Avoid These 10 Traditional Tet Gifts for Good Fortune

A popular choice for snack lovers, especially among men, dried and fresh squid is a customary gift. However, during festive occasions like Tet, people tend to refrain from accepting both dried and fresh squid. The belief is that receiving squid at the beginning of the year might bring about a year of misfortune, failed endeavors, and challenges in life. After a beach trip, many individuals often send a few squid to friends and family as a gift.

Nevertheless, avoid gifting squid during Tet, as it is believed to bring bad luck. Take notice of those closely connected to rivers and lakes; they rarely consume squid in the first days of the year. Similarly, if you present a jar of squid, people may interpret it as a playful tease.

When caring for cats, the release of oxytocin hormone creates a sense of affection and excitement. Having a cat also helps inhibit cortisol hormone - a type of stress hormone. Therefore, you will feel more comfortable and relaxed. Spending time playing with your pet cat helps uplift your spirits. This stimulates the production of serotonin in the body, enhancing your mood. When you are happy, your body and health also benefit.

However, according to the folk belief, 'Cats bring difficulties, while dogs bring prosperity,' people often do not wish to receive cats in the first days of the new year, even if the cat you bring is cute and adorable. The meowing of cats often gives people goosebumps, especially during the New Year when everyone hopes for joyful things. The sound of cats seems to convey a sense of resentment, so you should not choose a cat as a gift on Tet.

'Wealth brings rituals and meaning' is a saying that has been passed down for a long time, emphasizing that when people become rich and prosperous, they often focus on cultural and spiritual life with many rituals and meanings. This won't be negative if we know how to choose a suitable and meaningful gift. Have you ever thought that coffee could be a choice?

Similar to ink, pure coffee has a deep black color, so many people believe that the black color of coffee will bring bad luck. Instead of giving coffee, you can give tea as a gift. Tea is also a very suitable beverage when paired with pastries, sweets, enjoyed by both adults and children.

For chefs, kitchen scissors are always essential tools. While on regular days, gifting them a set of kitchen scissors might bring joy, it's not the ideal gift during Tet. Tradition holds that kitchen scissors may bring friction to the owner due to their cold metal nature and sharpness, leading to potential misfortune.

In today's modern industry, intricately designed and beautiful sets of kitchen scissors have become popular gifts. However, ancient beliefs caution against receiving them on the first day of the year, as they are thought to bring discord and bad luck to the family. Therefore, it's better to choose a different occasion for gifting rather than Tet.

During Tet, you often buy gifts for your loved ones with the intention of wishing them health and all the best. However, not every gift is suitable for this day. If you visit your sweetheart's house on Tet, choosing a celebratory gift is one of the crucial things to consider. The impression you make and whether you win the hearts of her parents largely depends on the gift you bring.

For the children in her family, you can give them lucky money, but for her parents, giving money is not always appropriate. If her parents are a bit particular, you should choose a gift instead of giving money, as they will see you as a practical person, and they may feel dissatisfied with your approach.

During the new year, people often prefer vibrant, bright colors such as red, yellow, and more. There is a tendency to avoid items in dark colors like black or deep green. Many believe that these colors bring misfortune, darkness, and tragic events. Therefore, even if the item is wrapped in bright colors on the outside, you should avoid choosing gifts with dark colors during the traditional Tet days.

In the new year, every family wishes to receive joy and luck. So, when giving gifts, even if the contents are valuable, if you wrap them in dark-colored paper, the recipient will immediately show a somewhat unhappy expression. Instead, you should choose red wrapping paper, which is very suitable for the Tet occasion.

Black pepper has more health benefits than we know. Its health benefits include relief from respiratory disorders, coughs, colds, constipation, indigestion, anemia, impotency, muscular strains, dental diseases, diarrhea, and heart disease. Black pepper is the result of black pepper plant berries and is used both as a spice and medicine. Due to its antimicrobial properties, pepper is also used for food preservation. It is a rich source of manganese, iron, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber. Pepper is one of the kitchen spices that enhances the flavor of dishes, especially during Tet with many oily foods. It aids in digestion and is commonly bought by mothers, but it is not a suitable gift choice. In the Southern region, especially among the Chinese community, they avoid gifting each other black pepper on Tet. They believe that the dispersion in the word 'tiêu' from black pepper implies scattering and dispersing, bringing bad luck and misfortune for the entire year.

People often wish each other 'Money flows like water,' symbolizing water as a source of wealth, embodiment of prosperity, and good fortune. If you give water to someone, it means you are giving away your own prosperity. Therefore, in the first days of the new year, people often invite each other for beer, wine, cola, soft drinks... but hardly anyone invites plain water. To avoid loss, you should also refrain from choosing water as a gift.

Avoiding water on the first day of the year is a custom in many Asian countries, including Vietnam. According to the beliefs of the past, water represents the flow and abundance corresponding to the saying 'money flows like water.' If someone gives water as a gift, the giver is considered to lose their fortune. Therefore, recipients also hesitate to accept such gifts.

Fire often brings a sense of heat, and it is also the cause of tragic fires... Therefore, many people believe that fire is quite dangerous, bringing about unfortunate events, devastation, and chaos. Hence, you should not choose items related to fire as gifts during Tet to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Items that create fire such as lighters, zippos should not be given to family or friends during this Tet. On the first day of Tet, people are wary of others coming to ask for fire from their homes because the belief is that a red flame is a sign of good luck. Giving someone red on the first day of Tet may bring about a year of misfortunes such as financial losses, a deteriorating home, or encountering unexpected troubles.

Bananas are a type of fruit rich in vitamins good for health. They are often used as a dessert after meals or as ingredients for delicious cakes and sweets. Despite the goodness of bananas, not many people bring bananas as gifts during Tet. Many believe that slippery bananas bring good luck to the recipient's family, so bananas should only be bought and not accepted as gifts.

Bananas are a gift you should not give during Tet. Though bananas are a type of fruit rich in vitamins good for health and are often used as a dessert or as ingredients for delicious cakes and sweets, not many people bring bananas as gifts during Tet. Many believe that slippery bananas bring good luck to the recipient's family, so bananas should only be bought and not accepted as gifts.