Day: February 10, 2024

Hanoi: As Tet approaches, the festive atmosphere covers every corner of Vietnam. Each ethnic group has its own way of celebrating in terms of timing, rituals, customs and cuisine, creating a colourful panorama in the tapestry of national Tet celebrations.

Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic groups, each with its own Tet customs, rituals, and attire. But all share common aspirations for a prosperous and happy New Year with favourable weather, bumper crops, and many fortunate encounters.

The Tet celebration often includes a series of special rituals and activities taking place during the transition from the old year to the new according to the traditional calendar of each ethnic group.

New Year colours

For the Thai group, in addition to traditional rituals celebrating the New Year and commemorating ancestors, drums and gongs play an indispensable role during the festive days.

In Nghia Lo, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, each Thai hamlet possesses a set of gongs and drums displayed at a public place.
On New Year’s Eve, the sound of drums and gongs resound throughout hamlets to welcome the spring. During the festival, locals visit their relatives and friends to extend their New Year wishes during the daytime, and gather in the evening for folk games, singing and playing gongs.

For the Ha Nhi people, their traditional New Year is called Ho Su Cha, the most important festival in the year.

Artisan Po Dan Xinh from Ta Ko Khu hamlet, Sin Thau commue, Muong Nhe district, the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, said Ho Su Cha is celebrated before Tet Nguyen Dan (the Lunar New Year), usually around December when the farming work is done. During the festival, the Ha Nhi people cheer bumper crops and pray for good luck.

The Ha Nhi people’s New Year festival begins early in the morning. Local women make “banh troi” (a cake made of bits of brown sugar wrapped in glutinous rice paste and cooked by scalding in boiling water) as an offering to Gods, asking for their permission to slaughter pigs to celebrate th
e festival. It is the tradition of the Ha Nhi people to slaughter pigs and use their livers to determine auspicious and inauspicious events for the upcoming year.

After that, the host takes a small portion from each part of the pig’s body to make porridge and offers it to ancestors and Gods, praying for bumper crops, strong livestock, and good luck. Subsequently, family members gather to enjoy the New Year, then they visit and extend greetings to their relatives and other residents.

As night falls, amidst the sounds of gongs and drums, locals come together, holding hands and dancing around the fire until late at night. The New Year celebration of the Ha Nhi people spans three days.

Diverse forms of New Year celebration

Dr. Tran Huu Son, Director of the Institute for Research on the Application of Vietnamese Folk Arts, said ethnic minorities in Vietnam celebrate Tet in three specific time frames, following their traditional calendars.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by such groups as Muong, Tho, Chut, Ma
ng, Khang, Xinh Mun and Kho Mu in the northwestern region; O Du in the central province of Nghe An; Tay, Thai, Nung, San Chay, Cao Lan-San Chi, Giay, Lu, Bo Y, La Chi, La Ha, Co Lao, Pu Peo, Dao, Pa Then and Mong in the northeastern region; and the Hoa, Ngai, San Diu, Phu La and Ha Nhi in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai. These groups maintain their own traditional customs, but the time to celebrate Tet is consistent with that of the Kinh people.

Some celebrate the traditional New Year according to their own calendars, including Mong in the northwestern and north-central regions with Nao Po Trau; Ha Nhi Hoa in Lai Chau and Dien Bien with Ho Su Cha; Cong in Dien Bien with Uy La Long; La Hu in Lai Chau with Kho Xo; Si La in Lai Chau and Dien Bien with O Xi Gia; Cham with Rija Nugar; and southern Khmer people with Bon Chol Chnam Thmay.

Meanwhile, others in Truong Son and Central Highlands like Ede, Ba Na, Xo Dang, Co Ho, Hre, Mnong, Raglai, Xtieng, Co Tu, Gie Trieng, Ma, Co, Cho Ro, Chu Ru, Brau, a
nd Ro Mam celebrate the New Year from January to March each year in the lunar calendar.

Son said most indigenous ethnic groups follow an agricultural calendar. They consider the time after the dry season, when the first raindrops accompanied by the first thunder signal the upcoming rainy season (the cultivation season, usually around the end of February or early March in the lunar calendar), the beginning of the New Year.

In addition to the three aforementioned unique New Year celebration forms, some ethnic minority groups, such as Ta Oi and Bru-Van Kieu, used to celebrate Tet during the dry season like those in the Central Highlands. However, in recent decades, they have shifted to celebrating both Tet Nguyen Dan and their own Tet.

The New Year celebration is a series of unique rituals and cultural activities that take place at the transition between the old year and the new according to the calendar of each ethnic group. It is a set of distinctive cultural activities that reflect the diversity of ethnic
cultures, manifested in the timing, spatial organisation, as well as customs, traditions, cuisine, clothing, and more. Additionally, Tet is always associated with spiritual and cultural aspects, integral components that cannot be overlooked./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Eating a piece of toast with jam and sipping tea is an amazing moment to enjoy the Lunar New Year (Tet) with friends and family.

