Celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year
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The North Central Family Resource Center recently celebrated “Tết”, the Vietnamese/Chinese New Year. Health and Human Services Agency employee Southchay Bang, who works at the Resource Center, wrote the following about the importance of the celebration and recognizing diversity in the County.
The Vietnamese/Chinese New Year, Tết, is the first day of the Lunar New Year. It is the most important and popular festival in Vietnam. It could be said Tết to Vietnamese people is equivalent to a combination of a birthday, wedding anniversary, Memorial Day, Christmas and New Year to Americans.
Vietnam and China share a long history together and officially celebrate the Lunar New Year as a national holiday. There are large concentrations of Chinese expatriates in many countries, so it seems the Chinese New Year is celebrated everywhere.
In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is called Tết. In the good old days this celebration may last up to a month, now only about a week. A normal lunar calendar year has a fixed 12 months. However, every four years, it has an extra month. This is why Lunar New Year varies from year to year. This year, 2015, Tết falls on Feb. 19, 2015.
In the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac, this year is the Year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram. Here are interesting facts regarding Tết:
- Yellow and red are considered lucky; thus fresh branches of the yellow mai-flowers and the pink cherry blossoms are ubiquitously found adorning altars in every house.
- There is a general belief that what happens in Tết will foretell one’s fortune in the coming year, so people put on new clothes as a wish for prosperity.
- Foods would be intentionally over-abundantly prepared in the belief that they would be plentiful later.
- Parents remind their children to keep their voices down and not to quarrel, as to maintain harmony and tranquility in the coming New Year.
- To instill the respect for the elderly, older people usually give out money in brand new bank notes as a celebration of age to younger members of the family.
- All in all, Tết is the solemn opportunity to relinquish and release all burdens of the past, to renew and refresh relations and prepare the soul for a redeeming renewal in the coming New Year.
On behalf of the Vietnamese and Chinese staff at the North Central, I am conveying a sincere wish for peace, health and prosperity to everyone and their respective beloved families in the Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram.
Cheers,
Southchay Bang
