The dos and don’ts of Tet

 

I am Kevin Harper, from Germany. I have been working in Vietnam for nearly 2 years. Tet is an occasion for family reunions in Vietnam but I have been invited to celebrate Tet at one of my Vietnamese friend’s houses. I have heard that there are a lot of customs practiced during Tet. Could Travellive give me some dos and don’ts of Tet? Thanks a lot.

Dear Kevin,

According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings. There are a lot of rituals practiced during Tet. These customs come from traditions passed from generation to generation and have become standard. Below are some of dos and don’ts for your reference.  

 

Dos

Give a present  

You should give people lucky presents to enhance the relationship between themselves and others. Presents can be a bottle of wine, cake, jam, or any other meaningful presents from your country.

Give away red envelopes

You should prepare red envelopes (filled with lucky money) to give to the children and the older people of the family. This tradition is called li xi or happy new age. This is a cultural practice that has been maintained for generations. You can also give sealed red envelopes to your loved ones or friends.

 

Go home before the break of the New Year

New Year’s Eve is the most sacred time of the year. You should head back to your hobefore midnight on New Year’s Eve if you have not been chosen to be the first person to step into your host’s hoin the New Year.

 

Be on time if you are chosen as the first footer

The first person stepping across the houses’ thresholds is thought to the tone for his/her family in the coming year.

The first footer often stays for five or ten minutes outside the house. When the clock signals 12, you then enter the hoand deliver your new year greetings. 

Say “Chuc Mung Nam Moi”  

The traditional greeting is Chuc Mung Nam Moi or Happy New Year. You can say this greeting to anyone even if you can’t speak Vietnamese fluently.

 

Wear colourful clothes

You should wear colourful clothes during Tet to welcome the new year. Red and yellow are favourite colours of the Vietnamese people. You shouldn’t wear white clothes becawhite is the colour of funerals inVietnam.

Accept an invitation from the hoowners

You shouldn’t refanything others give or wish you during Tet. If the hoowners invite you to enjoy meals or drink wine, be happy to accept.

 

Don’ts

Be the first-footer if you are not invited

If you are not invited, you should make sure that you are not the first person to step foot into the hoof the owners.

Sweep the hoor empty out the rubbish

You shouldn’t sweep the hoor empty out the rubbish to avoid luck and benefits going with it, especially on the first day of the new year. Vietnamese people often clean and decorate their homes before New Year’s Eve. It is a common belief that cleaning your howill get rid of any bad fortune associated with the old year.

Quarrel with others or scold the children

Parents remind their children to behave themselves, and feuds with the neighbours are dropped. Since nobody wants to spoil the first few days of the year and invite bad luck by bickering, everyone is on their best holiday behaviour.

 

Avoid dropping objects

According to Vietnamese traditions, dropping or breaking objects is associated with a family separation or problems with social relationships. So be careful!

 

Borrow money or things  

You shouldn’t borrow anything, including money in the first days of the new year. One should return all things borrowed and pay debts before Tet.

Ask for fire or water

On the first day of the new year, you shouldn’t go to another hoto ask for fire or water. It is believed that fire and water symbolise good fortune. If one gives good fortune to others, they will get bad fortune in the new year.