(Construction) - Tết is Lunar New Year which is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar.
Because of the fact that Vietnamese families are so close-knitted, Tet Holiday is considered the best occassion for family members to return home and get together. During Tết, Vietnamese spend time shopping for the New Year, go to Pagodas and Temples.
The Vietnamese believe that Tet Holiday is an occasion to enjoy life after a full hard-working year, thus people forget their struggles and focus on making the celebration as festive as possible. Tết is consumed with distinctive colors and flavors.
Sticky square cake
Bánh Chưng or sticky spuare cake is a food made from glutinous rice, bean and pork, added with many other ingredients. Bánh Chưng is covered by green leaves and symbolizes the Earth, invented by the prince Lang Liêu from Hùng King dynasty. Bánh Chưng is chosen as the main food for Tết holiday because of it can last long for days in Vietnamese weather.
Sticky rice
Xôi or sticky rice is also a very important part of Têt holiday in Vietnam, along with Bánh Chưng, xôi is the main staple foods for Tết holiday. Xôi can be seen in many forms. Among these types, xôi gấc (with red color) is favorite the most by people because of its special red color – symbolizes the luck and new achievement for the New Year.
Jam
Tết jam is a food to serve in a meal during Tết holiday. This once-in-year mix of snack is very large in variety such as ginger, carrot, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, etc.
Decoration
Tết is usually decorated by Ochna integerrima (in the central and southern parts of Vietnam) or peach flower (in the northern part of Vietnam). In the north or central, the kumquat tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tết. Its bright orange-colored fruits represent the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes for in the coming year.
Above all, time to Tet is counting down, so if you want to experience this extremely special event at least once in a life, just come to this time and have a Lunar New Year trip in Vietnam.
By Khanh Phuong
Theo
