lifestyle
Mai Hoa
Traditions of Tet Vietnam Lunar New Year (Tet) bears a strong national identity as it is the most important holiday in the Vietnamese culture.
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he dates of Lunar New Year differ every year but it generally takes place around late January or February. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, many traditional customs with deep meaning for Vietnamese people take place, with people wishing for a peaceful, lucky, well-being and prosperous New Year.
Buying flowers People in the north of Vietnam often choose peach blossom branches to place on altars or indoor peach trees and kumquat trees to decorate the living room while those in Central and Southern Vietnam buy yellow apricot branches. In addition to the two typical flowers for Tet, almost every home has more flowers for worship and decoration. Flowers chosen for worship flowers include marigolds, daisies, gladiolus, and lilies. Flowers brought to adorn houses at Tet include colourful roses, daffodils, dahlia, and violets. custom and families often make Chung cake a couple of days before Tet.
Making “Chung” cake Making “Chung” cake is a custom from the glutinous rice civilisation and is more than simply ‘wet rice’. Glutinous rice can be traced back to ancient times in the Red River Delta and is associated with the story of “Chung” cake and “Day” cake from the 18th Hung King at the time of selecting his son-in-law. These days, making and eating Chung cake is a common
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Chung cakes are meaningful gifts and an indispensable offering on the ancestral altars during Vietnam’s biggest festival of the year. In Southern Vietnam, a variation of the cake is made using the same ingredients but with a different appearance.
The Five-Fruit tray The preparation of the five-fruit tray is an essential Tet tradition in every
