How do Hanoians welcome Tết Nguyên Đán?

Flower market in Hàng Lược Street

The larger the family, and the greater its social networks, the more preparing it has to do. The whole house is decorated and cleaned, but the ancestor worship altar is given special attention. All worshipping objects are cleaned carefully. In former times, folk paintings, called Tết paintings, were hung to welcome New Year. Rich or poor, each family places a couple of bánh chưng (a square cake made of sticky rice stuffed with pureed green beans and pork) and mâm ngũ quả (a tray of five “lucky fruits”) on the ancestor worshipping altar during Tết.

Customarily, Tết preparations begin in earnest after the 23^rd day of the twelfth lunar month. According to custom, this is the day that Ông Công - Ông Táo (the Kitchen God) departs earth for Heaven to report both the good and the bad deeds of the people to Ngọc Hoàng (the Jade Emperor, the Ruler of the Heaven). In the days before Tết, the markets (especially the markets selling traditional Tết flowers) are crowded with eager shoppers and sellers. Since markets are closed for the three days of Tết, all necessary food items must be purchased ahead of time. Furthermore, many people like to visit the market on the days leading up to Tết in order to take in the hustle and bustle. Some large Tết markets in Hà Nội include Đồng Xuân and Hàng Da in Hoàn Kiếm District, Hôm and Mơ in Hai Bà Trưng District, Châu Long in Ba Đình District, and Bưởi in Đống Đa District. In additional, smaller and  temporary markets spring up in residential areas around the city in order to meet the increased demand.

Also during this time, family members go to clean graves of deceased family members, planting new trees or refreshing the flowers on the graves, and lighting incense to invite ancestors' souls to return home to celebrate Tết. This activity is a unique custom in Vietnamese spiritual life.

A tray of five “lucky fruits”

In Hà Nội, during the Tết season, houses are full of flowers displayed in guestrooms and on altars. In northern Việt Nam, pink and purple peach blossoms are the traditional Tết flowers. Houses are also decorated with ornamental kumquat trees. A kumquat tree, typically over one meter tall and laden with orange fruits, is placed in the guestroom. This tree is not only for decoration but also serves as a symbol of abundance and wealth. To meet the demand, many flower markets spring up in the last days of the year and end on New Year’s Eve. Hàng Lược flower market in Hoàn Kiếm District and Nhật Tân peach blossom and kumquat tree market near West Lake are among the most popular spots to buy and sell these items.

Lễ cúng tất niên (the End of the Year Ceremony), held at noon or in afternoon of New Year’s Eve, has an important role in the festival. At that time, preparations have been completed, and all family members, including those who live or work far from home, have gathered. Lights on the ancestor worship altar are lit, sacrifice trays are placed solemnly on the altar, and incense is burned. The family says prayers, inviting ancestors to join the family for the celebrations. The End of the Year ceremony is thus a time of reunion of all family members, living and dead. All family members sit together, sharing a meal and talking to each other in an intimate, cozy atmosphere. Then, everyone rests and bathes before staying up late to welcome the New Year. Women in the family prepare boiled coriander leaves, giving the house the soft scent reminiscent of the countryside for people to enjoy during their bath. Custom states that, in bathing, people can wash away any unlucky things from the previous year.

Midnight on New Year's Eve is the most sacred moment of the Tết festival. According to folk custom, it is the moment that Heaven and Earth meet. In the past, at the stroke of midnight, the entire city of Hà Nội resounded with the explosion of firecrackers from every household. In addition, families would engage in rituals at ancestor worship altars and open-air altars to the Ruler of Heaven at the same time. Families engaged in handicrafts would also worship the mythical creator of their profession. In addition, families would carry out the tục hái lộc (bud picking custom), where the head of the household would select a young bud from the family garden, and place it on the family altar. This custom was a way for the family to ask for gifts from heaven and earth in order to start the New Year. Furthermore, the scents of burning incense, flowers, and firecracker smoke mingled make people feel festive in the holiday atmosphere. However, in recent years, firecrackers have been banned by the authorities for safety purposes. Most activities to welcome the New Year do not start until morning, though.  

According to tradition, ngày Nguyên Đán (the first day of the New Year) will reflect the fortune of individuals and families throughout the year. So people are careful to exchange only kind words and best wishes when meet each other. Unpleasant and unhappy things are put aside. For this reason, the traditional người xông nhà (the first houseguest), must be a kind, good-natured, successful, virtuous man, in order to bring the family good luck in the coming year. Children are not permitted to go out or visit other households until the first houseguest has arrived.  

Grandchildren receive lucky money from their grandmother – Illustration photo

Another Tết custom, is mừng tuổi (expressing longevity wishes on New Year's Day), since Tết is also considered a birthday of sorts for everyone in Việt Nam. On the morning of the first day, grandparents and parents give their children a small amount of money called tiền lì xì or tiền mừng tuổi (“lucky money”). The money is usually small in quantity, but bears a symbolic meaning. Children also offer their parents and grandparents tiền mừng tuổi. People select new banknotes and put them into red pretty envelopes called bao lì xì. When giving bao lì xì, the giver also offers wishes such as "have a good appetite and grow quickly” for children, "good health and longevity" for the elderly, or "safety and prosperity" for other family members. Guests give children tiền lì xì as well. This custom is a way of honoring children and the elderly in Việt Nam.

Some people maintain the xuất hành custom in choosing an auspicious time and direction to go out for the first time on the morning of the first day. In the past, scholars and mandarins considered khai bút, the first writing in the new year, to be an important act. Today, some writers and poets continue the custom in early spring. Places around the Ngọc Sơn Temple on Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám (The Temple of Literature) are crowded with people who want to maintain the tradition of xin chữ (asking for scripts): Chữ Nho (ancient Chinese script) or chữ nôm (Vietnamese demotic script). The scripts contain moral advice on such matters as Tâm (heart), Nhẫn (patience), Đức (virtue), and Phúc (good fortune). These scripts are written on scarlet paper with a calligraphy brush. Each script is a work of art, so people request the script they want and bring it home to hang in a solemn place in their house or office. Previously, elderly scholars acted as calligraphers. Today, skilled calligraphy penmen are also asked for scripts.

Vietnamese people follow the saying, "for New Year’s greetings, visit parents on the first day, the wife's family on the second day, and teachers' families on the third day". Among the teachers to be visited are literature and martial art teachers, physician of traditional medicine, and trainers from work. The saying reminds people of the hierarchy in Vietnamese society: ancestors first, paternal and maternal grandparents and parents next, teachers and benefactors after that, and then friends and neighbors. 

Tết offers a chance to entertain, give feasts and receive friends. Hosts are to receive guests warmly and heartily, inviting them to enjoy betel, lotus tea, wine, sugar-coated fruits, or even entire feasts. These meetings with old friends are a highlight for many people. Tết specialties are always put out for guests as part of the Vietnamese tradition of hospitality.