Vietnamese Lunar New Year Customs and the Meaning Behind Each Ritual
Vietnamese Lunar New Year customs: the Kitchen Gods send-off, New Year's Eve rites, first-footing, and lucky money, with the meaning behind each.
Results for "Tet Nguyen Dan customs"
FestivalLunar New Year (Tết)
- Day 1 of lunar month 1
- Public holiday
- 2027: no official dates yet; by custom it falls on 6 February 2027
- 3 sources
What Festivals and Tet Occasions Are There in Vietnam Throughout the Year?
Vietnam's year of festivals and Tet occasions, from Lunar New Year and the first full moon to Mid-Autumn, plus ethnic Tet traditions.
Worship Practices in Northern Vietnam: Forms, Rituals and Their Meaning in Vietnamese Life
Northern Vietnam worship includes ancestor veneration, Thành hoàng, Mother Goddess and folk rites, reflecting uống nước nhớ nguồn and the wish for peace.
What Are Vietnamese Customs and Traditions? Definition, Origins, and Representative Practices
Vietnamese customs and traditions are habits and rituals passed down through generations. Here is their definition, origins, and key Tet practices.
Traditional Tet Taboos and Customs for Good Luck
Explore traditional Vietnamese Tet taboos: avoiding sweeping, giving fire, breaking things... and the spiritual meanings behind these customs.
Traditional Tet customs of the Dao Quan Chet people in Phu Tho
Tet customs of the Dao Quan Chet people in Phu Tho include making chung and day cakes, ancestor worship, and community rituals that mark the new year.
Regional Differences in Ancestor Worship and Tết Customs Among the Kinh Across North, Central, and South Vietnam
Though united as one Kinh ethnic culture, ancestor-worship, wedding, and Tết customs differ substantially across North, Central, and South Vietnam.
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.
How to Prepare the New Year's Eve Offering Tray (Tet) According to Customs
A guide to preparing New Year's Eve offerings, arranging the outdoor and indoor trays by Vietnamese custom, with safety notes and regional differences.
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chol Chnam Thmay of the Khmer, and Ethnic Groups Celebrating New Year by Their Own Calendars
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chol Chnam Thmay of the Khmer, and ethnic groups with their own calendars: timing, offerings, rituals, and names.
Chol Chnam Thmay: Three Days of the Khmer Traditional New Year
Chol Chnam Thmay is the Khmer New Year, held in mid-April over three days with rituals like the Maha Sangkran procession and bathing the Buddha.
Rằm Tháng Giêng (Tết Nguyên Tiêu): The First Full Moon and Temple-Going Traditions
Rằm Tháng Giêng, the lunar year's first full moon, brings temple visits and star-releasing rites, with the saying "a year of offerings cannot match this one.
Foods to Avoid at the Beginning of the New Year According to Folk Beliefs
Duck, squid, banana, shrimp, snail and fertilized duck eggs are avoided at new year in Vietnamese folk belief, which links them to bad luck.
Tết Rites in Southern Vietnam: Welcoming the Ancestors, the Giao Thừa Offering, Tết Nhà on the Third and the Farewell
Tet rites in southern Vietnam: welcoming the ancestors on the 30th, giao thừa offerings outdoors and indoors, Tết nhà on the third, farewell on the fourth.
Full Moon of the First Lunar Month - Tet Nguyen Tieu: Why It Is Considered the Most Significant Full Moon of the Year and What to Prepare for the Offering Tray
Tet Nguyen Tieu, the first full moon of the lunar year, is greatly valued in Vietnamese culture. See why it matters and what to prepare for the offering tray.
How Do Families in Vietnam's Three Regions Hold the Year-End Ancestor-Welcoming Ceremony on the 30th of Tet?
The rite on the afternoon of the 30th of Tet invites ancestors home for the New Year. North, Central and South differ mainly in the feast and the fruit tray.
Erecting the Tet Neu Pole and Lowering It on the Seventh Day: Origins, Meaning, and Practice
The Neu pole is raised on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and lowered on the 7th of the first month, closing Tet. Its origins, meaning.
When Is the Votive Paper Burning Ceremony to See Off Ancestors After Tet, and What Should You Prepare?
Burning votive paper to see off ancestors after Tet usually falls between the 3rd and 10th of the first lunar month, most often the 3rd. What to prepare.
Year-end grave tending before Tết (tảo mộ, chạp mả): when it is done, what to prepare, and its place in ancestor worship
Tảo mộ, chạp mả cuối năm là tục sửa sang phần mộ tổ tiên trước Tết. Bài nêu ngày làm, lễ vật, tục chạp mả ở Huế, xứ Quảng và ý nghĩa thờ cúng tổ tiên.
How Are Rice Offerings Made on the First Three Days of Tết? Accounts from the North, Huế and the South
Cúng cơm ba ngày Tết covers the first, second and third day rites: Nguyên đán, Chiêu điện, Tịch điện and the Tạ ceremony, with regional differences.
Tet worship rituals in northern Vietnam from the 23rd of the 12th lunar month to the vang ma burning rite: sequence, offerings and meaning
Northern Vietnamese Tet worship runs from seeing off the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month to welcoming ancestors and the vang ma burning rite.
The 15th Day of the Tenth Lunar Month - Tet Ha Nguyen: The Rice Harvest Thanksgiving Festival Few Still Remember
Tet Ha Nguyen on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month is one of Vietnam's four major traditional festivals, a time to thank heaven and earth.
