Vietnamese knowledge, page 9

Vietnamese commemorative days

Vietnam Family Day (June 28): Origin and Meaning

Vietnam Family Day on June 28 was established by Decision 72/2001/QD-TTg to honor family values and promote warm, equal, and happy households.

Tet and seasonal rites

Tet Doi: The Festival of Inviting the Rice Goddesses Back to the Village of the Muong People in Phu Tho

Tet Doi is a festival of the Muong people in Thu Cuc commune, Phu Tho, to invite the 'rice maidens' back to the village.

Traditional food

Banh Troi and Banh Chay: The Culinary Soul of Cold Foods Festival on the 3rd Day of the 3rd Lunar Month

Banh Troi and Banh Chay mark Vietnam's Cold Foods Festival on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, a localized day of honoring ancestors with these cakes.

Tet and seasonal rites

How to Prepare Offerings and Worship for Tết Đoan Ngọ (5th Day of the 5th Lunar Month) – The Custom of 'Eliminating Pests' in Early Summer

A detailed guide to preparing the offering tray and performing the Tết Đoan Ngọ worship ritual, with safety tips and regional variations.

Folk belief

Rain Praying Festival of the Thai Ethnic People: Agricultural Beliefs and Cultural Identity

Explore the rain praying festival of the Thai people in Northwest Vietnam: origins, rituals, spiritual meanings, and its role in agricultural community life.

Life-cycle rites

Traditional Friendship Bonding Ritual of the S'tieng and M'nong People

The friendship bonding ritual of the S'tieng and M'nong in the Central Highlands links two people and their families through shared vows.

Folk belief

Quan Cong Temples: A Religious Imprint of the Chinese Community in Vietnam

Quan Cong worship among Vietnam's Chinese community, seen through temples in Chau Doc and Ca Mau that serve as places of worship and cultural centers.

Festival customs

The Origin and Meaning Behind the Name "Tết Nguyên Đán"

The name "Tết Nguyên Đán" comes from "Tiết," a marker in the agricultural calendar, and "Nguyên Đán," meaning the first morning of the new year.

Historical figures

Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung: A Legend of Love and One of Vietnam's Four Immortal Saints

The legend of Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung, a poor man and a princess whose love story ends in deification among Vietnam's Four Immortals.

Traditional dress

Ao Ba Ba , The Iconic Southern Vietnamese Garment

Discover the origins, history, and deep cultural significance of Ao Ba Ba, the traditional garment symbolizing Southern Vietnam.

Ancestor worship

Ancestor Worship Ceremony with the Unique 'Ma Co' Dance of the Lo Lo People

The Lo Lo people in Ha Giang hold an ancestor worship ceremony, a national intangible heritage, with the Ma Co dance in grass costumes as its highlight.

Traditional festivals

Vesak: Origins, Meaning, and the Buddha Bathing Ritual

Vesak marks the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha, and its date differs between Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The bathing ritual symbolizes inner purification.

Tet and seasonal rites

Ramưwan Festival: The fasting month and grave-visiting ceremony of the Cham Bani

The Ramưwan festival of the Cham Bani in Ninh Thuan has three parts: grave-visiting to invite ancestors home, ancestral worship, and a month of fasting.

Folk divination

The custom of asking for divination sticks, drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the beginning of the year: A guide to the ritual and its cultural significance

Drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the start of the year: offerings, ritual steps, cultural meaning, and notes for a respectful visit.

Traditional dress

Khan Dong and Ao The: Traditional Vietnamese Men's Attire

Khan Dong and Ao The were formal wear for Vietnamese men, reflecting elegance and propriety, now revived for Tet, weddings and ceremonies.

Regions

Comparing Ancestor Worship Customs Across Vietnamese Regions

Ancestor worship in Vietnam differs by region: the North is formal with multi-tiered trays, Hue is elaborate, and the South is simpler yet refined.

Ethnic minority belief

H'Mông Beliefs and Festivals: Animism, Khèn Masters, and the Gầu Tào Festival

H'Mông (Mông) animist beliefs in highland Vietnam, where khèn masters guide souls in funeral rites and the Gầu Tào festival honours children.

Folk belief

Village Guardian Deity Worship (Thành Hoàng) in Vietnamese Culture

Thành Hoàng is the guardian deity believed to protect each Vietnamese village, worshipped at the communal đình. Its origins, deity types and royal decrees.

Traditional food

Meanings of Each Fruit in the Five-Fruit Tray for Tet

The five-fruit tray for Tet carries wishes through bananas, pomelos, papayas and mangoes, with regional differences between North and South Vietnam.

Life-cycle rites

Traditional Vietnamese Wedding: The Sequence of 6 Basic Ceremonies

Explore the detailed sequence of 6 traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremonies: Chạm Ngõ, Ăn Hỏi, Xin Dâu, Đón Dâu, wedding banquet, and Lại Mặt.

Historical figures

Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Festival - A Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Festival, the Mekong Delta's largest folk festival, honors the goddess protecting the border region.

Ethnic minority belief

Beliefs and Rituals of the Ê Đê People

The Ê Đê of Đắk Lắk follow a matrilineal system and worship the Yang spirits. Their grave-abandonment rite sends the dead to the ancestors.

Traditional festivals

Traditional Boat Racing Festivals in Vietnam: The Spirit of Rivers and Communal Strength

Explore the cultural significance, rituals, and uniqueness of traditional boat racing festivals across Vietnam, from Kien Giang river to other regions.

Festival customs

Tết Hàn Thực: The 3rd Day of the 3rd Lunar Month Cold Food Festival

Tết Hàn Thực falls on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month and traces to the Jie Zitui legend. In Vietnam it became a custom of making bánh trôi and bánh chay.