Sheer Lunar-cy: Tet in Ho Chi Minh City Part 1

                  

No sooner have we finished celebrating (Gregorian) New Year, then we swiftly move on to the next (Lunar) New Year in a mere matter of weeks.  Or Tet  (Tết Nguyen Dan) as it's officially known here in Vietnam. So that means another round of year-end parties and celebrations (good or bad, whichever way you look at it), but this time ramped-up on steroids - of the two New Year’s Eve’s, the biggest party is reserved for Tet. But Tet is so much more than merely heralding the start of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and first lunar month.

For those not familiar, or just plain confused, what exactly is Tet? More like, what isn’t Tet? For the Vietnamese, Tet (literally translating as "festival") is the biggest, most important celebration in the Vietnamese calendar and an extremely auspicious time to boot. Tet is a sort of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve all-in-one combo. In Vietnam, it's a traditional celebration, the main holiday and only time when the entire country shuts down and everyone finally takes it easy. I would also add, Tet is everything bar the kitchen sink, but even here it covers something from the kitchen.... namely a Kitchen God Festival (more on that later).

With the date varying each year according to the Lunar calendar, in Vietnam it falls sometime in late January or early February (on the Gregorian calendar). This year, the Lunar Year of the Pig, (the animal chosen from the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac) is the first day of the first Lunar first month falls on February 5.

But whenever, Tet totally hijacks this time of year. Officially the national holiday extends from around three to five days, when most businesses, services, transport and outlets are shut, but this time-frame is blurry and usually extends the entire week. Or longer. So if you're planning any official paperwork or putting your administrative affairs in order, best reschedule.

Most importantly, Tet is all about family reunions, of getting together with loved ones, in many cases, just once a year. Most workers in Hanoi and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) migrate back to the countryside or family seat and Overseas Vietnamese rush home to the Motherland - all to spend precious family time together. Its about gathering members of the extended family and reconciliations – both the living and the dead. Tet is the time to pay respects to deceased family members, with visits to ancestral graves and shrines, making offerings and inviting spirits “home." An important "to do" is making sure that the ancestors and the House Gods, the spirits that protect the family during the year, are satisfied. Thus, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month (a week before Tet), the three Kitchen Gods – privvy year-round to the family's most intimate secrets – fly-up to the heavens on a giant carp to submit an annual family report to the Jade Emperor (well, who better than my beloved Jade Emperor?).

And essentially, Tet is a spring festival, a time of renewal and starting afresh with a clean slate: settling old debts and scores and all problems from the previous year scrubbed out. It's a time to give and receive, exchanging New Year wishes of good fortune, longevity, happiness and of course, prosperity.

During my time here over the years, I've seen the spirit of Tet change as Vietnam has rapidly developed. In the north and Hanoi, as I experienced first-hand, it always was (and I would imagine, still is), a far more traditional affair than down in the more cosmopolitan Saigon. In the past, and especially in the north, people religiously prepared traditional dishes leading up to Tet and then locked themselves away for days feasting on them with family and esteemed guests. Why it was known as 'An Tet,' or literally, 'Eat the Tet.' Nowadays as the nation has gotten more globalized, northern Vietnam’s Tet traditions have slowly shifted. Rather than a complete lock down for days, the actual observance of Tet at home has reduced and businesses and services resume operations a tad quicker. The first few days of the lunar New Year has given way to getting out and about, visiting friends and extended families, attending spring festivals, flower displays and whatnot. In fact, an increasing number of Vietnamese are breaking free from 'An Tet' and opting for the 'Choi Tet' or 'Enjoying the Tet - travelling the holiday period in-country, or even further afield.

Nevermind. Wherever you in Vietnam and whatever year, Tet's age-old customs still prevail! Every year, without fail, everyone still goes a little crazy pre-Tet. The subtle (and not so subtle) first signs start surfacing weeks before in the countdown to the Lunar New Year. Here in Saigon, a new batch of Happy New Year - or Chuc Mung Nam Moi -  decorations are swiftly hoisted-up immediately after the Gregorian ones are pulled down.

The monstrous-sized, cellophane-encased seasonal gift sets are piled high in shops or balanced precariously on the backs of motorbikes. Makeshift clothes stalls appear on the streets as families treat themselves to some new attire and those former Christmas street stalls magically reappear as Lunar New Year stalls, groaning yet again with a gaudy glut of celebratory paraphernalia.

Then you notice all your neighbours almost like clockwork embark on sprucing-up their homes with an annual spring cleaning frenzy and a new lick of paint and furnishings . Cleaning the home and getting rid of old, unwanted furniture equates to clearing out bad luck and welcoming new good fortune. Then every home and business gets decorated with symbolic Tet flowers and trees (sort of similar to  Christmas pine trees) but again, dependent on where you are in the country. 

Northerners favour mini kumquat trees, highly symbolic for wealth and happiness in the coming New Year and blossoming peach trees (hoa dao) bearing reddish-pink hues, believed to be harbingers of good fortune. Both trees thrive in cold climates, which suits the four-season northern Vietnam and Hanoi.

Meanwhile, unless you're totally blind, in Saigon and the south, you'll see everywhere the yellow apricot blossoms of the Mai mini-tree.....

Again, a traditional and symbolic tree: the Mai's golden flowers represent the sun and can only survive in tropical sunshine lands - which of course, sums-up the south. And again, Mai flowers bloom around Tet time, which is believed to bring happiness and good fortune for the New Year. In Saigon, in the crazy run-up, you’ll increasingly notice yellow apricot blossoms and trees on sale in makeshift markets and stalls, or official decorations on downtown streets - perfect for the ultimate selfie.

And then there's the other giveaway signs: all the local dining establishments are booked-up solid with back-to-back company parties. Is it my imagine, or are there even more groups of friends and extended families knocking back 333-branded beers, shouting "Yo!" and eating barbecue-style out on the pavements (a die-hard Saigon tradition) in my local neighbourhood? Or even more soulful (read: ear-splitting) karaoke sounds wailing out late in the evening? And if you're really lucky, you'll be handed a red lixi envelope, traditionally (and hopefully) filled with crisp Dong notes as a year-end thank you for anyone from well-behaved kids to office workers and government officials. Just like Christmas back home, the Saigonese rush around like headless chickens on their motorbikes, frantically buying-up Tet food, flowers, decorations and presents. No wonder Tet is known as complete Lunar-cy.

Then, as if Saigon isn't noisy enough during the rest of the year, on the Lunar New Year’s Eve (30th day of the 12th lunar month), those MIA Kitchen Gods, along with the ancestral spirits, are welcomed back to the family home with noisy celebrations – a fitting homecoming besides keeping evil spirits at bay. Which is why Tet New Year's Eve celebrations are extremely noisy affairs. What's left of the city population (many have left for the countryside en-masse) will roll-out onto the streets to socialise and watch municipal concert performances and midnight firework displays.

Although services may get stuffed up, travel plans go pear-shaped and anything to do with officialdom is on a no-no go-slow, Tet is a fascinating time, culturally and socially, to be in Vietnam. In downtown Saigon there's an infectious feel-good vibe and tangible positivity about the coming New Year and spring. Local families wander the streets admiring the dazzling street lights and get their kids (the. cutest. ever), dressed-up in traditional Vietnamese attire, posing in front of the stunning floral displays.

So in the few words I can pronounce in a half-decent Vietnamese accent, wishing you all.....

 (Happy New Lunar Year!!!!)

Can't get enough of the Jade(d) Empress Lunar New Year chronicles?  Well click  for more sheer lunar-cy in Vietnam, here  and  Singapore, here !