TL;DR: The custom of giving New Year gifts exists among many ethnic groups, but the practices differ. Tày and Nùng people in Cao Bằng and Hà Giang give small change or a pair of bánh chưng, mainly within longevity wishes for grandparents; Hoa people in the South give lì xì based on marital status rather than age; Khmer people celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay in mid-April of the solar calendar, far removed from Tết Nguyên Đán. This article only recounts what the press and survey articles have recorded, without generalizing to entire ethnic groups.
What is New Year gift-giving and why do ethnic groups do it differently?
New Year gift-giving is when adults give children or the elderly a small gift, usually money, at the start of the year with the meaning of a blessing. Among the Kinh, this custom is tied to Tết Nguyên Đán and is usually called lì xì. Among ethnic minorities, this custom does not always carry the same name, the same timing, or the same way of giving. The differences lie in where gift-giving sits within family rituals and in the notion of who receives.
How do Tày and Nùng people give New Year gifts during Tết?
Tày and Nùng people in Cao Bằng give New Year gifts to their children and grandchildren with coins wrapped in red paper, meaning to bestow fortune on them[1]. This gift-giving is tied to a specific ritual: when children and grandchildren return to the maternal home on the second day, the maternal side gives gifts to the grandchildren[1]. This is a noteworthy detail, as it shows that gift-giving here is not just giving money to children in the house, but also part of the ceremony welcoming the son-in-law and grandchildren visiting the maternal side.
Among Tày people in Hà Giang (a former province, now part of Tuyên Quang province), a 2018 press article records a broader form of gift-giving: giving gifts to the elderly and children who visit the house is a few thousand in small change or a pair of bánh chưng[2]. Thus, the recipients are not only children in the house but can be any elderly or child who visits during Tết. The gift can be money or bánh chưng, that is, part of the Tết feast tray rather than a separately purchased item.
According to this same record, during the Tết meal on the second day, children and grandchildren take turns bowing to grandparents and parents and those above, offering good wishes; those above wish them back[2]. The children and grandchildren also sing New Year greetings, praising the merits of grandparents and parents, and the grandparents and parents sing in reply to encourage them[2]. This is a clear difference from the lì xì custom among the Kinh: gift-giving among Tày people in Hà Giang is tied to antiphonal singing and bowing rituals, not just handing over envelopes.
Do Hoa people give lì xì by marital status or by age?
An author of Hoa origin who grew up in Chợ Lớn writes in Sài Gòn Giải Phóng newspaper that, in the Hoa lì xì custom, only married people give lì xì, while children and the unmarried receive it regardless of age; the author's aunt, over 50, still received lì xì[3]. This is a convention quite different from the common understanding among the Kinh, where lì xì is usually tied to children and the elderly.
This article also states an important point: Hoa people in the Chợ Lớn area (the former District 5 and District 6 of Ho Chi Minh City) do not have a common denominator for celebrating Tết: each house is different, and many Hoa families celebrate Tết in ways that are not alike[3]. Therefore, when speaking of Hoa lì xì, it should be understood as a record of a specific family, not a general rule for the whole community.
A 2011 survey article in Cần Thơ newspaper on Hoa people in the South carries a photograph of grandchildren greeting their grandparents on the morning of the first day in a Hoa family[4]. This article also records a custom related to lì xì during Tết: Hoa people also avoid sweeping the house during the three days of Tết, but if the house is too dirty, they still sweep, and before sweeping they place a lì xì envelope and a mandarin on the floor, then sweep, and after sweeping they pick them up[4]. The explanation given is that lì xì money is lucky money, and the mandarin, read in Cantonese as 'cách', is homophonous with 'kiết', symbolizing auspiciousness, so sweeping the house on Tết is seen as sweeping wealth into the house[4].
Quick comparison table between ethnic groups
| Place described | Gift recipients | Gift form | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tày and Nùng in Cao Bằng[1] | Grandchildren visiting the maternal side with their parents | Money wrapped in red paper | The second day, on the visit to the maternal side |
| Tày in Hà Giang (now part of Tuyên Quang province)[2] | Elderly people and children who visit the house | A few thousand in small change or a pair of bánh chưng | The second day, with the Tết meal, bowing and sung greetings |
| A Hoa family in Chợ Lớn[3] | Children and the unmarried, regardless of age | Lì xì envelopes given by married people | From the second day, on Tết visits |
Why are gift-giving practices different even though they share the same name?
From the accounts above, two things make gift-giving differ from place to place.
The first is where gift-giving sits within family rituals. Among Tày people in Hà Giang, gift-giving is part of the Tết meal on the second day, where children and grandchildren bow to grandparents and parents, sing New Year greetings, and receive wishes back[2]. In the Hoa family described, lì xì goes with the exchange of Tết visits from the second day[3], and the envelope also appears in the practice of placing a lì xì envelope and a mandarin on the floor before sweeping[4].
The second is the notion of who receives. The Hoa family in Chợ Lớn gives lì xì by marital status, Tày people in Hà Giang give gifts to the elderly and children who visit, Tày and Nùng people in Cao Bằng give gifts to children and grandchildren returning to the maternal side. Three different understandings of the same question: who deserves a blessing at the start of the year.
In summary, where do the differences lie?
In the places the press has described, Tày, Nùng and Hoa people all have a New Year gift-giving custom; the differences lie in the recipients, the form of the gift and the moment of giving. In the Hoa family in Chợ Lớn, lì xì follows marital status rather than age[3]. Tày people in Hà Giang (now part of Tuyên Quang province) give gifts of small change or a pair of bánh chưng to both the elderly and children who visit[2]. Tày and Nùng people in Cao Bằng give gifts to children and grandchildren during the ceremony of visiting the maternal side on the second day[1].
And the most important thing: there is no standard way of doing things against which other places should be measured. Each way is a way of organizing the New Year rituals of a specific community, in a specific locality, recorded at a specific time.
