Lunar New Year’s Eve, also known as the New Year’s Eve ceremony, is held around 11 pm on the 29th day of the Lunar calendar. This is an extremely important ritual on the traditional Tet holiday of the Vietnamese people. It marks the farewell to the old year and welcomes a more favorable and lucky new year. In addition, Lunar New Year’s Eve also has the meaning of honoring the merits of ancestors and inviting ancestors to come home and enjoy Tet.
Because of its importance and significance, Lunar New Year’s Eve is always carefully prepared for its rituals, offerings, and the do’s and don’ts on this day.
1 What is Lunar New Year’s Eve?
Lunar New Year’s Eve is the moment of transition between the old year and the new year, entering the first day of the new year at 0 hours: 0 minutes: 0 seconds.
Lunar New Year’s Eve
Lunar New Year’s Eve is also known as the “Tru Tich” night, from 11 pm on the 29th to 1 am on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, is the most sacred night of every Vietnamese family. It is believed that this is the moment of the union of heaven and earth – the harmony of yin and yang and the emergence of a new life full of hope.
At this time, families gather to light incense, worship their ancestors, spend time together, watch fireworks to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year, and pray for health and good luck for all family members.
2 A year has 2 Lunar New Year’s Eves
Solar New Year’s Eve
Solar New Year’s Eve is always held at 12 o’clock on December 31st of the Solar calendar every year.
Lunar New Year’s Eve
On the other hand, Lunar New Year’s Eve or Tet Nguyen Dan will take place at 12 o’clock on the 30th day of December of the Lunar calendar. If a month is missing on the 30th, Lunar New Year’s Eve will fall on the 29th of December.
The family gathering on Lunar New Year’s Eve
3 The significance of Lunar New Year’s Eve
Lunar New Year’s Eve is the moment of transition between the old year and the new year. It is believed that this is the time to leave behind the sorrows, misfortunes, and bad omens of the past year and hope for a new year with more positive progress.
In addition, Lunar New Year’s Eve is also the time for family members to gather, from young to old, in a harmonious atmosphere, to review what has been achieved in the past year and set goals and plans for the new year.
4 Traditional customs of Lunar New Year’s Eve to bring luck all year round
Vietnamese people believe that during the moment of Lunar New Year’s Eve, they will encounter a lot of luck in the coming year if they do the following:
Worship on Lunar New Year’s Eve
One of the traditional customs that cannot be missed on Lunar New Year’s Eve is the worship ceremony. In each region and locality, there are different ways to arrange and offer worship. However, the Lunar New Year’s Eve ceremony still carries the meaning of saying goodbye to the old year and wishing for a new year with more joy and luck.
Worship on Lunar New Year’s Eve
The worship ceremony on the 29th Tet begins precisely at the moment of stepping into the new year at Tý hour (midnight on the 1st day of Tet). The head of the family worships, repents to heaven, earth, and ancestors, invites the deceased relatives to the house to celebrate Tet and prays for good luck and prosperity in the new year.
Choosing a direction to leave the house
This is a ritual where the head of the family will be the one to leave the house in a direction and at a time that they consider lucky after the Lunar New Year’s Eve ceremony. Eastern people believe that choosing the right direction will bring favorable business, good fortune, and desired health. Therefore, after the Lunar New Year’s Eve ceremony, people often check for auspicious dates and times, start their journey to seek good fortune for themselves and their families.
Choosing a direction to leave the house
Buying salt on Lunar New Year’s Eve
One of the traditional customs is buying salt on New Year’s Eve. Salt not only has the meaning of warding off evil spirits and bad luck but also symbolizes the close bond of family relationships, healthy children, and harmony.
Therefore, after Lunar New Year’s Eve, people often buy small bags of salt wrapped in yellow and red paper in neighborhoods and markets.
Buying salt on Lunar New Year’s Eve
Xong dat – The Earth Dance
Xong dat is one of the long-standing traditional rituals that cannot be missed on Lunar New Year’s Eve. The person who performs the Earth Dance will be the first to wish the New Year to the family. The first person can be randomly chosen or pre-selected by the head of the family to match the age and horoscope.
