Vietnamese Tet customs are more interested in learning by tourists around the world than ever as the Lunar New Year is approaching.
Along with the development of modern life, some traditional practices of the Lunar New Year have more or less changed to suit the habits and pace of contemporary life.
Basically, all Vietnamese Tet customs are still preserved, maintained and promoted to this day. If the customs change, it is only more or less formal, but the beauty of the culture remains intact.
We still see that, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, families still hold a ceremony to send Mr.Cong and Mr.Tao (Kitchen God) back to heaven, clean the house to welcome Tet, arrange a tray of five fruits, and give gifts of Tet,… In general, interactive activities with the natural environment and social environment during Tet are maintained by everyone.
In today’s contemporary life, exchange and contact with many different cultures around the world, from which many new elements and aspects of culture appear. This reason has caused some Vietnamese Tet customs to be adjusted and changed to suit modern life.
Vietnamese Tet custom of wrapping Banh Chung (Chung Cake)
The most obvious example is the custom of wrapping Banh Chung on Tet. In the past, every Tet family prepared sticky rice, green beans, pork, and dong leaves to wrap and boil Banh Chung.
The generation of people aged 40 and over remembers the feeling of being gathered with parents and family members as children, watching a pot of Banh Chung cooking on a wood stove.
The smell of kitchen smoke, the smell of dong leaves, the smell of an old pot of coriander-scented water simmering next to the pot of Banh Chung mixed with the scent of sweet potatoes buried in charcoal,… are the flavors of the old Tet that are present in life. Urban areas like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City are hard to find today.
The feeling of eagerly waiting to pick up the pre-cooked small Banh Chung that parents pack for their children brings a very Tet atmosphere.
In today’s modern life, people do not need to wait until Tet to eat Banh Chung. Banh Chung is available every day. The development of commercial services has caused many people to no longer wrap Banh Chung themselves, so now not every family has to wrap Banh Chung on Tet holiday.
Of course, there are still many families who preserve the custom of wrapping Banh Chung on Tet to increase family emotional bonds and teach their children and grandchildren the meaningful activities of the national Tet holiday. That is a very valuable thing because this is contributing to maintaining important functions of culture, which are the functions of education, inheritance, and historical continuity.
Bathing in old coriander leaves on the afternoon of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year
Besides, there are also many customs that are gradually disappearing, such as taking a New Year’s Eve bath with water from old coriander leaves or tulsi leaves. Modern life today is full of work, along with the convenience of many shampoo and shower gel products, so not every family will boil a pot of water from old coriander or grapefruit leaves on the 30th day of Tet. Let the whole family take a bath.
In Vietnam, bathing with coriander leaves is still done today as a symbol of spiritual value.
Vietnamese Tet custom of not sweeping the house on Tet
During Tet, there is also the custom of abstaining from picking up trash, just gathering it in a corner, waiting a few days before taking it out, with the concept that sweeping the house and taking out the trash on the first day of the new year is to sweep all the wealth out of the house. Modern life with many floor-sweeping robots, vacuum cleaners, … More or less, families have changed this habit.
Firecrackers on New Year’s Eve
Firecrackers on New Year’s Eve no longer exist. Ancient people lit firecrackers to exorcise demons; The sound of firecrackers is also considered to symbolize the sound of thunder, related to the rain-praying belief of the wet rice farming group, signaling a year of good harvest. On spring days, the sound of firecrackers also makes Tet more fun and bustling.
Nowadays, to ensure safety, firecrackers are banned. The use of fireworks is more common under strict supervision from production and use.
Traveling instead of stay at home
In contemporary Vietnam, the Lunar New Year, or Tet, has witnessed a noticeable shift in how people choose to celebrate the festive season. Unlike traditional Vietnamese Tet customs centered around elaborate family feasts at home, there’s a discernible trend where individuals spend less time indoors eating and more time exploring the wonders of travel during this auspicious period.
The allure of vibrant Tet festivals, cultural events, and the prospect of experiencing different regional celebrations across the country has led many to venture beyond the confines of their homes. The evolving mindset reflects a desire for experiential richness and a departure from the conventional, with families increasingly opting to embrace the festive spirit amidst the dynamic backdrop of Vietnamese landscapes.
This modern approach to Tet festival Vietnam 2024 underscores a growing inclination to create lasting memories through travel, contributing to a more dynamic and diverse Lunar New Year experience that extends beyond the traditional familial confines.
Some other Vietnamese Tet customs are being changed
Not only that, some rituals such as burning votive papers have also been limited and changed by many people to protect the environment and avoid waste. Or the custom of giving lucky money at the beginning of the year has also changed more or less. In the past, lucky money was just a very small amount of money to symbolize good luck, but today lucky money also has many variations. Many people take advantage of the custom of lucky money to give a lot of money, bribe or exchange money like a debt.
Besides, many people still find ways to change to preserve this lucky money custom. Instead of giving large amounts of money, people can give books to children.
In the past, the elders still had a saying: “Fist month is reserved to entertainment”, but now in the industrialized and modernized life, Tet celebrations are only limited to a few certain days so that people can quickly Return to the cycle of life, ensuring work requirements and labor productivity.
Tet in contemporary life changes more or less to suit objective factors, but basically the good things of Vietnamese Tet customs and traditions are still promoted and preserved.
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