Here we are in the middle of the Lunar or Chinese New Year celebrations. Of course the Lunar New Year goes by different names in different countries. In Vietnam, the 22nd of January this year wasn’t Chinese New Year — it was Tet. A lot of, maybe most, Americans had never heard of Tet before the Vietnam War. But 55 years ago, the Tet Offensive, which occurred during the Vietnamese New Year holiday in 1968 was a significant event in the war and most of the world became aware of Tet. The Tet Offensive was a simultaneous attack by North Vietnam on five major cities in South Vietnam that resulted in a military defeat for North Vietnam but was a political disaster for the Allied forces and significantly eroded support for the war among the American public and congress. Part of the Tet celebration is setting off firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, but in 1968 I remember the evil spirits being the Viet Kong and the noise much louder than any firecrackers I’d ever heard.
So is the Vietnamese New Year and the Chinese New Year the same — or different? As I often heard in Vietnam, “same, not same.” Both are celebrated on the same day, and both involve celebrations and cultural traditions that are based on the lunar calendar, but they are not the same holiday. The Chinese New Year is specifically associated with Chinese culture, while Tet is associated with Vietnamese culture.
In most Asian cultures, each lunar year is associated with an animal sign according to the zodiac cycle of twelve years. Even though Vietnam and China have similar zodiac signs (and interpretations) they aren’t the same.
In China, the zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
In Vietnam the zodiac animals are: Rat, Water Buffalo, Tiger, Cat Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Last year, both China and Vietnam celebrated the Year of the Tiger. This year, the Chinese New Year symbol is the Rabbit, while in Vietnam, it is the Year of the Cat.
While a lot of the traditions for Tet are the same as Chinese New Year, some are a bit different….
Vietnamese New Year, Tet Holiday, or Tet Festival, officially kicks off one week before the Lunar New Year’s Day, when the tradition of praying to the Kitchen God or Ông Táo, is observed. (According to vietnamese belief, each household has a god in the kitchen who protects the family and observes their behavior. On the 23rd day of the last lunar month, the Kitchen God is said to return to heaven on the back of a fish to report to the Jade Emperor. To assist in the journey, Vietnamese families make offerings to the alter and release koi fish into nearby lakes and rivers.)
According to traditional Vietnamese beliefs, it is important to start the new year with fresh, new clothes in order to rid oneself of any bad luck that may have accumulated during the previous year.
Since the Vietnamese believe that the spirits of ancestors and deceased family members return to visit during the Tet holiday, families prepare offerings on the altar and keep incense lit throughout the holiday to honor and welcome these spirits.
Setting off firecrackers was a longstanding tradition during the Lunar New Year Festival, even during the war. However, due to the risk of fire, firecrackers were banned in Vietnam in the late 1990s. Today, many of the cities and towns now hold coordinated fireworks displays at designated locations.
Vietnamese believe that the first person to enter a home on Lunar New Year has a significant impact on the host’s fortune for the entire year. So — families and individuals often try to carefully select the first person to enter their home on Lunar New Year. They may choose someone from within their family or a friend who is born under a lucky zodiac sign. If they’re not able to find a suitable individual, some people may even leave their own home before midnight on Lunar New Year’s Eve and then re-enter to ensure that the first person to enter the home is not undesirable.
It is a longstanding tradition for Vietnamese people to visit pagodas and temples during the Lunar New Year celebration to pay respects to Buddha and the gods.
A common practice is drawing lots or consulting with fortune-tellers when visiting pagodas and temples. The lots, which are small slips of paper, contain a number or a short paragraph that is believed to predict the individual’s fortune for the coming year. To interpret the message, people often seek the guidance of fortune-tellers, who are usually located at a corner of the pagoda or outside the gates. These fortune-tellers will typically provide an interpretation of the individual’s fortune, including any potential challenges or opportunities to watch out for in the coming year. If an individual is told that their year is likely to be challenging due to their zodiac sign conflicting with the year’s zodiac sign, they may be advised to make additional offerings at the pagoda to seek protection from Buddha.
So whether you’re celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, or the Year of the Cat, or the fact that you’ve given up on your New Year’s Resolutions for 2023 — we’re off and running. Have a good year.
— 30 —