Top 12 Must-Have Activities on Tet Day in Vietnam

'First Day of the Lunar New Year' is the initial day of the new lunar year and is considered the most crucial day throughout Tet. Excluding those with good fortunes and compatible ages invited for the first house visit, on this day, ancient Vietnamese often stay indoors, arrange a Lunar New Year feast, enjoy the meal, and exchange New Year wishes within the family circle. For families who are separated from their parents and whose parents are still alive, they pay a New Year visit to their fathers following the tradition: The First Day of Tet for Fathers.

'Second Day of the Lunar New Year' involves ritualistic activities at home early in the morning. Subsequently, people extend New Year wishes to their mothers following the tradition of the Second Day of Tet for Mothers. Meanwhile, young men preparing to establish a family must visit their future in-laws (musician's family) to wish them Tet in the Go Sêu tradition.

'Third Day of the Lunar New Year' follows the family feast rituals at home, occurring at least for three days during Tet. Students usually pay a Tet visit to their teachers, following the Third Day of Tet for Teachers tradition. During these days, people often go on visits, inquire about each other's past year's activities and plans for the new year.

For the Vietnamese Catholic community, the first three days of the year usually involve attending church services with prayers for each day: the First Day prays for peace in the new year, the Second Day prays for ancestors, grandparents, parents if still alive, and remembers if passed away, and the Third Day prays for sanctification of food and work for a prosperous new year.

Embarking on the First Journey marks the initial departure from home in the new year, usually undertaken on the auspicious first day. Before setting off, one must choose a propitious date, time, and direction to encounter benevolent spirits and deities. In the North, an additional tradition after setting off is to pluck a branch of luck, symbolizing harvesting fortune. This is known as the harvesting luck tradition. In the Central region, this tradition is absent, allowing trees in temples to maintain their vibrant green throughout spring.

However, the act of harvesting luck today has contrasting beliefs:

Firstly, it is discouraged due to the possibility of branches carrying lingering spirits. Harvesting may unintentionally bring these spirits home, and while some may be benign, others might bring misfortune to the household. This notion is rooted in spiritual beliefs, though subjective.

Furthermore, the practice can impact urban landscapes as people strive to bring as much luck home as possible, potentially causing harm to trees and the environment. In some cases, competition or 'stealing' luck from sensitive places like banks has led to conflicts.

These actions may or may not bring luck, but they reflect the darker side of cultural behavior.

During the early days of the new year, as the sun rises, people observe the direction of the wind to predict the fortune of the upcoming year:

• South Wind: predicts a bountiful harvest;
• West Wind: warns of potential robberies and chaos;
• Southwest Wind: indicates an outbreak of epidemics;
• North Wind: foretells a moderate harvest;
• Northwest Wind: signifies a good harvest of beans and peas;
• East Wind: anticipates major floods.

Opening the Earthly Path (or stepping on the ground, inaugurating business) is an age-old tradition in Vietnam. Many believe that on the first day of the lunar new year, initiating activities smoothly and auspiciously signifies a prosperous and favorable year ahead. Right after the moment of transition to the new year, anyone entering a home with New Year wishes is considered to have opened the earthly path for the homeowners. The first guest visiting a home in the new year holds particular significance. Hence, as the year-end approaches, people deliberately seek those known for their cheerfulness, flexibility, morality, and success among relatives or neighbors to visit. Guests for Opening the Earthly Path usually stay briefly, around 5 to 10 minutes, ensuring a smooth and prosperous year for the homeowners.

How to choose an age for Opening the Earthly Path:

Age of Giap harmonizes with Ky but conflicts with Canh – Mau.
Age of At harmonizes with Canh but conflicts with Tan – Ky.

Age of Binh harmonizes with Tan but conflicts with Nham – Canh.
Age of Dinh harmonizes with Nham but conflicts with Quy – Tan.
Age of Mau harmonizes with Quy but conflicts with Giap – Nham.
Age of Ky harmonizes with Giap but conflicts with At – Quy.
Age of Canh harmonizes with At but conflicts with Binh – Giap.
Age of Tan harmonizes with Binh but conflicts with Dinh – At.
Age of Nham harmonizes with Dinh but conflicts with Mau – Binh.
Age of Quy harmonizes with Mau but conflicts with Ky – Dinh.

Those participating in Opening the Earthly Path find joy in performing an auspicious deed, while the recipients feel blissful, trusting that their family will be fortunate throughout the coming year. In ancient times, there were only two methods for selecting a person to perform the Opening the Earthly Path ritual on the first day of the year. Officials and educated individuals selected someone whose age matched the homeowner's.

Visiting relatives is a way to strengthen family bonds. New Year wishes often include health, wealth, good luck, and success in all endeavors. Those who faced challenges in the past year encourage each other to overcome difficulties or celebrate surviving them, signifying finding blessings in adversity and focusing on the positive.

Visiting neighbors and nearby families, offering good wishes for the new year, helps build stronger connections, resolve lingering issues from the past year, and joyfully welcome the upcoming year. Visiting friends, colleagues, and close acquaintances to extend warm wishes further nurtures friendly relationships.

Traditional Vietnamese New Year, or Tet, is the most anticipated, joyous celebration. It's a day when families gather to exchange heartfelt wishes and meaningful Tet gifts.

On the morning of the first day of Tet, also known as Chinh Dan, descendants gather at the ancestral house for Ancestor Worship and to wish their grandparents and elders a prosperous New Year. According to the belief, as each year passes, everyone ages by one year, making the first day of Tet a day for the younger generation to 'wish longevity' to their grandparents and senior family members (as in the past, the elderly often couldn't recall their exact birthdates, so they only knew they aged another year when Tet arrived).

On the 4th day of the Lunar New Year, known as the day of the Water God, Vietnamese people perform ancestral worship for those who have returned from the afterlife to celebrate Tet with their descendants. This day involves burning a significant amount of gold to provide the ancestors with financial resources for the upcoming year, ensuring prosperity for future generations. In many regions of the Red River Delta, there is a tradition of singing boat songs, symbolizing the journey of ancestors back to the otherworld.

The ritual of transforming gold on the 4th or 5th day, following ancient customs, includes preparing a feast and burning gold to send prayers and blessings to departed relatives for a year filled with good fortune. According to historian Dương Trung Quốc, the practice is rooted in ancestral worship beliefs, with the gold transformation connecting the visible and invisible worlds. People refrain from going out on the 4th and 5th days of Tet as they are considered inauspicious.

Lucky Money: Adults often give children money enclosed in a red envelope, known as 'lucky money' or 'li xi,' with wishes for a full stomach and speedy growth. According to Chinese folklore, the red envelope contains 8 coins (representing Eight Immortals) placed under the child's pillow to ward off mischievous spirits, as ghosts are said to fear the color red.

According to legend: In the past, a monster often appeared on New Year's Eve, frightening children and causing them to cry out. The next day, the child would have a headache and high fever, keeping parents awake all night guarding against the monster. A couple who had just given birth to a cute son that year were visited by 8 fairies who foresaw the child's impending danger. The fairies transformed into 8 coins and stayed by the child's side day and night. On New Year's Eve, the couple wrapped these coins in red paper and placed them on the child's pillow before going to sleep. In the middle of the night, the monster appeared to harm the child, but rays of bright gold emanated from the pillow, terrifying the monster and forcing it to flee. The money received as a birthday gift on Tet is called 'Opening Money.' In the past, there was a tradition for the money to be an odd amount (rather than an even amount), symbolizing its potential for growth and prosperity.

Visiting the temple at the beginning of the year is considered one of the cultural and spiritual beauties of the Vietnamese people. At the start of the year, people often go to the temple with the desire for a lucky and happy new year.

At the same time, it is an act to express one's sincere respect for the Buddha and ancestors. Going to the temple at the beginning of the year is also a way to purify oneself, cleanse the old, and start the new year with luck and goodness.

The Tet tree is erected from the 23rd of December and lowered on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year. The Tet tree has the meaning of warding off evil spirits, ensuring a peaceful Tet celebration without disturbances from supernatural forces. Families prepare an offering table with a spread of food, oil, wine, incense, flowers, fruits, plates of rice, plates of salt, gold coins, and votive papers for the ritual. The offering table is arranged and completed with all necessary items for the outdoor ceremony. The head of the family lights incense, pays respects to ancestors inside the house, and then proceeds to conduct the outdoor ceremony. The Opening Ceremony carries the cultural and psychological roots of the nation.

The Opening Ceremony is one of the special days expressing the gratitude of the Vietnamese people to heaven, Buddha, deities, and ancestors. The 7th day of Tet (or possibly the 6th day) is the last day of the Tet festival. On this day, the Vietnamese people perform the ceremony of lowering the Tet tree, known as the Opening Ceremony, marking the end of the Lunar New Year festivities and the beginning of business activities in the new year starting from the 8th or 9th day of the Lunar New Year.

Offering to the Kitchen God is an essential ritual during the traditional Tet holiday. The ceremony takes place on the 23rd day of December every year.

According to tradition, people clean their kitchen and set up an offering table for the Kitchen God with a paper carp, believing that the Kitchen God will ride the carp to heaven to report the good or bad deeds of the family to the higher powers. It seems everyone hopes for a peaceful and lucky year granted by the heavens.

Arranging the Five-Fruit Tray is an indispensable activity on Tet for most Vietnamese families. Folk beliefs suggest that during Tet, ancestors will come together with their descendants, so besides cleaning and decorating the house, the five-fruit tray must be meticulously prepared to display on the ancestral altar.

Each region has its own preferences for the types of fruits to be displayed. For example, in Northern Tet, five different colored fruits symbolizing the five elements are chosen, while in the South, fruits like custard apple, papaya, coconut, and mango are prioritized to wish for abundance and luck in the coming year. Every region has different customs for arranging the five-fruit tray, but all carry the meaning of wishing for a happy and prosperous new year.

New Year's Eve is the sacred moment of transition between the old and the new year. During this moment, family members exchange the best wishes, and the younger generation presents meaningful gifts and lucky red envelopes to grandparents and parents.

People often set off fireworks in open, spacious areas during New Year's Eve. In large cities, there are designated locations for the state-sponsored fireworks displays. Families conduct the New Year's Eve ceremony, including both indoor and outdoor rituals.