Tet holiday- a tradition that you will be interested in.

Tet holiday, also known as the celebration of Vietnamese New Year, has been existed over a long period of time. What are the meanings of Tet to people in Vietnam?

First and foremost, Tet holiday is not only a time to celebrate the incoming year, it is also a big occasion for the family to reunion after being away from their hometown to work for a whole year. Therefore, a week of Tet is considered the most meaningful time to all the family members. As a tradition, everybody would head for their hometown in this time of the year regardless of whether they are busy or not. This could be the explanation for the fact that some metropolises such as Ho Chi Minh city usually see a significant decline in the number of people during the Tet holiday.

Besides, an interesting fact that should also be mentioned is that most of people in Vietnam pray  all the good things to come for them and their beloved whether or not they have a religion. This belief has been inherited through many generations and it still remain intact until today’s time. There are quite a lot religious sites that Vietnamese usually spend time on visiting during this time such as pagodas or churches. However, with the development of Buddhism in Vietnam, it is undoubtedly that pagodas are among the places which are always overcrowded. You would find yourself covered by hundreds of people if you go to a pagoda because everyone wants to be presence in those places by the very first moment of New Year.

Another thing that usually attracts the attention of foreigners is the act of offering lucky money, especially to children and the elder. This action is not aiming to enlarge the budget of those who receive the lucky money. The meaning of this is mainly related to spiritual factors. Many Asian in general and Vietnamese in particular believe that the lucky money would bring to those who take it a happiness, prosper and wonderful year. It is mainly about the wish of health to the elder and the wish of success to the younger. Therefore, if you receive an envelope of lucky money from a Vietnamese, you must be an important person to them in some ways.

Last but not least, it would be a huge mistake if the traditional cuisine in this time is not discussed. It is certainly that there could not be any other event that you could find a great variety of food than Tet holiday. This is the time when most spectacular dishes are being made and being tasted. Sticky rice cake, Vietnamese Spring roll, boiled chicken, fried bamboo shoots are among the most popular food that are shown on almost every family’s dinner table. If you have a chance to taste all of those dishes, you would find that it is such a magnificent experience for you to be in Vietnam at Tet holiday.