Vocabulary for "tết" (Vietnamese new year) and Greetings

Vietnamese unicorn and dragon dance at Thien Hau lady temple

Nguyen Hue flower street

Visiting pagodas and temples in the New Year

Together with the festive atmosphere Tet brings to Vietnam every year, the event also the best time of the year for Vietnamese to spend time on their spiritual life and pay respect to religious institutions.Visiting pagodas on the first days of the year has long been a deep-rooted tradition.

The meaning of visiting pagodas and temples

It has been a long-lasted custom of the people in this country each time a New Year arrive to visit pagoda. In Vietnam, the custom is described as “Lễ Chùa” – in which “lễ” means not only visiting but also showing respects in all sincerity to Buddha and Gods of the pagodas or temples. No matter how busy Vietnamese are during the hilarious atmosphere of Tet, everyone attempts to burn an incense to wish for best wishes for the New Year like healthiness, happiness and wealthiness.

Not only is that, praying at pagodas and temples is among the best way to go out and enjoy the spring. Mixing ones’ soul with the spiritual spaces, breathing in the aroma of burning incense and flowers and enjoying relaxing glimpse in the garden of the pagodas help demolishing all the stresses and worries of the previous year.

Differences in visiting pagodas in the North and the South

Although people in both areas visiting pagodas with the same purpose and the same meanings of this lofty tradition, the way they conduct this activity is of some different.

Northern Vietnamese seem to be more sophisticated in this spiritual custom in which a long list of scarifying items ranging from pork, meat-roll and chicken to fruits, flowers, incense, hell-notes, real money and petition note written in Nho script with wishes for the new year on. When praying, people speak their wishes like a fold song with rhyme and tune. On the other hand, Southern people do not often bring so many offering items to pagodas, nor praying in rhyme and tune. They simply ask for what they wish, and this is called “khấn nôm”.

No matter how different they are in the two area, the noble tradition of visiting pagodas skill remains its real meaning, in which any barrier of age, status or sex are eliminated, everyone unite there, in a mutual spiritual world.

Picking Bud

After having done all the praying, no Vietnamese forget to pluck buds from pagodas. Buds picked by people could be a small flower like the very meaning of it, however, the most common bud we are discussing about is a small branch of trees in the pagoda’s garden. Vietnamese consider plant like a symbol of immortal life; growth and prosperity as no kind on this earth grow faster, more stable and more long-lasting than plant. Bring a small sacred branch of tree from pagodas would bring healthiness and prosperity to ones’ home.

Lots drawing & Fortune telling

Another interesting activity Vietnamese people often do while visiting pagodas and temples is lots drawing. Those lots have short paragraph to forecast about ones’ fortune in the New Year. Although this activity is kind of superstitious, people still enjoy it because whether it says good or bad ones can still interpret positively. For example, if good fortune is forecasted, people would be much happier to welcome the New Year while unlucky ones would be more careful in every act, thanks to this, they would even more successful rather than bad luck.

Pilgrimage

Vietnamese people often visit pagodas and temples right after the New Year’s Eve moment, and going out of the house on the very moment of the New Year is also counted a traditional custom of Vietnamese. This is called “xuất hành đầu năm” in Vietnamese, simply translated as the first going out in the New Year to bring lucky home. With this custom, people carefully pick elements that match ones’ zodiac such as day, time, and most importantly, direction. There are two common directions ones may prefer: “Tài Thần” and “Hỉ Thần”. The first one is believed to bring about wealthiness and fame while the second one is expected to come along with happiness. Certainly, happiness direction is more preferable by Vietnamese people because in the end the day, no matter how wealthy and successful people are, happiness is what ones seeking for.

(Credit to: https://www.vietnamonline.com/tet/visiting-pagodas-and-temples-in-the-new-year.html)

"Li xi" - Lucky Money for Tet

Visiting Vietnam on the very first days of Lunar New Year, tourists may feel curious when seeing children are extremely happy and excited about receiving tiny red envelopes from adults. What are those envelopes and is there anything inside? The answer is quite simple. It is “li xi” (Southernly called) or "tien mung tuoi" (Northernly called)- or lucky money, a traditional custom which is very popular not only in Vietnam but also in other Asian societies.

Coming from a folklore

The convention of giving “li xi” has its roots in the folklore about the ogre called Tuy. Once upon a time, living in a huge peach blossom tree in the East Sea were all evil spirits on Earth. While being kept inside the tree and controlled by deities, they always tried to escape and harmed people. However, on New Year’s Eve, as the deities had to gather together at the Heavens, Tuy would appear, rubbing small children’ head to make them burst into loud wails and get high fever. Thus, the whole family had to stay awake all night to protect the children from the ogre.

However, some Deities while once stopping by a village had turned themselves into gold coins. Parents covered those coins in red cloth and placed under a child’s pillow. Later, when Tuy came, the coins sparkled and drove it away. Good news quickly spread out all over the country, and from that time on, Vietnamese have had the tradition of giving small children lucky money in red envelope on the first day of Lunar New Year.

The meaning behind the tale

“Li xi” occupies an indispensable part in Vietnam’s customs of Tet Festival, especially with children, as they will remember the fondest memories about Tet as the beginning of a wonderful year. According to a dictionary published by the Vietnamese Institution of Linguistics, “li xi” means “Giving money to children to welcome the new age on the first day of Lunar New Year”. It is a small amount of money that can bring good fortune to the upcoming year. However, “li xi” is not limited only on the first day, but can even last to the 9th or 10th day of Tet Festival, and given when the adults first met the kids.

Besides the money, the tiny red envelope also has its own meaning. It represents the secrecy and privacy to avoid comparison; as adults want the children regard the money as the gift of New Year, instead of being jealous of receiving less than other kids. The red color, the most popular color appearing in Vietnamese festivals, signifies the prosperity and great luck according to Asian’s beliefs. “Li xi” is also the symbol of flukes, since the more “li xi” a person gives or receives, the more flukes he will gain.

In the morning of the first day of Lunar New Year, children and parents will visit grandparents’ home, wishing for a happy new year and great health, showing respect and gratitude, and giving gifts. After that, it is grandparents and adults’ turn to give children lucky money to welcome their new age.

“Li xi” tradition has been preserved until today. A red envelope with some new notes carries Vietnamese’ hope for children to “eat more, grow rapidly”, to study well and to have a delightful year ahead.

(Credit to: https://www.vietnamonline.com/tet/li-xi-lucky-money-for-tet.html)


A calligraphist writing in Mandarin and Vietnamese at Giac Lam pagoda in preparation for Tet