Tết, also known as Lunar New Year or Vietnamese New Year, is a significant holiday celebrated by Vietnamese communities around the world. The holiday marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is a time for family gatherings, feasts, and gift-giving. Tết is a time to reflect on the past year and to wish for prosperity and happiness in the coming year.
For Vietnamese Americans living in the United States, Tết is a unique blend of both traditional and American customs. The holiday is a time to connect with their cultural heritage while also celebrating the diverse communities they are a part of in the US.
One of the most important traditions during Tết is the preparation of special foods. Families come together to prepare traditional dishes such as bánh tét and bánh chưng, a sticky rice cake filled with mung beans and pork, and nem chua, a sour and salty fermented pork roll. These dishes are often served as offerings to ancestors during the holiday.
Another important aspect of Tết is gift-giving. Children receive money envelopes, known as lì xì, from older relatives as a symbol of good luck for the coming year. Friends and family also exchange gifts and well wishes.
In our families, it is especially important to visit/spend time with our families during the first few days of tết. And because everyone wants to host families, we ended up with a packed weekend traveling from one house to the next for meals. With the pandemic overt the last few years, this is the first time since 2020 that we were able to safely get together with our extended families to celebrate this important holiday in our culture.
Tết is a celebration of family, community, and cultural heritage. For Vietnamese Americans, it is a time to come together and reflect on the past year while looking forward to the future. Whether participating in traditional customs or finding new ways to celebrate, the spirit of Tet lives on. Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!
