A Guide to Tết: Celebrating Lunar New Year 2024

Being the most popular celebration in Vietnam, Lunar New Year is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the beginning of a new lunar year and the arrival of spring. Join us as we learn more about the rich tapestry of tradition, spirit of Tet and renewal as well as family gatherings.

The Essence of Tet

Deeply rooted in Asian cultures, Lunar New Year symbolizes new beginnings and the reunion of families. Delightful feasts with symbolic dishes such as "Banh Chung" sticky rice cakes, "Gio Lua" Vietnamese pork sausage, "Ga Luoc" boiled chicken and "Xoi Gac" red sticky rice are enjoyed by families. While traditional new year dishes vary across cultures, every culture believes that feasts of prosperity bring good luck and prosperity. 

Visiting pagodas and temples during Lunar New Year are popular among Buddhist followers. Visitors make offerings and seek blessings for health, happiness and success in the new year for their families and loved ones.

The Symbolism of Tet

In Lunar calendar, each year is associated with an animal in the Chinese zodiac. This 2024 is the Year of the Wooden Dragon, which is a highly respected animal in Chinese astrology for its courage and energy. Chinese horoscope is often used in Asian cultures as a tool for prediction of a person's personality and fortune.

There are twelve animals in the Chinese horoscope including Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This cycle is repeated every twelve year in the order above. Aside from the animal signs, each year is also associated with one of the five elements that are believed to make up the Universe, according to Chinese philosophy. The five elements are Water, Wood, Earth, Metal and Fire. 

Different Ways to Celebrate in Asia

Asian countries celebrate the first day of January as New Year's Day similarly to most countries in the world. However, when it comes to celebrating Lunar New Year, each Asian country such as Vietnam, China, Singapore and South Korea has unique traditions. Let's find out how each country celebrates in this special occasion.

Vietnam

Tết, or Tết Nguyên Đán, represents the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, a sacred festival heralding the advent of spring in Vietnam. Marked by an extended holiday lasting 6 to 9 days, Tết provides an opportunity for individuals to return home and reunite with their families.

There are three key phases in Tết: Tất Niên (New Year's Eve Eve), Giao Thừa (New Year's Eve), and Tân Niên (New Year). Vietnamese households typically adorn their spaces with plants and flowers, such as Peach Blossoms in the North and Yellow Apricot blossoms in the central and southern regions, symbolizing hope for a new beginning and good fortune.

Designating the first person to enter a Vietnamese home after the stroke of midnight as người xông đất is a significant Tết ritual. Choosing an appropriate người xông đất is considered crucial, as the first visitor is believed to influence the household's fortune for the entire year. Consequently, Vietnamese people refrain from entering houses on the first day unless invited, and lucky money (tiền mừng tuổi) is customarily given to children and the elderly.

China 

The influence of Chinese New Year reverberates across the globe, playing a part in shaping Lunar New Year celebrations in various countries. It can be observed in regions and nations with substantial overseas Chinese such as Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, the United States, Mauritius, and Canada.

On the inaugural day of the New Year, Chinese elders customarily distribute red envelopes, known as hóngbāo in Mandarin, to children or unmarried individuals. This practice, derived from the tradition of gifting coins to repel evil spirits, is complemented by lion or dragon dances and the ignition of fireworks or firecrackers as popular means of celebrating the Lunar New Year in China.

South Korea

Seollal, or Korean New Year, constitutes a three-day national holiday signifying the commencement of the Korean calendar. This traditional festival sees Koreans engaging in family visits, donning hanbok attire, participating in ancestral rites, and relishing traditional foods. Folk games are a popular way to celebrate the new year, and similar to China and Vietnam, Korean children often receive money from elders after a formal bow.

During this period, South Koreans also observe Jeongwol Daeboreum, a festival celebrating the first full moon of the new lunar year. The Daljip ritual involves the construction and lighting of colossal bonfires to usher in luck for the upcoming year.

Singapore

Within Chinese cultural traditions, the color red holds special significance, regarded as exceptionally auspicious and inherently tied to the season. Throughout Chinese New Year, Singaporeans actively embrace this vibrant hue, donning bright red attire as they engage in visits to friends, family, and loved ones. Additionally, the exchange of hong bao, vivid scarlet envelopes containing monetary gifts, is a customary practice among children and younger relatives.

This propitious color saturates homes across Singapore, meticulously cleansed for the spring season and adorned with various shades of crimson. From lanterns hanging at gateways to spring couplets gracing doorways, and lively ribbons embellishing kumquat plants—whose yellow fruit symbolizes 'gold' or prosperity—the pervasive presence of red signifies the ushering in of good fortune and abundance.

Tết or Lunar New Year is more than just a celebration; it's a cultural tapestry woven with love, traditions, and the promise of a fresh start. May the Year of the Dragon bring you and your loved ones abundance, good fortune, and lasting joy.