Most Vietnamese families attach great importance to this custom because they believe that if the first person is compatible, they can bring luck and fortune for the whole year.
Xong dat – The Earth Dance
New Year’s greetings
The moment of entering the first few seconds of the new year is when people give each other meaningful wishes for a new year filled with harmony, luck, happiness, and success.
New Year’s greetings
Celebrating birthdays
And of course, we must not forget about the traditional custom of celebrating birthdays. According to customs, adults will congratulate children with new coins or put them in red envelopes. The amount of money is not important, what matters is the meaning of the wishes that people give to each other. Grandparents wish for parents’ health and longevity. Grandparents hope that their grandchildren will be healthy, successful in their studies, and meet with good luck in their business.
Celebrating birthdays
Temple and Shrine Visits
After the Lunar New Year’s Eve ceremony, people usually go to the temple to pray for a peaceful and happy new year.
Hai loc – Picking up blessings
According to folklore, when visiting the temple at the beginning of the year, people will pick a branch called “hai loc” in the courtyard of the temple, symbolizing the blessings of the Buddha to bring home. This branch will be displayed in front of the ancestral altar until it withers.
Hai loc – Picking up blessings
Huong loc – Incense Stick
When going to pray for blessings, many people do not pick up blessings but request for “huong loc” by burning an incense stick and then bring the incense home to insert it into the ancestral altar at their house.
The flame symbolizes prosperity taken from the place of worship to bring good fortune throughout the year.
Huong loc – Incense Stick
4 Things to avoid on Lunar New Year’s Eve
- The New Year’s Eve tray needs to be well-prepared: From ancient times to the present day, preparing a New Year’s Eve tray is mainly about sincerity and not necessarily completeness as required. But that doesn’t mean it can be done sloppily.
- Depending on the customs of each region and locality, the New Year’s Eve tray will have different offerings, but in general, you need to have incense, candles, tea, wine, salt, rice, fruits, sticky rice, traditional cakes, etc.
- Avoid creating loud noises, breaking things.
- On New Year’s Eve, family members need to be harmonious, avoid arguing and raising their voices.
Avoid creating loud noises, breaking glass on Lunar New Year’s Eve
- According to the beliefs of the Chinese, on New Year’s Eve, the house must be filled with descendants to welcome the ancestors back to the family to celebrate Tet. If the house is not filled with descendants, it symbolizes an incomplete happiness for the year.
- Avoid looking in the mirror on Lunar New Year’s Eve, as it is believed that it may see ghosts and demons on that night, bringing bad luck throughout the year.
Avoid looking in the mirror on Lunar New Year’s Eve
Avoid looking in the mirror on Lunar New Year’s Eve
5 Customs of welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve in countries around the world
Customs of welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve in countries around the world
Welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve in Europe
In Europe, each country has its own ways of welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve. In France, people will celebrate together, drink alcohol, and enjoy the evening of New Year’s Eve.
In England, people gather in Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, listen to the Big Ben clock chime in the new year, hold hands and sing “Auld Lang Syne”. They also buy gifts, cakes, and visit friends and relatives on New Year’s Eve.
In Germany, before the moment of New Year’s Eve, they will sit quietly on chairs for 15 minutes. When the clock strikes, they all jump out of their seats and throw a heavy object behind them, symbolizing the elimination of difficulties and hardships to step into the new year.
Welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve in North America
In North American countries like the United States and Canada, couples will kiss each other at the moment of New Year’s Eve, both to maintain their relationship and to wish for a new year filled with love and affection.
Welcoming Lunar New Year’s Eve in Central and South America
In Brazil, people will wear white clothes on New Year’s Eve and release white flowers into the sea to express their gratitude to the sea goddess.
is a moment of transcendence for the nation, marking the end of an old year and welcoming a new year full of favorable prospects and more joy. Therefore, the Vietnamese people always carefully prepare from the tray, rituals, prayers, and the things to avoid on New Year’s Eve.
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