Culture
2017
Sunday , January 29
What is TET :
Year of the Rooster
Tet is Vietnamese New Year and is the most important festival and public holiday in Vietnam . An example of Tet being the definitive Vietnamese holiday is that ' Tet ' itself means ' festival ' and is the shortened version of ' Tết Nguyên Đán ', which is Sino-Vietnamese for ' Feast of the First Morning of the First Day '.
Traditionally , the purpose of Tet holiday is that Vietnamese would like to thank Gods for the arrival of spring with a variety of blooming trees and flowers after a cold and harsh winter . Also , this is the privileged occasion for family ’ s members to reunite , celebrating a new year which has come together , and saying farewell to the previous one . All the best things are prepared and consumed during this holiday as people want to ensure that they will have a new year full of prosperity .
Kitchen God Day - Tet Tao Quan
The tradition of celebrating Tet Tao Quan comes from a popular fairy tale about “ 2 men and a woman ”, who later would become the trio of Deities , or “ Tao Quan ”.
The story began with the couple of Trong Cao- the husband , and Thi Nhi- the wife . They had been married for such a long time but had no children yet , which made them very upset and quarrel with each other frequently . One day , Trong Cao was so angry at his wife that he casted her out . Thi Nhi left home , and after that married Pham Lang .
As time went by , Trong Cao realized his fault , and went out to find his beloved woman . He spent every single coin on his way and unwillingly became a beggar . He met Thi Nhi by chance at her new home . Cao ’ s explanation touched Thi Nhi and they talked for hours about the past and their current life .
As Pham Lang came home , Thi Nhi thought it would be awkward if the two men saw each other so she told Trong Cao to hide inside the stack of straw in the backyard . Pham Lang burnt the straw into ashes for fertilizing the field , accidentally cremated Trong Cao . The story had a tragic ending when Thi Nhi decided to jump into the fire to die with Trong Cao , and Pham Lang also killed himself after witnessing the death of his wife . However , when their souls flied to the Heavens , Ngoc Hoang ( the Jade Emperor ) conferred them with the title of ‘ Tao Quan ”: Pham Lang would be Deity of Kitchen , Trong Cao would be the Deity of Land and House , and Thi Nhi would be the Deity of Market . Together , they looked after the well-being of people ’ house and property .
The MAG Vung Tau 19