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Arranging the Tet five-fruit tray in Northern Vietnam isn't just about showing respect to ancestors; it also reflects tradition and hopes for a prosperous and happy new year. What fruits to include, how to arrange the tray for maximum beauty—check out the article below!
1. What fruits are included in the Northern Vietnam five-fruit tray?
The Tet five-fruit tray is a ceremonial dish comprising 5 different types of fruit, arranged on the ancestral altar to show respect and convey wishes for the new year. The number 5 (Ngũ) in the five-fruit tray carries various meanings and symbols.
Each type of fruit on the five-fruit tray carries its own meaning and wishes, reflecting belief in a new year filled with blessings and happiness for the family.
Traditional Northern Vietnam Five-Fruit Tray
The Tet five-fruit tray in Northern Vietnam is an important part of the Lunar New Year ritual. The selection and arrangement of fruits on the tray demonstrate the respect of Northern people towards ancestors and traditional values. The five types of Northern Vietnam fruits and their chosen colors carry symbolic meanings and harmony as follows:
- Green Bananas: symbolize family reunion and harmony. Bananas lying upside down, embracing each other, also symbolize luck, mutual support, and protection.
- Pomelo: signifies wishes for a new year of safety, prosperity, complete happiness, family peace, and abundance.
- Buddha's Hand Fruit: The shape of Buddha's Hand Fruit resembles the hand of Buddha. Therefore, for people in Northern Vietnam, displaying Buddha's Hand Fruit during Tet makes them feel protected and blessed by Buddha, ensuring a peaceful and prosperous new year.
- Pomegranate: with its fresh pink exterior and shiny seeds resembling cute crystals, the pomegranate becomes a symbol of warmth, prosperity, and many offspring.
- Kumquat - Mandarin Orange: Northern Vietnamese people display kumquats with hopes for auspiciousness, luck, and success in life and work.
Alternative Fruits for the Five-Fruit Tray
Besides the 5 traditional Northern Vietnam fruits used in the Tet five-fruit tray, you can substitute other fruits in your own tray.
- Pear: Sweet and refreshing, signifies smooth sailing and sweet outcomes.
- Peach: Heavenly luck, longevity, abundant health.
- Apple (Western apple, Chinese apple, Taiwanese apple): Prosperity, wealth.
- Red Dates: Prosperity, success.
- Rambutan / Mangosteen: Wishing for everything to go smoothly in the new year.
- Chicken Egg (Lychee ki ma): Heaven's luck.
- Orange: Pronounced similarly to the word 'fortune' in Chinese characters, symbolizing abundance, success.
- Dragon Fruit: Progressing like a flying dragon.
- Papaya: Hope for a new year full of abundance and prosperity, both financially and career-wise.
- Watermelon: Symbolizes wealth, life, and luck for the family, demonstrating resilience and self-reliance.
2. How to Arrange the Five-Fruit Tray for Tet Beautifully and Symbolically
Arranging the Five-Fruit Tray in Northern Vietnam for Tet is an important part of cultural tradition and belief. The arrangement and decoration of the tray are carried out meticulously, adhering to the following principles:
- Green Bananas in the Center: Green bananas are typically placed in the center of the tray, serving as a support and shield for other fruits. They act as the 'foundation' for other fruits, creating balance and harmony in the presentation of the five-fruit tray.
- Buddha's Hand Fruit or Pomelo in the Middle: This type of fruit is often placed right in the middle of the bananas, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune in the new year. Buddha's Hand Fruit or pomelo typically symbolizes prosperity and good fortune in the new year.
- Alternating Other Fruits Around: Smaller fruits will be arranged around the bananas, forming a circle or semi-circle. This creates a neat and visually appealing five-fruit tray, symbolizing prosperity and abundance.
Although there are changes in arrangement, the required fruit in Northern Vietnam remains the banana. The modern arrangement and presentation are more flexible and no longer as strict as before, but still must maintain the values of worship and tradition.
3. Significance of the Northern Vietnam Five-Fruit Tray
The five-fruit tray on Tet often consists of 5 different types of fruits, and in Vietnamese culture, the number 5 symbolizes the desire for the Five Blessings:
- Blessing (wealth, abundance): The five-fruit tray often includes pomelo and watermelon, symbolizing a year filled with abundance and luck.
- Prestige (luxurious quality): Red apples and mandarins often signify luck, prosperity, and success in life.
- Longevity (living a hundred years): Pears typically symbolize smoothness, ease, and the desire for a long life.
- Health: Pomegranates often symbolize the desire for many descendants and joy in the family.
- Peaceful Life: Peaches, coconuts, dragon fruits, lychees, papayas, and mangoes have various meanings, but ultimately express the wish for a happy, prosperous, and abundant life.
4. Taboos to Avoid When Preparing the Tet Five-Fruit Tray
Here are some do's and don'ts when arranging the Tet five-fruit tray:
- It's advisable to choose fruits with different colors corresponding to the Five Elements theory.
- Opt for fruits with sweet, fragrant flavors, and avoid bitter or spicy ones.
- Avoid using overripe fruits.
- Avoid selecting heavily scented fruits with spikes like durian.
- After purchasing and cleaning thoroughly, use a dry cloth to ensure fruits are completely dry to prevent wetting the tray.
The five-fruit tray is a significant symbol in Vietnamese Tet rituals, representing respect and hope for a prosperous and fortunate new year. Placed on the altar during Tet, it not only holds ceremonial importance but also honors and upholds the traditional values of Northern Vietnamese people.
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