Top 16 Things to Do to Welcome Tet and Start a Lucky New Year

As the new year approaches, prepare yourself with a completely new look by changing your hairstyle or hair color, for example. Besides, choosing a suitable and fresh hairstyle or hair color can help you feel more confident, beautiful, and ready to welcome an exciting Tet season.

Beauty experts say that with the same face and features, different hairstyles can create different changes in appearance. If long hair makes a girl look gentle, short hair brings a fresh, assertive vibe. Straight hair creates a soft feeling, while curly hair makes a girl look modern. So, choose the most suitable and newest hairstyle to welcome Tet 2022!

Life after a year always holds some sad stories for each person. From small things like low grades from teachers or some difficulties at work to a broken relationship. However, when the old year ends, the new year is the time for you to forget all the not-so-pleasant things from the past year and smile to welcome the new year in a better way.

If a new year is like a thick book with 365 pages, why don't you write lucky and good things on the first blank page of that book? Keep writing on the remaining pages throughout the year! Isn't cleaning up to start fresh a good beginning?

Cleaning up the house before Tet is a Vietnamese tradition aimed at cleansing and removing all the unfortunate things from the past year while welcoming the lucky things of the new year. This is also the time for young people, children in the family to actively help their parents with simple tasks such as painting, cleaning the house, arranging household items, and cleaning the ancestral altar…

Remember that this task must be completed before New Year's Eve, avoid cleaning the house on the first day of the new year because it will make all the luck disappear. If you are too busy and don't have time to clean the house, you can find a reputable house cleaning company.

Everyone wants to have a little money this Tet to buy some new items for the family, new gifts, or buy new clothes for themselves to welcome Tet happily without thinking about 'where's the money after Tet?'. However, borrowing money is not always followed by repayment on time. Every time you make a call, you only receive the message 'Sorry, the debt cannot come to the phone right now' and when you ask why, the answer is 'Cuz she doesn't feel like it!'. Or if you message through Messenger, you only receive the information 'seen' from the other person.

Borrowing money, no matter how small or big, is always something to be avoided at the beginning of the year according to the beliefs of Eastern people. Therefore, all debts from the previous year should be settled before the new year arrives. This way, when you step into the new year, you won't have to bear the burden of debts and business worries, making everything smoother.

Forget the Unpleasant Things, the sadness of the past year, and don't forget to cherish the beautiful memories, which is the right thing to do. There's nothing more meaningful than sitting quietly and reminiscing about the happy moments filled with emotions alongside the people you love.

Especially, memories of childhood are perhaps the most beautiful in everyone's life. It's when we were young, when our souls were innocent and pure, when the worries of life had not yet been experienced, and that's when we were most carefree. Never forget the beautiful memories of childhood.

For many people, Tet is the happiest time because they can reunite with their family, gather around the Tet feast, talk about what happened throughout the year, and express their love for their loved ones. Tet only comes once a year, so it always makes people feel excited. As New Year's Eve approaches, mixed feelings of joy and sadness arise. They may feel sad about regrets for things left undone in the past year, but they're happy because the new year brings new opportunities to accomplish those things. But on New Year's Eve, who do you want to be with the most?

There's nothing more meaningful than being with your family at the last moment of the year. That's the best moment of the year. But if for some reason you can't be with your family, don't be too sad because you'll still have close companions around you, like family, friends, and colleagues.

Often, you think about what you 'should' do rather than what you truly 'want' to do. Instead of thinking about what you should give up or withdraw from, focus on what you genuinely want to achieve. You may often encounter questions like: 'What should I do in the new year?', 'Should I give up/withdraw from this job?', 'Should I do this job as suggested by others?' You often spend a lot of time deliberating what you 'should' do or 'should withdraw' rather than considering what you 'truly want to do'.

After Tet, most people feel disheartened by a slew of unfinished tasks from the previous year and the list of tasks for the new year. To break free from this feeling, the best thing to do is to organize the tasks for the new year into an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand list. A reasonable plan with tasks arranged in order of importance. Starting with lighter tasks will help your body gradually adapt after many days of rest.

Many people believe that on Tet, having beer and wine brings luck. However, few know that getting drunk can pose significant risks that are hard to avoid. The best way to handle situations where refusal is not an option is to set yourself a limit and firmly stick to it.

Your New Year's wishes on New Year's Eve only matter when you can return home sober and safe. Limiting alcohol consumption ensures a lucky and safe new year for yourself.

A new year, a new beginning. Think about what you'll achieve by completing your early-year plans wholeheartedly. Recognition from your boss, praise from your teachers, or well wishes from your friends and colleagues... Positive thinking will give you the motivation to kickstart the new year. Start the new year with enthusiasm.

To have abundant work energy, start being excited even when you're at home. Wake up early. The ideal time to wake up is around 5:30 - 5:45, but it depends on your bedtime. You can adjust to fit your schedule while ensuring you get enough sleep, ideally 7-8 hours per day. Waking up early becomes a habit, and you won't feel as tired as when you wake up late. Plus, you'll have more time for other activities in the morning.

Tet is a time for family gatherings, exchanging smiles, and heartfelt wishes to express gratitude and love, with the hope for a happy, lucky, and prosperous new year.

The tradition of giving Tet wishes is a beautiful cultural aspect, reflecting the spirit of gratitude of the Vietnamese people. Tet wishes also demonstrate the respect of the younger generation towards the elders in the family. Take advantage of the days before Lunar New Year to teach your children some Tet wishes. For example, for grandparents, wish for 'health and longevity,' for adults, wish for 'good health and prosperity,' for siblings, wish for 'happiness and luck'...

You can seize moments when doing household chores with your child or during bedtime storytelling to teach them about this tradition.

'To be healthy and fit, you must exercise,' whether it's a regular day or Tet. Being lazy and consuming too much fatty food like soft drinks or alcohol will jeopardize all your dieting efforts for the entire year. Therefore, make a firm decision to exercise.

You don't need to go to the gym rigorously; instead, engage in gentle activities like stretching, jogging, hip shaking, and crunches, which will greatly benefit you.

Share with your child about the contributions of ancestors and the sacrifices of grandparents who raised parents. Through this, children can feel the difficulties and hardships of adults, leading to a natural sense of gratitude. During Tet, families often prepare ancestral altars with traditional dishes like square sticky rice cakes, lean pork paste, and bamboo shoot soup to honor ancestors.

A child's gratitude becomes most meaningful when parents and relatives are the examples to emulate. Therefore, parents should be the first and only ones for the child to deeply feel how to express affection and gratitude to family members through specific actions. If you live far from your family, give your child the opportunity to return to the ancestral home on traditional Tet days.

During the Tet family meal, besides expressing gratitude, sometimes it's necessary to suggest specific actions for children to express gratitude to grandparents and parents, such as: massaging the shoulders of grandparents, pouring water, fetching toothpicks for grandparents, fanning mother... When a child asks parents about the blood relationships in the family like 'Why differentiate between paternal and maternal grandparents, and even have a young grandfather?', parents should patiently explain the blood ties and family lineage for the child to understand the significance of familial blood ties.

Every New Year, children often receive lucky money from adults as a blessing. The red envelope symbolizes the adults' love and wishes for luck and prosperity in the coming year.

Many children nowadays only see lucky money as cash without understanding its deeper meaning. This misunderstanding can lead to practicality, with children criticizing those who give less money. Therefore, it's important to teach children the true meaning of lucky money, which goes beyond its monetary value.

Some behaviors to teach children when receiving lucky money include: Smile and say thank you when receiving lucky money from adults. If they forget, gently remind them. Avoid criticizing the amount received, tearing open envelopes in front of others, or fighting over lucky money. These simple lessons can help children mature. Additionally, there are many other rituals and skills to teach children before the New Year arrives.

According to Vietnamese tradition, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, it's the day for the Land Genie and Kitchen Gods to ascend to the heavenly palace to report everything about the household to the Jade Emperor. On this day, people often clean their kitchens and prepare an altar to offer incense to the Land Genie and Kitchen Gods to bid farewell as they return to the heavens. This ritual is especially important, involving paper hats, robes, and one or three golden carps released into a bowl of water for the Kitchen Gods to ride back to the heavens.

The Kitchen Gods also represent the warmth and happiness of a family. Whether a family is prosperous, happy, and content depends on its family meals.

Therefore, offering incense to the Land Genie and Kitchen Gods on Tet day symbolizes the warmth and happiness of a family, wishing for greater harmony and happiness in the coming year. After the ritual, the released carps are set free, symbolizing the release of negative energies. Some families opt for paper carps instead, later burned along with the paper hats and robes.

During Tet, every family prepares an elaborate feast with traditional dishes, first for offering to ancestors and then for everyone to enjoy together. Traditional Tet foods not only come in a variety of types but also symbolize auspicious beginnings for a prosperous and peaceful new year.

Tet foods also carry wishes for a peaceful and prosperous new year. You can tell your child the story of 'The Legend of Banh Chung and Banh Day' to teach them to appreciate the hard work of farmers who produce the fragrant white rice. Or involve your child in preparing these traditional dishes. Depending on the region, people choose five different kinds of fruits (or even more to make it visually appealing) to arrange into a colorful plate, each fruit representing different wishes for the upcoming year.

Banh Chung is considered the soul of Tet, an indispensable dish on the Vietnamese Tet feast and has a long history. When wrapping Banh Chung, you can involve your child in small tasks. Parents can tell their children the legend of 'Banh Chung, Banh Day' from the beginning of heaven and earth to remember the ancestors and the source. Through this, children will appreciate the value of labor and understand the hardship of the farmers who produce rice.

From the 23rd to the 30th day of the lunar December every year, family members visit and clean the graves of their ancestors. They often bring incense, fruits to offer, and invite the spirits of their ancestors to come home and celebrate Tet with their descendants.

This is a common custom among all Vietnamese people, showing filial piety, reverence for their ancestors, and those who have passed away. It is also a tradition of remembering one's roots, a moral principle of the Vietnamese people.