Vietnamese New Year 2024 will be celebrated when spring comes. This is a national holiday, which takes place in compliance with ancient traditions and attracts many tourists. What date the solemn event will take place in Vietnam is calculated according to the lunar calendar - there is no fixed date in accordance with the European chronology. In 2024, the New Year will be celebrated from 9 to 10 February.
Date
The full name of the New Year in Vietnamese is Tet Nguyen Dan, abbreviated as "Tet" . Translated into Russian, it means "the first New Year's morning." Vietnamese New Year is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar.This date usually falls between the end of January and the middle of February. In 2024, the beginning will be the night of February 10, as in China, which also uses the eastern calendar.
National celebration is the most important thing in the country. The duration of the festivities is 7-9 days. All this time, merry processions pass through the streets of big cities and small villages. Another name for Tet is "Spring" , He Xuan.
How the National New Year is celebrated in Vietnam
The celebration can be divided into 3 periods - preparation, eve and Tet itself. Each stage is characterized by traditions that originated in antiquity, which the Vietnamese carefully observe.
Tat Nien - preparation
1-2 weeks before the holiday, the Vietnamese shop, throw away old trash, freeing up space from the accumulated negativity. At this time, it is customary to visit relatives, forgive insults and pay debts.The streets are filled with stalls selling fruits, flowers, confectionery and items needed for the celebration.
Giao Thua - Eve
Before New Year's Eve, houses are decorated with branches of plants symbolizing good luck - chrysanthemums, orchids, plums, apricots, bonsai trees. Near the entrance to the house they put a small tangerine tree with amulets, bells, origami. The role of spruce is played by a blossoming peach.
This quiet time is devoted to the family - they visit relatives, meet dear guests, visit the graves of their ancestors. National dishes are prepared - sticky rice pies with beans and pork, meatloaf, steamed chicken, seafood soup and pickled bamboo. The evening is often spent talking around a live fire, remembering legends and family stories, watching comedy shows.
Tet Nguyen Dan
Every year at midnight, the speech of the President is broadcast, who congratulates the people on the occasion and sums up the results of the outgoing year.The celebration continues in the family circle all day. On the second day they visit friends and relatives, on the third day they go to the temple. The holiday is characterized by large donations and midnight masses.
Carnival processions are taking place - people in bright clothes dance and sing, participate in competitions. Among the traditional entertainments are puppet shows on the water, cockfights. Much attention during the festival is paid to the Mua Lan Dance - a hybrid of a dragon and a lion. Dancers dressed in red and gold colors perform to the sound of bells, gongs and drums. The mythical animal is considered a symbol of strength and power, which drives away evil spirits from this world.
The culture of Vietnam was greatly influenced by Chinese traditions and the teachings of Confucius. The Mua Lan Dance Festival is very reminiscent of the Chinese New Year's Red Dragon Carnival.
Vietnamese New Year traditions
There are several traditions in Vietnam that almost all segments of the population must observe:
- Xong nha - a custom that determines the nature of the coming year. It is not customary in the country to come to visit suddenly on a holiday. The first person to cross the threshold determines what life will be like for the family in the next 12 months. If the unexpected guest has a good aura, the year will be successful, if the aura is bad, the time of disaster will come.
- Ii xi - the tradition of giving money in red envelopes to children with wishes for a happy life.
- Houses and streets are decorated with yellow and red objects. According to legend, this palette attracts good luck.
- The house is cleaned in advance. If you sweep the floor on the eve, you can sweep well-being beyond the threshold along with the garbage.
- Make offerings to 3 kitchen gods - Tng tao. To do this, sheets of gold leaf are burned and a bucket with clean water and live fish is placed on the altar, offering homemade gods a carp ride.
It's curious that the unofficial anthem of the national holiday is the song of ABBA Happy New Year, which sounds in houses, on the streets, in shops and offices.
Where to celebrate Vietnamese New Year
Tourists often choose to celebrate the largest cities in Vietnam:
- Hanoi. The capital hosts the largest events - festivals, fireworks, solemn processions.
- Hue. In the historical center of the country, more attention is paid to musical shows, festivals of flowers and kites.
- Hoi An. In the ancient port, the New Year begins to be celebrated with a festival of lights - the city is literally buried in colorful lanterns.
- Ho Chi Minh. The "capital" of nightlife with endless parties in fashionable and not too expensive restaurants.
Tet is one of the most colorful and cheerful solemn events that attracts many tourists to the country. To get to the Vietnamese New Year in 2024, tours should be booked 2-4 months in advance. The average cost of a weekly trip is within 100,000 rubles.
