Celebrating Vietnamese Tết Festival... by Hieu Pham Dang

Vietnamese New Year landed on February 17 this year. The weather of spring time is in the air, and Sister Angela and Sister Paz took me to the Tết festival at the Vietnamese Martyrs Parish in Tukwila.

Hieu with Sr. Angela and Sr. Paz outside the Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Tukwila

This event brings back many of my childhood memories. Starting from the 23rd (Lunar year calendar) we had the Ông Táo (Vietnamese Kitchen God) workshop which sends Táo Quân (another name for Ông Táo) to heaven to report family affairs for the year.

We would visit the graveyard to clean up the grass or paint the tomb to look new from the 23rd to 30th. On The 29th-30th, we wrapped bánh chưng and bánh tét—sweet or savory treats wrapped in banana leaves. Tét is a very traditional countryside Vietnamese celebration, so the whole family can be back together and prepare and have fun just like a family reunion before the new year. Sometimes you can see this tradition in the city, right in the middle of the street, so the whole neighborhood can enjoy all our traditions. And the kids that grew up in the city can learn how bánh chưng and bánh tét are made: with sticky rice, mashed mung beans, slices of pork shoulder, well seasoned with salt, pepper, sugar, deep fried onion, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked for 10 to 16 hours, until everything is super tender and blended together.

Bánh tét

Then we cleaned or repainted the house, and put together the tray of five fruits: soursop, coconut, papaya, mango, and fig--symbolizing a lucky and healthy new year; and adding the Tết flowers which are yellow apricot blossom, and peach blossom. These stand for Luck and  Prosperity.

We celebrated new year in this order: The first day is for the Father’s side, the second day is for the Mother’s side (or reverse) and the third day is for Teachers. We will gather all day with food, games, and give out red envelopes. The younger generation will praise the older siblings and parent, and the elderly  with simple sentences like, ‘’I wish you to have a long life a healthy year, successful in business or in whatever you are doing, study or work…’’ And then they will receive a red envelope and simple sentences of “thank you and best wishes” back from the older generation.

And for those who are Catholic, we have adoration sometime in the last week of the year to reflect that we are sorry for shortcomings and to promise to be better in the new year. And Masses will be celebrated for three days: for God on the first day, parents on the second day, and for business on the third day. At some churches they will have more special days for their own needs.

Background for visitors to use for pictures, at Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Tukwila

The whole celebration can last up to two weeks. The Dragon Dance will come from place to place by request. Fireworks used to light up almost every house, up to the year of 1990. Nowadays, we only have fireworks by permission--to prevent fire hazard. You can see a colorful video of Dragon Dancers HERE.

Even though we spent only an hour with the Vietnamese community in Tukwila, many childhood memories were brought back to me. So many good memories. Sister Paz and Sister Angela and I enjoyed a traditional dessert called Sweet Tofu made from starch and herbal ice dessert.