the evening before the New Year, life-size puppets depicting dragons pass through the streets. They are always brightly colored, with reds and oranges predominating in the attire of street dancers. Lanterns are made in the same range, which are usually hung in large quantities on houses and trees in the garden.

Vietnamese New Year holiday scenario

The New Year's holiday in Vietnam itself is scheduled literally by the hour, these traditions are already several hundred years old, and they are observed by all local residents without exception. Gathered around the table, family members give each other money. Usually, new banknotes and coins are wrapped in red gift paper or velvet bags of the same color.

After midnight, all Vietnamesedress up and leave the house to enjoy the festive carnival. If an unexpected guest appears at night in the house, then this is a good omen. He will definitely be fed and given money. After the festive procession, everyone heads home, and early the next morning they go to the temple.

All four days of the holiday, the people of Vietnam go to visit and exchange cash gifts, even the monks in the temples try to give someone a cherished bag with a few coins. Moreover, giving large sums of money or large bills is considered bad manners.

If you want to have a Vietnamese-style holiday at home, be sure to prepare bright clothes in warm shades of red, orange and yellow. Take care of gifts for loved ones by putting them in red bags. In order to create the atmosphere of Vietnam, life-size puppets and images of dragons are well suited. This tradition is very similar to the Chinese New Year, which is not surprising, because the peoples of East Asia have common roots. Don't forget about traditional Vietnamese dishes, which are a must on every table on Tet Eve.

Dishes of the New Year's table

No festive table is complete without Vietnamese Ban Chung pie. It is made from bamboo leaves wrapped in rice, pork, pickled onions and green peas. It is customary to eat this cake the next day after the holiday, they take it with them to the temple and treat the monks.

Fruits are an integral part of the New Year's table, a largewatermelon and melon enjoy respect. They are considered a symbol of we alth and prosperity. The holiday is not complete without pork, in different parts of the country it is cooked in its own way. But in any case, this dish is the most important. In the southern provinces of Vietnam, pork is boiled in coconut milk, and the whole carcass is cooked and cut just before serving. In the north of the country, pork is stewed with bamboo and peas, in addition to it, carp is baked in a s alt shell. This dish is very common in Asia due to its simplicity and surprisingly delicate taste.

The tourists are very surprised by the jelly, which has always been considered a primordially Russian dish. But the Vietnamese cook it quite often and eat it with pleasure.

Vietnamese New Year can surprise even jaded tourists. The holiday is filled with many colorful shows and incendiary music, which invites you to take part in the street procession. And if you want to surprise your loved ones, then remember how to pronounce the phrase "Happy New Year!" in Vietnam! - in Vietnamese, it sounds like "Chung-Chuk Tan-Huan." Now you can safely go to Asia and feel the beauty of celebrating the New Year under palm trees and orange trees.