Tết, also known as Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is a significant and highly anticipated event for Vietnamese people and those of Vietnamese descent around the world. Unlike the Western New Year, which is celebrated on January 1st, Tết is based on the lunar calendar and typically falls between late January and early February. The festival is a time for families to come together, reunite, and celebrate the new year. Tết is a time for honoring ancestors, wishing for good luck and prosperity in the coming year and making amends for any wrongs committed in the past year.
It is a time for forgiveness and for starting anew. Traditionally, families will gather together to enjoy a feast of traditional foods, such as bánh chưng and bánh dày, as well as participate in various activities and rituals, such as lighting firecrackers and visiting local pagodas to offer incense and make wishes. Children will receive red envelopes filled with money, a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Tết also includes a unique zodiac system, similar to the Chinese zodiac, with 12 animals representing each year. Each animal holds a specific meaning and is believed to influence the personality and fate of individuals born in that year. Additionally, Tết is a time for cultural and community events, such as parades, lion dances, and traditional music and dance performances, to be held throughout the
country. In short, Tết is a time for Vietnamese people to come together, celebrate their culture and customs, and welcome in good luck and prosperity for the coming year. It is a unique event that is different from Chinese new year, as Vietnam has its own zodiac and set of new year beliefs and traditions." In 2023, Tết will fall in the year of the cat according to the Vietnamese zodiac. The cat is referred to as "the flexible one," and people born in the year of the cat are said to be courteous, sociable, and possess a certain mysterious charm due to their tendency to keep their thoughts to themselves.