Traditional Tet is a sacred occasion for families to gather together after hard days of studying and working. In particular, during these days there will be extremely unique Lunar New Year costumes that exude the cultural beauty of the nation. So what are these customs? Parents, please create conditions for your children to learn about some meaningful Lunar New Year customs in the following article.
Clean the house together
Cleaning the house at the end of the year means saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year. Therefore, families often clean the house together, make it spacious, and buy new appliances and clothes. Besides, this is also the time for people to review the debts that need to be paid. If they can afford it, they must pay and eliminate debt for a lucky and good new year.
Tet holiday of Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao
Worshiping Ong Cong Ong Ong Tao is one of the meaningful Tet customs. On December 23 every year, Vietnamese families will clean the kitchen and prepare a solemn feast to worship the Kitchen Gods. Parents can teach their children about the story of Mr. Tao, how to prepare offerings to bring Mr. Tao to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the family situation after a year...
Visit ancestors' graves
From the 23rd to the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, children and grandchildren often visit, repair, and clean their ancestors' graves to show their filial piety and invite their grandparents home to celebrate Tet. Parents do not need to take their children with them, they just need to explain to them the meaning of this Lunar New Year custom.
Pack banh chung, banh tet and Tet dishes
Wrapping banh chung and banh tet is also a Lunar New Year custom that dates back to the sticky rice civilization of the 18th Hung King dynasty. In the North, banh chung and banh day are often wrapped, while in the South, banh Tet is often wrapped.
Parents can teach their children about the history of this custom as well as organize cake packages to create joy and cohesion for family members. In addition, parents can also introduce other Tet dishes such as pickled onions, palanquin root, bitter melon soup, braised pork...
Playing with flowers on Tet holiday
On Tet, Vietnamese people often buy flower trees that symbolize good luck such as apricot, peach, kumquat... to ward off evil spirits and pray for a happy, happy and prosperous new year.
Fruit tray presentation
Another indispensable Lunar New Year custom is the display of a tray of five fruits. The five-fruit tray symbolizes Metal - Wood - Water - Fire - Earth, the 5 elements that create the universe according to Confucian concepts, associated with filial piety and wishing for good things and luck in the new year.
New Year's Eve offerings and New Year's Eve celebrations
The New Year worship ceremony usually takes place on the last days of the year with the meaning of inviting gods and ancestors to celebrate Tet with the family. At the same time, to end the old year, get rid of all the resentment and bad luck of the old year.
New Year's Eve is the time of transition between the new year and the old year. New Year's Eve worshiping ceremonies are often performed outdoors to welcome a peaceful and lucky new year. This is also the time when families sit together, eat, watch Tet programs and celebrate each other's coming of age.
Broke ground
The custom of breaking into the ground means praying for luck and prosperity in the new year. On the first day of the new year, people with good luck and the same age as the homeowner will be invited to visit the land. The person entering the ground must dress neatly and go all the way around the house to wish the homeowner a happy and prosperous year.
Happy New Year and Happy New Year
This is also a meaningful Lunar New Year custom of Vietnamese people. Everyone will go to wish relatives and friends New Year in the first days of the new year. And children and grandchildren will wish grandparents, parents and adults lucky money for children with good wishes. New Year's Eve money is usually new money, contained in red envelopes. It doesn't matter how much or how little, but rather the spiritual value.
The above Lunar New Year customs partly highlight the traditional cultural beauty of the nation. Parents, please create conditions for your children to learn about and preserve these customs. Surely your baby will have useful experiences and activities and will love Tet more as well as strengthen the bond between family members. Don't forget to follow the articles in Mykingdom's Handbook section for more useful information.
