January 2004
 Our
Man In Hanoi wishes you a very happy New Year and hopes
that if any leaves need turning they have been turned. Here
in Vietnam the western New Year is celebrated, but barely,
and Christmas passed with nary a whimper. Although we usually
try to make Christmas a special time wherever we are its
especially difficult for an Englishman to get into the yuletide
spirit when its 25 degrees Centigrade outside and in. (my
fault I suppose for leaving Hanoi to hit a southern island)
Sure you see a few Santas around but they're not the real
ones and most of the locals obviously don't care. And why
should they? What the Vietnamese are really waiting for
is the most important celebration of their year. I speak
of course of Tet, the Vietnamese new year which in importance
value is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Easter
all rolled into one…..and then some. It's also actually
your birthday as on Tet everyone become one year older!
Tet, or to give it it's full name Tet Ngyuen Dan (festival
of the first day) falls on the 23rd day of the 12th month
of the Lunar calendar. This is the end of the Lunar year
and marks the beginning of spring, this is usually around
mid to end January, start to mid February and although officially
lasts less than a week, preparations and celebrations go
on a lot longer. Although the date on which it was first
celebrated is not nailed down precisely, it is believed
by those who know to have begun around the time of Christ
during the time of Han-Chinese domination. Just like in
the West most people spend far too much money during this
festive period; on gifts, food, flowers and fireworks etc.
The fireworks are thought to scare away the evil spirit
Na A by the way, although I've yet to get a definitive answer
on who exactly Na A is. Anyway, again just like the west,
it's a time to forgive your enemies and put the troubles
of the past year behind you in preparation for the hopefully
prosperous and happy New Year to come. Things stretch out
a lot longer than in the west though.
Seven days before New Year's Day. The Tao Quan, the three
spirits who live in everyone's kitchen, ascend to heaven
in order to give a report on the year's happenings to The
Jade Emperor. It's a weeks journey to Heaven and it's especially
important to keep the kitchen fire at least smoldering during
this time as the warmth of the fire is symbolic for the
warmth that resides in each family. These three spirits
get to heaven by way of, quite bizarrely I think, three
carp. Why not a triumvirate of dragons? or snakes? or something
at least a bit cool? So during the Tet period images of
Carp are omnipresent, particularly popular spots being,
unsurprisingly, family shrines, where they are kept in pots
of water. On the day itself it is traditional to release
said fish into lakes and rivers. Last year it made a beautiful
spectacle as people crowded round Hoan Kiem lake (lake of
the sacred sword and one of the most beautiful sights in
Hanoi) to release their glassy eyed friends. Less beautiful
were the hundreds that were revealed belly up the next day
as dawn broke! That would never happen to a dragon! Other
build ups to the big day involve cleaning the house and
more importantly ancestors' graves, the paying off of old
debts and the buying of what I originally thought were miniature
orange trees to decorate your home. They're actually Kumquat
Trees-so shiny and clean as to look almost plastic, and
while not bonsai size, they're pretty small-a couple of
feet. In the days leading up to Tet it seems that practically
every motorbike in Hanoi has a bright orange tree fastened
on the back. Children are also given little red envelopes
of money. The envelopes are little but judging from the
children's anticipation the amount contained inside may
not be. Traditional Tet food is also served, the most popular
being "banh chung" which is a mixture of pork
and bean paste covered in sticky rice, wrapped up in leaves
and tied with bamboo twine to make a package that looks,
at least to my palate, a lot better than it tastes.
Tet eve (I don't think you can really say that but I've
coined it) is when the three gods return home from Heaven
on what must now be very tired fish. Just like in the west,
as midnight strikes, cue raucous celebrations involving
as much noise as possible. The following day is of course
New Year's Day itself and one where you should tread lightly
as any actions could have repercussions for the entire year.
Among the no no's are swearing, shouting, sad stories, sweeping
- I think this is because you don't want to sweep out "Than
Tai" who is the God of wealth, killing animals, breaking
things… you get the idea, basically anything that
could attract bad spirits. Of particular importance is the
first visitor to your house in the new year. This isn't
left to chance and is carefully orchestrated, ideally you
want a happy, virtuous man who also happens to have the
correct birth year. If there is any chance of someone else
turning up (and there are some people you definitely don't
want as your first visitor!-these are basically those construed
as unlucky in some way) you just leave your house and return
a few minutes later. Tet Day itself is primarily a family
one, spent eating the great feast prepared in the morning,
worshiping your ancestors and attempting to start the year
as you intend to go on. (If this were true for Englishmen,
it would be my longest hangover ever!)
In the evening young men and women go out to enjoy the
Tet atmosphere with friends and to gather "loc",
a branch of young trees that symbolize hope and fortune.
(If your garden's trees happen to overhang onto the street
you may find them stripped bare the following morning) During
what is really a promenade it is also hoped that they may
meet the person of their dreams.
And that dear readers is essentially New Year in Vietnam,
the concise version. One seeped in tradition and with a
great emphasis on the family. If you happen to be in the
country during this period you may find yourself searching
for something to do as most shops, restaurants, bars etc
close to let everyone get home to enjoy the New Year and
its important celebrations with their nearest and dearest.
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