Celebrating Tet in Saigon
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Tet is just around the corner! To the Vietnamese, Tet (A.K.A Lunar New Year) is as important as Christmas is to Westerners. However, because Tet is a family holiday, many people will leave the big city like Saigon to return to their hometown for a reunion. As a result, many restaurants, shopping malls, and attractions will be closed during Tet. So what can you do on Lunar New Year? This article will show you how to celebrate Tet in Saigon like the Saigonese do.
What is Tet Holiday?
Together with many other Asian countries, Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year (in Vietnamese Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet Ta), around January or February. In 2018, the first day of the year falls on February 16th. Just like Christmas, on this holiday those who move out and live separately from the family will come back home for a reunion after a busy year. Due to this, during the first week of Tet, big cities like Saigon or Hanoi will be almost empty.
Let’s talk about the stages of Tet! Tet can be divided into 3 stages: before Tet, Tet’s Eve, and the 3 days of Tet.
Before Tet
In this stage, family members will spend time cleaning up and re-decorating their homes. Some families will even repaint their whole house to bring luck to the owner. The new year is a good time for a fresh beginning. People often throw away old stuff that is no longer used or things that may bring bad luck to the family.
Two weeks before Tet is shopping time! People look for new home appliances, decorative items, flowers, red envelopes, sweet treats, and gifts for their business partner or relatives and friends. Don’t freak out when you see endless lines of people waiting for their turn to check out in the supermarkets. If you have time to wander around Cach Mang Thang Tam street in Tan Binh district, you will feel the bustling atmosphere of Tet in Saigon. Tet’s song will play in the huge speakers in front of countless fashion shops. On the side roads, the traders sit on the street to sell dong leaves (a leaf used to wrap the sticky rice cake, the traditional dish of Tet Nguyen Dan). In addition, many temporary markets (like the floating market in district 8) will be open only for Tet holiday. You should spend a couple hours there and check it out.
We visit each other’s house on Lunar New Year, and because of that, we always spare a table to display dried candied fruits, roasted watermelon and pumpkin seeds, cans of beer, soft drink, tea, and watermelon. When the guests come, we will have delicious treats to offer them.
Another signature sign of Tet that you will see on the days leading up to the holiday, is the motorbike-taxies carrying yellow apricot flowers (the symbol of Tet in Vietnam) and kumquat tree.
23rd of December (Lunar Calendar) – Kitchen God Day (Tet Tao Quan)
Many Vietnamese families have a small shrine in their kitchen to worship the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God will keep the stove fire going to heat the house, making it cozier and warmer for family members. The Kitchen God will also record the behaviors of people who live in the house. Then, they report the list of good and bad things people have done to Jade Emperor once a year, on the 23rd of December (Lunar Calendar). The Vietnamese will make boiled carp, fruit, some other dishes such as Chung cake, Tet cake, and burn incense as offerings to send the Kitchen God on his journey to heaven on this day.
Tet’s Eve – 29 or 30 Tet
Did you know that the lunar calendar only has 29 to 30 days? That’s why we call the last day of the year 29 or 30 Tet, depending on how many days are in the month. This also refers to reunion day. In the morning, we will prepare many traditional dishes such as pork braised with duck egg in coconut juice (thit kho hot vit), boiled chicken, Tet’s cake, and so on. There are also 5 types of fruit including custard apple, coconut, papaya, mango, and watermelon (also known as one of the symbols of Tet) that we also prepare. These are the offerings to our ancestors, Kitchen God and the homeless souls. Then the family members will gather together for lunch or dinner and share our stories of what we have achieved throughout the year, as well as our plan for the new year. At midnight, when the fireworks light up the sky, it’s the sign of the New Year.