Lantern Festival of the Chinese Community in Cho Lon and the Belief in Thien Hau
The Lantern Festival in Cho Lon, a national intangible cultural heritage, centers on the belief in Thien Hau Thanh Mau at ancient assembly halls.
Tet cakes of Vietnam's three regions: banh chung, banh tet, and cakes found in only one region
Tet cakes differ across Vietnam's three regions: the North has banh chung and banh phu the, the Center has banh to and banh in, the South has banh tet.
Detailed guide on arranging the five-fruit tray for Tet in three regions
A practical guide to choosing and arranging the five-fruit tray for Tet in the North, Central and South, with meanings and step-by-step instructions.
How to Arrange the Worship Tray for Tet Doan Ngo (5th day of 5th lunar month)
Tet Doan Ngo worship tray guide: offerings like fermented rice and tro cakes, step-by-step arrangement following regional customs, plus safety notes.
How to Arrange the Year-End Tat Nien Offering Tray: A Step-by-Step Guide
A step-by-step guide to preparing offerings and arranging the Year-End Tat Nien tray per Vietnamese customs, with the prayer and key notes.
Banh Chung and Banh Tet: Origins and Cultural Significance of Tet
Banh Chung and Banh Tet trace back to the Lang Lieu legend of the Hung King era, symbolizing heaven, earth and prosperity.
Southern Bánh Tét: a Tet offering wrapping up the wish for family reunion
Southern bánh tét is a signature Tet offering that symbolizes prosperity and family reunion. See its origins, meaning and traditional wrapping methods.
Tết Đoan Ngọ: The 5th Day of the 5th Lunar Month "Killing Summer Bugs" Festival
Tết Đoan Ngọ falls at noon on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, when folk belief says yang energy peaks. The bug-killing custom and ancestor worship.
Chicken Feet Divination at Tet: The Custom of Predicting Crop Fortune Among Ethnic Minorities
Chicken feet divination at Tet and the new rice ceremony of ethnic minorities aims to predict fate and crops for the new year.
Kieu Fortune Telling at Tet: When the Tale of Kieu Becomes a Message of New Year Luck
Kieu fortune telling at Tet uses verses from Nguyen Du's Tale of Kieu to predict outcomes. A randomly opened verse is read as an omen for the year.
First-day Tet travel for the 2027 Lunar New Year: how to choose the hour and direction, and where sources disagree
First-day Tet travel for 2027: how to choose the hour and direction, prepare offerings, and follow the route, plus why sources disagree on the calculations.
How Do Outdoor and Indoor Giao Thua Offerings Differ? Rituals, Offering Trays, and Regional Variations Across Three Regions
Outdoor and indoor New Year's Eve offerings differ in who is invited, where the rite is held and the prayer text. Each region has its own symbolic dishes.
Xip Xi Festival - the Children's Tet of the White Thai People
The Xip Xi Tet of the White Thai people in Vietnam's Northwest is a festival for children, with rituals to worship spirits and ward off disease.
Comparing Tet Feast Trays Across Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam
Tet feast trays in Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam differ in ingredients and meaning, from banh chung in the North to banh tet in the South.
Year-End Offering in Three Regions: Dates, Offering Trays and Meaning
Cúng tất niên is the year-end offering that thanks the ancestors and sees off the old year: the day, the trays of three regions, the prayer and its meaning.
Calligraphy for the New Year at the Temple of Literature: the beautiful cultural tradition of the calligrapher during Tet
Asking for calligraphy at the Temple of Literature is a beautiful Vietnamese Tet custom, showing respect for knowledge and sending new year wishes.
Hue Tet Feast: Echoes of Royal Cuisine in the Lunar New Year Meal
The Hue Tet feast blends royal essence with folk culture, shaped by a philosophy of frugality, elegance, harmony and transformation.
The First-Foot Custom at Lunar New Year: Origins, How Old Vietnamese Chose the First Visitor, and How the Custom Is Changing
First-footing is an old Vietnamese Tet custom: the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to carry the year's fortune.
Nguyen Trung Truc Memorial Festival in Kien Giang: A 156-Year Cultural Tradition
The Nguyen Trung Truc Memorial Festival in Kien Giang runs each year from the 26th to 28th of the 8th lunar month, honoring the hero who died in 1868.
Vietnam Entrepreneurs' Day (Oct 13): Origin and Meaning
Vietnam Entrepreneurs' Day on October 13 was recognized in 2004, tracing back to Ho Chi Minh's 1945 letter to the industrial and commercial sectors.
Vietnam Culture Day November 24: Why This Date, Resolution 28/2026/QH16 and the Right to Fully Paid Leave from 2026
Vietnam Culture Day falls on November 24 each year, approved by the 16th National Assembly on April 24, 2026, with fully paid leave for workers.
Nguyen Trai (1380-1442): World Cultural Celebrity and His Years at Con Son
Nguyen Trai, world cultural celebrity, was the soul of the resistance against the Ming and spent years at Con Son writing and reflecting on benevolent rule.
Why two calendars give different lunar dates for the same solar day, and where time zones come in
Two calendars can give different lunar dates for the same solar day because they use different legal time zones, such as Vietnam at UTC+7 and China at UTC+8.
Kinh (Viet) People: Residence, Language, Ancestor Worship and Major Festivals
The Kinh (Viet) are 86.83% of Vietnam's population and speak Vietnamese of the Viet Muong group. Their villages and ancestor worship are covered here.
Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, November 23: When Did It Begin and Why That Date?
Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day falls on November 23 under Decision 36/2005/QD-TTg, the date chosen because Ho Chi Minh signed Decree 65/SL in 1945.
