Tết - Vietnamese

Hello! I am Tết, the Vietnamese New Year. I am a very happy and exciting time for families in Vietnam. My arrival means that winter is over and sunny spring has begun. When people celebrate me, they are celebrating the start of a brand new year. It is a time for everyone to get together and wish for lots of good luck and a happy, fresh start.

Before I arrive, everyone gets very busy getting their homes ready for my visit. Families work together to clean their houses from top to bottom. They sweep and dust and make everything sparkle. This is a special kind of cleaning. It helps to sweep away any bad luck from the old year, making room for good things to come. Once the homes are clean, it is time to decorate! People bring in beautiful flowers like pink peach blossoms and bright yellow apricot blossoms. These pretty flowers are a sign that spring is here and a new year is beginning.

When I am here, the celebration really starts! Families gather for big feasts with many delicious and special foods. One of my most famous foods is a sticky rice cake called Bánh chưng. It is a wonderful treat that everyone enjoys. Children have a special reason to be excited. They get to wear brand new clothes, often in bright, happy colors. They also receive little red envelopes from older family members. Inside these envelopes is a special gift of lucky money for the new year. My celebration is a joyful time for everyone to be together, share food, and be happy.