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1. Five-Fruit Tray
The five-fruit tray is an essential item for ancestral altar worship on Tet in your home. Essentially, the five-fruit tray originates from the philosophy of the five elements. Within the five elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, there's a cycle of creation signifying development and prosperity. The cycle of destruction among the five elements signifies that humans must accept and overcome difficulties.
The five-fruit tray on Tet not only symbolizes overall good fortune but also acknowledges hardships and misfortunes. However, people often focus on happiness. Therefore, the five fruits should be arranged in various colors like green, red, and yellow symbolizing more luck and success. Colors like black, white, gray, and brown should only play a minimal role.
Due to regional cultures, the way the five-fruit tray is arranged differs among the three regions of Vietnam. According to the beliefs of people from the North and the Central regions, bananas resemble the arms of the Buddha, supporting their people. People often choose green bananas. Additionally, pomelo is one of the indispensable fruits on the dining tray. Bananas and pomelos symbolize vitality, growth, and bring about good things, wishing for prosperous careers.
People from the South will select fruits to arrange phonetically like: gourd (mango), use (mango), just (coconut), enough (papaya) full (grape), or Gourd, use, just enough plump. People from the South do not choose bananas because they sound similar to bowing, avoid oranges because they sound like enduring, and avoid mandarins because they rhyme with squash.
2. Traditional Tet Cakes
These cakes also reflect the philosophy of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements. They are made from ingredients like glutinous rice, pepper, and cold properties like green beans, and fat. The cakes come in various colors symbolizing yang and yin, such as: the yellow of beans, the green of rice, the black of pepper,...
3. Ornamental Trees
According to folk beliefs, spring is the season of all things coming to life, so flowers like peach blossoms, apricots, kumquats,.. are the choices of many people. Ornamental trees will help you decorate your home on Tet day both uniquely and according to feng shui principles.
When arranging flowers on Tet, you should pay attention to choosing many types of flowers with different colors. However, avoid choosing white as this color has yin properties. Colors with yang properties like green, red, and yellow will be the perfect choice. Typically, families will arrange flowers in three layers from low to high symbolizing the Three Treasures, wishing for wealth to come to the family.
4. Using Red Fabric to Cover Sacred Objects
Sacred objects in the family such as ancestral tablets belong to the spiritual realm, so you should use red fabric to cover them completely. You must use red fabric, not black or white. According to folklore, red objects exist in this world with red color and live in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.
5. Ancestral Altar Arrangement Based on Eight Diagrams
You should arrange the ancestral altar according to the Eight Diagrams with a large lamp or electric light in the center, representing the Tai Chi (emanating light). Two small lamps or candles will symbolize the Double Yang. You arrange the five-fruit tray, watermelon, two vases of flowers on each side forming the Four Symbols, and place the incense burner in the middle representing the Eight Diagrams.
Moreover, the incense burner has 3 legs, and Vietnamese people also light 3 incense sticks for the ancestors following the theory of Three Treasures in feng shui.
These are the things you should pay attention to when decorating your home on Tet according to feng shui. Hopefully, this information will be helpful to you. Don't forget to follow Media Mart to stay updated with the latest news.