It is no coincidence that people often invite each other to some kinds of jam with a cup of hot tea. After eating a piece of toast with jam, people are eager for the initial bitterness of the tea to reduce its sweetness.

Tea drinking is an integral part of Vietnamese culture. A cup of tea is always a great way to start a conversation, and a good pot of tea provides a wonderful way to strengthen family bonds or friendship.

Brewing a hot pot of fresh tea and sipping it during the rare leisure time offered by the Lunar New Year holiday brings a feeling of peace and harmony, dissolving the stresses and strains typical to everyday life.

Over thousands of years, Vietnamese tradition has refined the art of tea drinking to five key factors: Nhat thuy (first, water), nhi tra (second, tea), tam boi (third, cup), tu am (fourth, pot) and ngu quan anh (fifth, friends or guest]). Witho
ut any of them, it is difficult to achieve the perfect exhibition of the art of tea.

Jam is one of the quintessence of royal cuisine which was once dedicated to kings and lords. It is also an innovation of Vietnamese people in the way of processing and preserving agricultural products. Light yellow ginger jam, coconut jam, or sweet lotus jam are the dishes that Vietnamese people favour during Tet.

Vietnamese believe that ginger jam with a spicy and sweet taste will bring happiness and warmth to the new year. This spicy-sweet jam is made from fresh ginger, so it also has a lot of good qualities to improve one’s health. During the cold weather of the Lunar New Year, ginger jam with a spicy taste is indeed a perfect choice that helps to warm the body. Besides the delicious taste, ginger jam is considered good medicine for digestion. It can relieve stomachaches caused by irregular eating and prevent respiratory infections.

Coconut jam is another popular dish in Vietnam. In the past, there was only white colour
but now makers have mixed it with natural fruits to create eye-catching colours such as green, violet, orange and brown. The red comes from beetroot, while the yellow is taken from the juice of pineapple or passion fruit. Coffee gives the jam a brown color, while pandan leaves can give it a light green colour. Coconut jam is quite easy to make, so everyone can make it at home.

Vietnamese people believe the lotus seed jam symbolises a family reunion. To make a delicious lotus jam dish and meet the requirements of the finished product, it takes a lot of time from the selection, preliminary processing, and final preparation. The delicious jam has moderate sweetness, when eating. Lotus seeds help reduce stress and assist people to fall asleep with ease.

Peanuts are also a favourite snack for many people. They are also known as “longevity seeds” because they contain many nutrients that are good for health.

Yellow kumquats, which are always laden with fruits, believed to symbolise prosperity and fortune, are als
o processed into a delicious jam. In the cold weather, using kumquat jam with hot tea can keep the body warm, stimulate digestion and avoid coughs.

It’s obviously that jam is sweet as it’s cooked with a lot of sugar, yet still, it retains the taste of the original fruit. Enjoying it with a cup of hot tea is a fantastic way to enjoy the Tet holiday./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Going to festivals at the beginning of the year is a long-standing tradition of Vietnamese people. It is also a occasion for people to spend time with their families and friends while praying for luck and good things for the new year.

Huong Pagoda festival: A journey to the Buddhist land

The Huong (Perfume) Pagoda in My Duc district, Hanoi is well-known as not only a religious site, but also a great sight-seeing spot in the country. During its festival, the nation’s most elaborate one, which lasts from the beginning of January to the end of March in the lunar calendar, the pagoda attracts millions of pilgrims and visitors.

Hundreds of pagodas and shrines are scattered along the Yen Stream including Chua Ngoai (Outer Pagoda) and Chua Trong (Inner Pagoda). The centre of the complex is the Huong Pagoda proper deep inside Huong Tich Cave.

Tourists take a boat trip from Duc Dock to Outer Pagoda, which was also named Tro Pagoda.

Tran temple seal opening ceremony in Nam Dinh

The ceremony re-enacts a cus
tom dating back to the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400), when mandarins took out their seals after the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) to resume administrative activities, including conferring titles.

The ritual of opening the royal seal is an important ceremony held at the Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh province on the night of the 14th day of the first lunar month. The seal-opening ceremony dates from a time when the King worshiped the Heaven God and the royal court opened the national seal to return to normal work after a Lunar New Year holiday.

At midnight on the 14th day of the first lunar month, a senior man representing the village conducts the ceremony at Co Trach Temple, Tuc Mac village. A procession then carries the seal to Thien Truong Temple, where a prestigious member of the community stamps the seal on pieces of yellow paper which the attendees can bring home as a token of luck and happiness for the New Year. The seal-opening ceremony has been repeated for many years in Tuc Mac village.

The ritual is
followed by a festival with weightlifting, dragon and tiger dances, and chess competition. Rituals at the Tran Temple and relic site honour a triumphant period in Vietnam’s history and encourage a spirit of patriotism.

Yen Tu Festival

The Yen Tu Festival, which is held at the Yen Tu historical relic and landscape area in the northern province of Quang Ninh from the tenth day of the Lunar New Year through the end of the third lunar month, is a major spring festival for Buddhists and tourists nationwide.

The event is held to review the great value of Yen Tu mountain, the origin of Truc Lam Buddhist Zen sect and the contribution of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong. It features a procession from the foot of the mountain to Hue Quang Tower and Hoa Yen Pagoda and an incense offering ceremony to pray for the peace of the nation.

King Mai temple festival

The King Mai temple festival is held from 13th to 16th of the first lunar month of the year to commemorate the merits of King Mai Hac De (Mai Thuc Loan). There is also
the review of the heroic and indomitable spirit of the Hoan Chau uprising against the domination of the Tang Dynasty, gaining independence for the nation for nearly 10 years from 713 to 722.

This is also an opportunity to educate patriotism, arouse national pride among people from all walks of life, and contribute to introducing and promoting the people and “sacred land with extraordinary people” of Nam Dan, the central province of Nghe An. This contributes to the economic, cultural and social development of the locality.

In addition to the variety of ceremonies, the festival features many traditional folk games interwoven with cultural and sports activities. These include drum performances, dragon – lion dances, camping, “chicken sticky rice” contest, flower lantern festival, Vi Giam folk song contest, wrestling festival, boat race, volleyball competition and card chess. These events draw thousands of participants.

Wrestling festival in Sinh village

The festival has been observed on the tenth day of the
first lunar month every year for the past five centuries in Sinh village (now Lai An village) in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

It aims to pray for a New Year with favourable weather, peace and prosperity while promoting sporting movement in the community.

The wrestlers are divided in two age categories of under 15 years old and above 16 years old.

In the qualifying round, a wrestler has to beat their three rivals to enter the semi-final, in which he has to defeat another rival to advance to the final match. The wrestler who is lifted off the ground or falls on his back loses the game.

Ba Den Mountain Festival

The Spring Festival of Ba Den Mountain is an annual event which is organised during the first month of a lunar year. Even so, the main ceremonies are carried out on the 18th night and the 19th day of that month. This is a traditional festival of the communities residing in and near the Nui Ba complex.

On the days of the festival, the monks of highest ranks in Ba Den Temple carry out the M
oc Duc Ceremony at midnight, when the amount of light in the main hall is lowest. As Moc Duc means ‘To bathe the Godess’, the monks use incense-imbued towels to wash the statue of the Black Virgin. The water used in this ceremony is made from lotus, jasmine, and cinnamon. The washing procedure is then carried out by young girls. Dressing in the most beautiful costumes like those of a princess, they dance in pairs and slowly walk into the hall while the ceremony music is being played in the background. After that, they carefully wash and change the costume of the statue. When everything is done, the monks worship the Goddess, asking for her protection and care before announcing the official beginning of the festival./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vientiane: Going to pagodas on the first lunar days remains a tradition of Vietnamese people both at home and abroad, including those in Laos.

On those days, Phat Tich Pagoda in the Lao capital city of Vientiane have welcomed crowds of visitors who come to pray for peace and good health for themselves and their relatives.

Phan Tien Anh, who has lived in Laos for years, said his family has maintained the practice to educate children about Vietnam’s tradition, and pray for a New Year with good health, happiness and peace.

Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, born and raised in Laos, said her family goes to pagodas on the 30th day of the last lunar month, where they can enjoy the sacred atmosphere of Tet.

For every Vietnamese citizen, the cultural beauty of going to pagodas at the beginning of a lunar year is not only a tradition but also an occasion for families to pass on Tet (Lunar New Year) values to future generations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

London : The Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, with its unique traditions and customs, is an important part that reflects the diversity of Vietnamese culture, according to British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history Kyril Whittaker.

Tet celebration is always an interesting experience for him, he told a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in the UK.

Whittaker, who married a Vietnamese wife and has celebrated Tet in Vietnam many times, said that it is easy to recognise a joyful atmosphere everywhere, from the city to the countryside when Tet comes. Every person and family is busy shopping for Tet. They buy new clothes and prepare food and beverages for the biggest holiday of the year. People return to their hometowns to celebrate Tet and reunite with their families after a year of hard work.

The researcher pointed out that Tet represents the diversity of Vietnamese culture, from cuisine, music and art to social interaction, through fine customs and practices such as worshipping ancestors, wrapping banh
chung (sticky rice cake), xong dat (first footing), wearing ao dai (traditional long dress), performing traditional music and songs about Tet and spring, and folk games. According to him, Tet is an opportunity to foster relationships as all families welcome guests who are relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours.

In particular, Tet reflects the ecological culture of Vietnamese people, which is the relationship between people and land and vice versa, Kyril said. He cited typical Tet dishes such as melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, banh chung, pickled onions, fruit trays, and decorative flowers and plants during Tet like peaches, apricots and kumquats.

Another fine Tet custom that shows Vietnam’s ecological culture is the New Year tree planting festival, a movement launched by Uncle Ho and maintained by generations of Vietnamese leaders until today, Whittaker said, adding that it indicates a tradition of preserving Vietnam’s agricultural culture and biodiversity.

The British researcher concluded that Tet is a
festival bearing the characteristics of Vietnamese culture./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency