Vietnamese New Year 2025: Traditions, Customs, and Celebrations
Vietnamese New Year 2025: Traditions, Customs, and Celebrations
The Vietnamese New Year, also known as Tet, is a vibrant and culturally rich celebration marking the start of the Lunar New Year. In 2025, Tet falls on January 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake. Here are some key aspects of the celebrations:
Key Traditions and Customs
Family Reunions and Ancestor Worship:
Tet is a time for families to come together. Many Vietnamese return to their hometowns to celebrate with their families. Ancestor worship is a significant part of Tet, where families visit ancestral graves to clean and offer incense and food.
Preview
Decorating the Home:
Homes are meticulously cleaned and decorated with peach blossoms, kumquat trees, and other auspicious plants. These decorations symbolize growth, prosperity, and good fortune.
Traditional Foods:
Tet is synonymous with special foods such as banh chung (sticky rice cake), banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake), and various sweets. These foods are prepared and shared among family members and friends.
Preview
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day:
On New Year's Eve, families gather for a reunion dinner. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky to ward off evil spirits and welcome the new year. On New Year's Day, the first visitor to a home is believed to set the tone for the year, so families often invite someone they consider lucky to visit first.
Lion and Dragon Dances:
These traditional performances are a staple of Tet celebrations, symbolizing good luck and warding off evil. Lion dances are often performed in public spaces and at homes to bring joy and good fortune.
Museums across Vietnam, such as the National Fine Arts Museum and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, hosted exhibitions and cultural activities to celebrate Tet. These events showcased historical artifacts and traditional crafts, providing a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture.
Common Greetings and Lucky Foods
Common Tet greetings include "Chúc mừng năm mới," meaning "Happy New Year," and "Sức khỏe dồi dào," meaning "Good health".
Lucky foods during Tet include sticky rice cakes, candied fruits, and various traditional sweets, which are believed to bring good luck and prosperity.
Tet 2025 in Vietnam is a time of joy, family, and cultural richness, with diverse celebrations and traditions that reflect the country's deep-rooted heritage and vibrant community spirit.