Exploring the Unique Traditions of Tet Festival in the Mekong Delta

The Tet Festival in the Mekong Delta is distinguished by the harmonious convergence of customs from the fraternal ethnic groups of Kinh, Hoa, and Khmer, simultaneously showcasing the distinctive beauty of traditional Vietnamese Tet culture.

Exploring the Unique Traditions of Tet Festival in the Mekong Delta

Tidying Up Homes

As Tet approaches and the new year arrives, the first task in many Vietnamese people's Tet customs is to tidy up their homes. According to ancient beliefs, tidying up the home spotlessly is to dispel the old and unlucky things from the past year to welcome the new year with luck and brightness. This thorough cleaning is often done about 10 days before Tet to allow enough time to prepare for other Tet festivities.

Gathering Peach Blossom Leaves

Gathering peach blossoms is an indispensable tradition during Tet holidays, especially in the Southern and Mekong Delta regions. People usually gather peach blossoms around the 15th day of the last lunar month to ensure they bloom beautifully in the first days of the new year. Along with gathering peach blossoms, many families also tend to their gardens and buy flowers to decorate, adding to the joyful atmosphere of welcoming Tet.

Sending the Kitchen Gods to Heaven

This is the day to bid farewell to the Kitchen Gods, reporting on the family's achievements of the past year and asking for blessings for the new year. From early morning, mothers and wives go to the market to buy the freshest ingredients to prepare the farewell meal for the Kitchen Gods. Among the dishes, there must be floating rice cakes, symbolizing the wish for everything to flow smoothly and favorably.

Visiting Ancestors' Graves

From the 23rd to the 30th day of the last lunar month, descendants in the family visit and tidy up the graves of their ancestors. This is a familiar custom in the Western region during Tet to show respect and filial piety to ancestors who have passed away. They often bring fruits and incense to offer and invite their ancestors to their homes for Tet meals.

Displaying the Five-Fruit Tray

The Five-Fruit Tray plays a significant role during Tet. Each region has its own selection of fruits, but they all must include five types symbolizing the five elements for a prosperous, peaceful, and lucky new year. Additionally, a pair of watermelons with green skin and red flesh symbolizes luck and success.

In the Mekong Delta, fruits such as pomelo, coconut, papaya, and mango are commonly chosen for the Five-Fruit Tray. People here also avoid using fruits with negative connotations, such as bananas (symbolizing bowing down), pears (symbolizing dragging), durians (associated with sadness), and kumquats (unlucky).

Traditional Tet Dishes

During Tet, every household prepares a pot of caramelized pork and savory banh tet (sticky rice cakes), among other delicious dishes. People in the Mekong Delta often make banh tet on the evening of the 29th lunar day, gathering together to wrap, cook, and watch over the pot of banh tet throughout the night, creating a joyful atmosphere. Alongside banh tet, caramelized duck egg meat is also a signature dish of Tet in the Mekong Delta, used for offerings to ancestors, family meals, and serving guests. Choosing caramelized duck egg meat allows it to last for several days during Tet, conveying the message of completeness and bringing prosperity and abundance to the household in the new year.

New Year's Eve is a sacred moment for families to come together, reminisce about the past, and welcome a new year filled with luck, success, and peace.

Tet Lucky Money

Tet lucky money is one of our long-standing traditions. 'On the first day of Tet, it's for the father; on the second day, it's for the mother; on the third day, it's for the teacher.' During Tet, family members gather to wish longevity to grandparents, celebrate their parents' birthdays, and hope for abundant health and peace in the coming year. Grandparents give young grandchildren vibrant red envelopes symbolizing the wish for lots of luck, academic excellence, and successful endeavors in the new year.

New Year Temple Visit

In the early days of the new year, people in the Mekong Delta often visit temples to show reverence to the Buddha and ancestors, praying for a year filled with luck, success, health, and peace. Additionally, the New Year temple visit helps individuals cleanse themselves of the past and become more serene. This tradition has become a beautiful cultural aspect of our nation.

Source: Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide