Tết

[Teacher Mark 53]

Since this is my first Tết here in Vietnam I figured I'd look up the dos and don'ts. Feel free to add to the list, or dispute the claim.

Dos:

* One should give people lucky presents to enhance the relationship between themselves and others: new clothes, peach branches (for expelling evil), cocks (wishing for good manners), new rice (wishing for being well-fed), rice wine in a gourd (wishing for a rich and comfortable life), bánh chưng (or bánh tét) and bánh dày which symbolize sky and earth (for worshipping the ancestors), red things (red symbolizes happiness, luckiness, advantages) like watermelon, dogs (the bark – gâu gâu – sounds like the word giàu - richness in Vietnamese language), medicated oil (dầu in Vietnamese, also sounds similar to giàu).

* One should give lucky Dong Ho Paintings such as: "Gà đàn" (wishing for having many children), or "Vinh hoa", but should not give unlucky Dong Ho paintings like "Đánh ghen" related to legal proceedings.

* One should buy a lot of water for Tết, because people wish for money to flow like water currents in a stream (proverb: "Tiền vô như nước").

* One should sprinkle lime powder around the house to expel evil.

* One should return all things borrowed, and pay debts before Tết.

* Go gambling after you are done with the festivities.

Don'ts

* One shouldn't say or do bad things during Tết.

* One shouldn't hurt or kill animals or plants but should set them free. The reason for this originates from Buddhism's causality.

* One shouldn't sweep the house or empty out the rubbish to avoid luck and benefits going with it, especially on the first day of the new year. One shouldn't let the broom in confusion if people don't want it to be stolen.

* One shouldn't give these presents to others: clock or watch (the recipient's time is going to pass), cats (mèo in Vietnamese language pronounced like nghèo, poverty), medicine (the receiver will get ill), cuttle fish (its ink is black, an unlucky colour), writing ink (for the same reason), scissors or knives (they bring incompatibility).

* One shouldn't have duck meat because it brings unluckiness.

* One shouldn't have shrimp in case one would move backwards like shrimp, in other words, one would not succeed.

* One shouldn't buy or wear white clothes because white is the colour of funerals in Vietnam.

* One shouldn't let the rice-hulling mill go empty because it symbolizes failed crops.

* One shouldn't refuse anything others give or wish you during Tết.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt

Edited January 28, 2010 by Mr. Saigon

[ScottThuy 140]

Thuy had me take many 2 dollar bills back with me so she could present them to friends and family for new years.. oh so lucky money... must be crisp and new looking...

[Teacher Mark 53]

Thuy had me take many 2 dollar bills back with me so she could present them to friends and family for new years.. oh so lucky money... must be crisp and new looking...

I was reading an article about that. I'm planning on giving my students 1K VND notes, since I have 300 of them.

[Teacher Mark 53]

VietNamNet Bridge – As the lunar New Year is approaches, the online market is bustling with auctions for US$2 banknotes as Tet gifts.

Members of the 5giay website last week joined an online auction for 10 US$2 banknotes.

Tuan, from HCM City, pursued the auction but wasn’t fast enough with his final bid as his computer lost its connection.

“20,000-30,000 dong for a US$2 banknote is very cheap. I need around 30 US$2 banknotes each Tet to give as presents to my friends. Last year I had to buy one $2 banknote for 50,000 dong,” Tuan said.

A small ad on 5giay offered US$2 banknotes issued in 2003, priced at 49,000 dong/banknote. The price would go down to 47,000 dong per banknote for anyone who buys at least 10 banknotes and 46,000 dong/banknotes for 20 banknotes upwards.

On the raovat website, one seller offered for sale brand-new $2 banknotes at 50,000 dong. This person explained: “According to oriental concept, number 2 is a couple and a pair so anyone who holds the $2 banknote at the New Year time would receive good luck.”

The common price for a $2 banknote is 50,000 dong but the real prices depend on the year of issue and the serial number on the banknotes. Many people also like buying $1 banknotes as Tet gifts for children. A $1 banknote is equivalent to 30,000 dong.

Do Thi Thang, who is in charge of buying US goods for Vietnamese customers on eBay, said that the demand for $2 banknotes is on the rise along with Tet coming. “In November and December 2009, we bought nearly 80 $2 banknotes from the US,” Thang said.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/201001...$3-891451/

[ScottThuy 140]

I have taken over 100 of them in the past year... If I were not coming as late in the month, I could bring you some... I have seen them for sale in HaNoi for 6 USD ea. or 100.000 vnd..

[Teacher Mark 53]

One difference between Vietnam and America is the calendar system we use. Explain the solar calendar vs. the lunar calendar. (see appendix). Children in Vietnam all have the same birthday. Everyone's birthday is on TET. (Lead a discussion on how the students feel about having their own birthday, or do they think it would be fun to have everyone's birthday on the same day.)

http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/tet-lessonplan.htm

I did not know that.

[lindal24 1]

One difference between Vietnam and America is the calendar system we use. Explain the solar calendar vs. the lunar calendar. (see appendix). Children in Vietnam all have the same birthday. Everyone's birthday is on TET. (Lead a discussion on how the students feel about having their own birthday, or do they think it would be fun to have everyone's birthday on the same day.)

http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/tet-lessonplan.htm

I did not know that.

I don't know if this is so much necessarily true to form...

I believe everyone "celebrates" a new year on Tet, including the fact that everyone will be 1 year older. In other cases, if people just don't remember their birthdates and don't have documentation to look at, they "reset" their birthdate(s). One thing if you're leading a discussion of having everyone's birthday on one day, you could probably get the Guiness Book of World Records people in HCM and get ~9MM people toasting their birthday!

[Teacher Mark 53]

I don't know if this is so much necessarily true to form...

I believe everyone "celebrates" a new year on Tet, including the fact that everyone will be 1 year older. In other cases, if people just don't remember their birthdates and don't have documentation to look at, they "reset" their birthdate(s). One thing if you're leading a discussion of having everyone's birthday on one day, you could probably get the Guiness Book of World Records people in HCM and get ~9MM people toasting their birthday!

I'm not able to find a Guiness record for the biggest birthday party. Seems like there'd be one.

[Ban Hammer 13,429]

very interesting reading

[Teacher Mark 53]

very interesting reading

Slumming it in the Vietnam forum Charles?

[Melrose Plant 1]

I just got 30 $2 bills to give as gifts. These Vietnamese are strange folk.