Culture
Thit ga ( boiled or steamed chicken ) plays an important role in Tet holiday cuisine because all the tribute meals to the ancestors must contain a boiled chicken , whole or chopped . Chicken meat in Tet meals are various in forms : usually chicken are boiled and sliced , but sometimes people can place the whole chicken in a plate , or nowadays some families use roasted or fired chicken to replace the original boiled ones . Chicken meat is served with Xoi ( sticky rice ) and Banh Chung , and become one of the most popular main dishes in Tet holidays .
Banh Chung ( steamed square cake ) and its Southern variety called Banh Tet - is unique to Vietnam ' s Tet holiday , though many other countries ( China , Japan , Korean , Singapore , Taiwan ) celebrate this holiday as well . Banh Chung is a food made from glutinous rice , mung bean and pork , added with many other ingredients . Banh Chung is covered by green leaves ( usually banana leaves ) and symbolizes the Earth , invented by the prince Lang Lieu from Hung King dynasty . Besides traditional reason , Banh Chung is chosen as the main food for Tet holiday because of it can last long for days in the severe weather of Vietnam ( Banh Chung can survive at room temperature for nearly 1 month ).
Mut Tet ( Tet Jam ) is not a food to serve in a meal during Tet holiday , but more like a snack to welcome guests in this special period . Mut is always kept in beautiful boxes and placed at the table in the living room , and it is the main food for the owners and guests to taste when they ’ re talking , enjoyed over a cup of tea . Unlike Western jam , which is usually in liquid form and served with bread , " Vietnamese jam " is mainly in dry form , usually dried fruits and some kind of seeds ( pumpkin seeds , sunflower seeds , watermelon seeds ). This once-in-year mix of snack is very large in variety , with so many tastes : ginger , carrot , coconut , pineapple , pumpkin , lotus seed , star fruit , sweet potato .
Củ Kiệu ( Pickled Scallion ) One of stunning Vietnamese food that cannot be miss on Tet holiday in Vietnam is pickled vegetables . When Southern people usually eat Pickled Vegetables and Chinese Scallion ( Dưa Món Củ Kiệu ) on Tet holiday , the northern people has another option . It is called Pickled White Radish and Carrot ( Củ Cải Muối ) for this special holiday . However , all these food are all used with Bánh Tét ( Southern ) and Bánh Chưng & Bánh Dày ( Northern ).
New Year ’ s Eve — Tat Nien
The meal finishing the entire year — should be well served , in which everyone involved remembers all the happy moments and talks about the good things only . On the New Year ’ s Eve ( Giao Thua ), Vietnamese people have a spectacular celebration which involves the whole nation — some may gather around TV and watch the Tao Quan show , some may go out for fireworks observation . When the bell of the twelfth hour rings , everybody gathers , at exciting parties or at the comfort of their homes , saying Happy New Year to one another in warm hugs , forgetting all problems as well as hoping for a better start .
Xông đất
In this crucial event , Xông đất ( first visit to a home in a year ) appears to be one of the indispensable rites . People in Vietnam have appreciated more and more the importance of this culture . It has been modified a lot with a considerable number of rules and requirements , which both preserve the essence of Xong Dat tradition while adapting to the modern life of a Vietnamese .
If one does a survey asking Vietnamese about the origin of “ Xông Đất ”, a majority of asked people might not be able to answer . Only a few elderlies and experts on Vietnamese culture have adequate knowledge to tell the stories about the origin of this traditional rite , but these stories are also different and sometimes confusing .
Vietnamese always keep in mind a desire of long last living and fortune for everything they do and seek ways to satisfy their demand . And with the doctrine of Taoism of the harmony of 5 nature elements ( fire , water , earth , metal and wood ), Vietnamese began to invite people who are suitable for them , expecting luck and success for the new year . For example , Vietnamese believe that water nurtures trees , so that people with “ Water ” clause are suitable for the first visiting ( xông đất ) people with “ Tree ” clause . The truth is that this harmony belief is also applied to many other affairs of Vietnamese such as building houses or purchasing cars and apartment .
The MAG Vung Tau 21