Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tết) Traditions

Study Notes

Vietnamese Lunar New Year, also known as Tết, is coming in three days.
Tết is the most important holiday for Vietnamese people.
Preparations include buying peach blossoms, yellow apricot trees, or kumquat trees.
Decorations are in red and yellow, representing happiness, passion, good luck, hope, royalty, and power.
2021 is the Year of the Ox.
Vietnamese people buy candies, sunflower seeds, and traditional foods like candied fruits, sugared coconuts, kumquat jams, and sugared apples.
Markets and streets are packed with shoppers, and many shops close during Tết.
Red envelopes (lì xì) are given to children and seniors to wish them luck and good health.
Banh chung, a sticky rice cake made of glutinous rice, mung bean, and pork belly, is an indispensable culinary beauty of Tết.
The process of making banh chung brings families together to tell stories and celebrate the new year.
A week before Tết, people celebrate the Kitchen God's Day by releasing carps into lakes or rivers and burning votive paper.
Vietnamese people clean their houses before Tết to get rid of bad luck.
Vietnamese people love to shop for new clothes before Tết and wear them during the holiday.