Tet Nguyen Dan is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year celebrating the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar. The name Tet Nguyen Dan translates to Feast of the very First Morning.
Officially, Tet takes place from day 1 to day 3 of the first month of the Lunar calendar, but for some, this celebration period can carry on to day 10. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tet by cooking special foods and cleaning their house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tet such as visiting a person’s house on the first day of the new year(xông nhà) to wish New Year’s greetings, elderlies giving lucky money to children in red envolopes.
Tet is also an occasion for family reunions. During Tet, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples. They consider Tet to be the first day of spring and the festival is often called Hội xuân (spring festival).
Vietnamese people usually return to spend time with their families during Tet, followed by gatherings with their friends to wish good health & prosperity upon each other to celebrate the new season
Tet in the three Vietnamese regions can be divided into three periods, known as Tất Niên (Before New Year’s Eve), Giao Thừa (New Year’s Eve), and Tân Niên (the New Year), representing the preparation before Tet, the eve of Tet, and the days of and following Tet, respectively. All of these customs are to celebrate Tet in Vietnam.
