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When is Tet Thanh Minh 2024 in the lunar calendar, solar calendar, and which day of the week does it fall on?

Tết Thanh minh - a traditional celebration among Vietnamese people. During this occasion, families often organize ancestral grave visits to honor their roots and show gratitude.

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12 March, 2024

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When is Tet Thanh Minh 2024 in the lunar calendar, solar calendar, and which day of the week does it fall on?

For the Vietnamese people, Tet Thanh Minh is an important holiday in cultural and spiritual life. The meaning of this holiday is to show respect and remembrance of our ancestors. On this occasion, family members will try to arrange their time to gather and return to visit their hometown and together organize activities to clean and worship the graves of their ancestors.

According to the belief in many East Asian countries, Tet Thanh Minh is one of the 24 solar terms of the year. It is the 5th solar term of the year, starting after the Spring Equinox. Tet Thanh Minh lasts for about 15-16 days and usually starts on April 4th or 5th in the solar calendar and ends on April 20th or 21st in the solar calendar each year. The typical weather during Tet Thanh Minh is cool, clear, and pleasant. This is the time when plants begin to sprout and enter a period of vigorous growth.

Tet Thanh Minh in 2024 will start on April 4th in the solar calendar. The first day of Tet Thanh Minh is usually considered the actual holiday. Therefore, Tet Thanh Minh in 2024 will be on April 4th in the solar calendar (equivalent to February 26th in the lunar calendar, Year of the Snake).

The tradition of grave worship during Tet Thanh Minh in Vietnam

In Vietnamese culture and spiritual life, when it comes to Tet Thanh Minh, people think of activities such as showing gratitude and visiting the graves of ancestors. No matter where they are, during this time, people will try to arrange their time to return to their families, go together to visit the graves of their ancestors, and sit together around the table to have a meal.

According to the custom, after the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, families can start to prepare for grave cleaning and worship. Before Tet Thanh Minh, families will prepare some ritual items such as the “tam sinh” set, colored papers, incense, paper money, gold, cakes, drinks… for the ritual offering to ancestors. Nowadays, depending on the local customs and the family’s conditions, the host can choose suitable items for the offering.

On the day of Tet Thanh Minh, family members will bring some tools such as a shovel and a hoe to repair the grave, remove weeds and wild plants to avoid snakes and rats building nests in the cemetery.

The host will place the ritual items and offer incense to the ancestors. In addition to burning incense at their own family tomb, people can also burn incense for the surrounding tombs.

After completing the grave worship, the host can ask for permission to leave, turn the gold back to normal, and return home to continue the worship at the ancestral altar.

This information is for reference and contemplation purposes only.

Frequently asked questions

Tet Thanh Minh is one of the 24 solar terms recognized in many East Asian countries. It is the 5th solar term and begins after the Spring Equinox. The festival spans approximately 15-16 days, typically starting on April 4th or 5th and ending on April 20th or 21st in the solar calendar.

In Vietnamese culture, Tet Thanh Minh is closely linked to grave-visiting and ancestor worship. People make efforts to return to their families and collectively visit the graves of their ancestors. They also prepare ritual items such as the “tam sinh” set, colored papers, incense, paper money, and offerings like cakes and drinks. On the day of Tet Thanh Minh, family members bring tools to maintain and clean the graves, removing weeds and wild plants.

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