As mid-January is starting to hit its stride many just ‘waking up’ from their holiday hangover. For those in Asia, and Vietnam, the holiday season is not quite over yet. That’s because on January 23^rd, Asians of Chinese ancestry will be celebrating their New Year while Vietnamese will be celebrating Tet.
Is there a difference between the two? Not that much. The festival marks the beginning of spring for both cultures. Chinese and Vietnamese also anticipate the festival weeks in advance. Many will thoroughly clean their house, prepare extravagant food and save money to buy gifts for friends and families. It is not that much different from Western families preparing for Christmas and the excitement many go through leading up to the day.

Just like the holidays in the West, many in Asia look forward to being with their families during their festive season. And similar to Christmas shopping, Chinese New Year/Tet markets, malls and shops are busy with locals scrambling to find gifts for their friends, family or loved one.

An individual’s ‘birthday’ is also commemorated on this day. Unlike Western customs where people age on the date they were born, Vietnamese and Chinese traditions recognize a person being older on the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar. Children say they were born in the year of the cat or the dragon instead of the actual date and numerical year they were born in.

The actual celebration varies from culture to culture, which can go on for two weeks but is usually reserved for three days. During the festive period, streets are decorated with red lanterns, Dulian (Chinese poetry) in most countries and Han Tu (Vietnamese versions of Chinese characters) in Vietnam.

And what is Chinese New Year/Tet without fireworks? During the festive period, the evening sky comes alive with an impressive and often emphatic light display.