Family reunion Watch TV gala, play traditional games (gambling
in harmony)
Annual events
When the clock strikes 12,
Lunar calendar
Burn incense to honor our ancestor
Treasure
Incense stick
Heritage
Ancestor altar
Return to one’s hometown
Pray for prosperous/hopeful/fortune/success…
Kitchen god’s day (tết ông Táo)
year
Spring fair
Go to pagoda, pray, burn incense
Poetry couplets
Eat chung cake, a glutinous rice, bacon, mung
Intimate get-togethers beans wrapped in banana leaves,
Highly anticipated by the Vietnamese a traditional cake that represent the earth
Wide varieties of food Parallel poetry (câu đối Tết)
Get “lucky money” Decorating house with flowers
Good fortune Clean the house
Wash away hardship Freshen up living area
Carry the hope for Organize
Bitter melon Gives loved one presents like jam, nuts to
express gratefulness
Apricot flower hoa mai
Year-end party
Peach flower hoa dao
wholeheartedly clean and
Have a big feast
decorate our ancestor’s altar
Visting love ones
which is the spiritual symbol
Express goodwill of the holiday
Enjoy the flower festival
bitter melon
Watch lion dancing
make offering for the stars:
Enjoy fireworks display
cúng sao
1. What is the most important traditional festival in your country ?
I think the most important one is the Tet Holiday. It is on the first of January according to the
Lunar calendar, it is when friends and family members gather together. And we have about ten
days off for this occasion.
2. Can you tell me something about the festivals in Vietnam ? Which one
is your favorite holiday ?
Yes. We have many traditional festivals, but the major ones are, for example, Tet Holiday, Moon
Festival, and National Day. My favorite holiday is Tet Holiday, the Vietnamese New Year. It
comes on the first of January according to the lunar calendar. On New Year’s Eve, children will
get “lucky money” and wear new clothes. They can do things they would not normally be
allowed to do.
Tet Holiday has always been my favorite holiday because there are not many activities and
varieties of food. Like Christmas in the Western countries, it’s the most important and longest
holiday we have, a good time for family reunion and relaxation. We celebrate this holiday with a
lot of different activities: having a big feast, visiting our parents and friends to express our
goodwill, enjoying the flower festival, watching lion dancing or chatting with each other.
3. What do you do during the Tet Holiday ?
On the Tet Holiday, we have about ten days off. I often visit my parents, friends, and relatives.
It’s a great time to relax and enjoy ourselves. But many people take the opportunity to visit the
places of interest in and outside Vietnam
4. How do you celebrate an important occasion in your family, such as a
wedding or a birthday?
We celebrate important occasions in my family by getting together with our parents, having a big
meal and playing some games afterwards. It’s the perfect time for us to have a whale of time.
5. What do you usually do on holidays?
On New Year’s Eve, after dinner, children usually receive some “lucky money”, wear new
clothes and get new toys, while adults usually watch the TV gala or play some games. Later at
night, when the clock strikes 12, with the coming of New Year, people will enjoy fireworks
display.
We usually make square cakes, a typical food on New Year’s Day in Vietnam. It is a kind of
glutinous rice cake wrapped in banana leaves, in order to honor our ancestor, King Hung, who
himself made it to present to his respected father.
6. What holiday or festival has become more popular in Vietnam
recently?
I think Christmas and Valentine’s Day have become very popular in Vietnam. Well, I’d say
they’re more commercialized because long before these holidays approach, businessmen have
made every effort to attract more customers. Anyway, everyone wants to take this opportunity to
enjoy themselves, it actually has nothing to do with religions.
13. Do you think public holidays are important?
I believe public holidays are rather important and there should be more of them in my country.
The main factor is that people really need to unwind themselves without any distractions after
tiring work and also public holidays can dramatically boost consumption as the goods will be
sold at a discount these days
Talk about tet holiday in Viet Nam/ Describe a national festival in your country. You shoud
say:
When it takes place?
Why it takes place?
What the people do during this festival?
And explain why this festival is important to you.
Introduction: Okay, so now let me tell you about the biggest
festival that occurs every year in my country.
Body:
It is a very important holiday for all Vietnamese people
which often takes place from the end of January till the end
of February every year. You know, people use the Lunar
Calendar, which is according to the Moon, to count the
exact dates. Luckily, this period of the year is in the spring
season when the weather is good enough for the festival
and for people to hang out as well.
The reason why we celebrate this festival is that it marks
the end of the Lunar Year and the beginning of the New
Lunar Year. Another reason is because after working hard
for a whole year, people would like to take a break and
forget about their busy life for a while. Moreover, they prefer
to have some time for their family and Tet holiday is a good
occasion.
Before the festival, what people should do is a complete
spring cleaning which means they will have to tidy their
house as well as decorating the ancestor’s altar
carefully. During the festival, they will visit their friends and
relatives’ houses where they will enjoy big meals with some
special food like square sticky rice cake, cylindrical sticky
rice cake, pickled leeks, braised pork and eggs. After the
meals they often spend the rest of their time playing cards
and exchanging lucky money. In addition, they will also visit
pagodas in order to pray for a year of luck. But on top of
that, they like to walk around the city center for some photo
shoots in nice clothes and post their pictures on Facebook
or Instagram.
I really consider this festival essential for me for some
reasons. First and foremost, after a long time of work and
study, it is a chance when I can get together with my family
and friends to catch up with their life’s stories. Second, it is
also an opportunity for me to get dressed up in nice clothes
and take a walk in public places where I can pose in some
fancy outfits. Third, since it is a long holiday. I can make
use of the time by visiting pagodas to pray for a year of
fortune, success and peace.
Conclusion: So, those are reasons why I would like to mention
Tet holiday. I really wish it would be the Tet holiday tomorrow so
that I could enjoy myself.
Introduction
Briefly explain what Tet holiday is
Mention that you celebrated Tet with your family this year
(Giải thích ngắn gọn ngày Tết là gì
Đề cập rằng bạn đã đón Tết cùng gia đình năm nay)
Preparations for Tet (Chuẩn bị cho Tết)
Describe how my family prepared for Tet (e.g. cleaning the house, buying new clothes,
decorating the house)
Mention any special traditions or customs you followed
(Miêu tả gia đình bạn đã chuẩn bị đón Tết như thế nào (ví dụ: dọn dẹp nhà cửa, mua quần áo
mới, trang trí nhà cửa)
Đề cập đến bất kỳ truyền thống hoặc phong tục đặc biệt nào mà bạn đã tuân theo)
III. Tet Eve (Giao thừa)
Describe the traditional Tet Eve meal you had (e.g. what dishes you ate)
Mention any activities or customs you followed during Tet Eve (e.g. staying up late, watching
fireworks)
(Mô tả bữa ăn đêm giao thừa truyền thống mà bạn đã có (ví dụ: bạn đã ăn những món gì)
Đề cập đến bất kỳ hoạt động hoặc phong tục nào làm trong đêm giao thừa (ví dụ: thức khuya,
xem pháo hoa)).
Celebrating Tet (Đón Tết)
Talk about how you spent the week of Tet (e.g. visiting relatives, exchanging New Year's
greetings, playing traditional games)
Mention any memorable experiences or moments during this time
(Nói về cách chúng ta trải qua tuần lễ Tết (v
Conclusion
Summarize my overall experience celebrating Tet with my family
Reflect on the significance of Tet holiday in Vietnamese culture
