How to Prepare for Tet in a Vietnamese Family

Fireworks are traditionally part of the Tet celebrations

The Vietnamese New Year, Tet, is celebrated in early spring. The date changes every year because, like Easter, it is calculated using the lunar calendar, not the Western solar calendar. For Vietnamese families, the first day of the new year begins on the first night of the new moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which is between January 21 and February 19 on the solar calendar. The Tet celebration lasts three days, and families work hard to prepare for the holiday.

Instructions

1. Save money. Vietnamese families save money all year in order to celebrate Tet properly. Everyone in the household will need a new set of clothes to wear to the various parties and parades during the three-day holiday. Special foods must be purchased and prepared. Incense, flowers and other small trinkets must be bought to decorate the home and share with friends. Tet is also the time to pay off any outstanding debt in order to enter the new year with a clean slate.

2. Paint the house. The home must be as beautiful as possible for Tet, and it is not uncommon for Vietnamese families to apply a fresh coat of paint to the inside and outside walls of their houses.

3. Clean everything. Since cleaning is discouraged during the three-day Tet holiday (in case one sweeps out some good luck), Vietnamese families and businesses clean everything on the premises prior to the new year. Scrub floors, throw out or donate outgrown clothing to the poor, wash windows, organize shelves and closets -- all has to be spotless prior to the first night of Tet.

4. Visit ancestors. Many families visit the graves of parents and grandparents in the week prior to Tet. Remove weeds, cover the grave with a fresh layer of dirt and burn some incense to honor your ancestors and invite them to visit during the new year celebration.

5. Cook an abundance of food. It's considered unlucky to cook during Tet, so all food preparation must happen before midnight on the first night of the new year. Cook extra -- family members and friends will be stopping by throughout the three days to celebrate and bring their own good luck to your home.

References

• Subtopic: Tet, the Vietnamese New Year
• Happy Lunar New Year! Chuc Mung Nam Moi!