Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Happy Tet New Year!
Posted on February 8th, 2010.Tet, or the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is the most important and popular holiday in Vietnam. This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year will fall on February 14. Many people have a full week off work, but festivities may continue for the better part of two weeks with lots of eating, drinking and parties. It is mainly a time for family reunions and for paying respect to elders and ancestors. This year is the Year of the Tiger, a zodiac animal that represents bravery, luck and charisma. Here’s how the GVI staff will celebrate Tet:
Tan: I will celebrate Tet in Hanoi, then on the 2nd day of the new year (February 15), my family and I will go back to my hometown in Bac Giang to visit my parents and relatives. My parent’s house is small, so my brothers and I will have to take turns visiting because we can’t all be there at the same time. My “big plans” are to relax and to play with my children.
Sherman: We’ve only spent one Tet holiday in Vietnam since we don’t have family or relatives here. This year (like most years) we will go to Thailand just before Tet for some fun and shopping. We will return to Hanoi on the 2nd day of the New Year and visit friends or receive visitors. It’s a great time to catch up with friends that you haven’t seen for a long time.
Huong: My family and I will prepare lots of food for the 4 days of Tet (ie the day before plus the following 3 days). “Banh chung” is the main food of the holiday, which is a sticky rice square with pork stuffing. We visit people and also receive lots of visitors. We will stay in Hanoi this year, but normally I go back to my hometown in Vinh (central Vietnam). I like sleeping and eating during Tet. I stayed up until midnight to see the fireworks – the first time I’ve done that in a long time!
Tim: Since I’ve been a kid I’ve traveled a lot and have always been far from home, so Tet is the one time of year that I go home to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). All my siblings - 6 of us - gather together. We will go to the cemetery, clean our ancestors’ graves and also repent and reflect. We also clean, repaint and remodel, redecorate - basically make things “new” for the new year. On new year’s eve, our family usually gathers together for a family devotion and we reflect on the past year and give thanks to God for all his blessings and pray for the new year. Then we wait for the fireworks show.
HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER FROM ALL OF US AT GVI!
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It’s me, Trang. How wonderful the past year was when I had a chance to meet you guys at GVI. Thanks for your welcome, GVI has become one of the coziest place I have ever been with laughter and love I felt whenever I came to you. Thanks GVI for bringing me so much memorable moments and true friends. I wish you all the best.