Lunar New Year in Vietnam (Tet Holiday)

When talking About Vietnam, we can not forget to mention about one special holiday in every single year. It is Lunar New Year (Tet Holiday). In the past, as the Lunar New Year fell in the leisure time between two major crops of the year, Vietnamese people considered it as a time for relax and entertainment to compensate for a whole hardworking year and prepare for the new (equally hard) one. Therefore, celebration often last all the first month. Nowadays, the number of official days-off is three but festive moods hardly come off until at least ten days after the New Year's Day have passed.
 

 

Like Christmas Eve in the West, Lunar New Year is the time for family and indeed the only time of the year when the whole clan gather together. People always try to return to their hometown to meet with their parents, siblings and relatives no matter how far away they live and work. Being unable to "return home" in New Year is considered a great misfortune. As the result, all means of transportation (airplanes, trains, couches) are crammed in this time of the year. It takes great effort to procure tickets but everyone find it rewarding nonetheless. Even those who have passed away are "invited" to return to enjoy Lunar New Year with the living. 
 

 

Luna New Year is time of family so all family members contribute in the preparation for the event which consists mainly of cleaning up and cooking. Food which is made especially for this occasion is overflowing in every household. Flowers are indispensable as they are not only for decoration but also believed to bring luck and happiness to the household (from the fact that they are the signal that nature has become fertile again). In Northern Vietnam, the flower symbolizes spring is peach blossom while in Southern Vietnam it is a kind of flower called "Mai" in the native speech. 
 

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From VietnameseFood.com.vn