No one knows since when, Tet has become familiar to every Vietnamese person. Almost every activity, every work, everything related to the life and activities of Vietnamese people associated with the word "Tet" has extremely subtle, profound and imbued meanings in the national soul.

Hey! Preparing for Tet, we go to the “Tet market” - the most bustling, bustling, and exciting market of the year. There, we can freely “shop for Tet” to prepare for our families delicious “Tet foods”, fresh “Tet paintings”, beautiful new “Tet clothes”, colorful “Tet fruits”, sparkling “Tet peach” and “Tet apricot” branches, smooth “Tet grapefruit”, delicious “Tet jam” boxes, lovely “Tet gift” baskets…

In the days before Tet, we eagerly clean and “decorate” our houses to make them more splendid and splendid. Every family tells each other to hang “Tet flags” to make the spring more cheerful. Oh, how much love we have for our ancestors because on the “Tet tray” on the “Tet altar” of the family, the most quintessential things of heaven and earth, flowers and leaves, and the Vietnamese soul are condensed into typical “Tet flavors” such as “Tet Chung cake”, “Tet fruit tray”, “Tet parallel sentences”, “Tet flower vase”… to “worship Tet” to our ancestors.

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Showcasing the national martial spirit at the Dong Da Mound Festival ( Hanoi ) held annually on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year. Photo: NGOC PHONG

During the “Tet days”, brothers and sisters are warm in the atmosphere of “Tet reunion” of the family; friends are immersed in the space of “Tet reunion” of friendship; agencies and organizations are happy in the atmosphere of “Tet meeting” in early spring and every family and every person always gives each other the best and most affectionate “Tet wishes”. During Tet, adults do not forget to “give Tet lucky money” to children, children still maintain the beautiful custom of “giving Tet lucky money” to grandparents and parents.

In the past, our people often said "eat Tet" with the concept of "Full for three days of Tet, warm for three months of summer". Nowadays, life is more prosperous and living in the era of opening up and integrating with the four directions, Tet is not only limited to simple eating and drinking, but has also given rise to many other meaningful activities. That is "enjoying Tet" more excitingly and bustlingly and "playing Tet" more bustlingly and luxuriously. Loving the seventh art and wanting to enjoy “Tet entertainment”, people can go to the cinema to watch “Tet movies”, watch “Tet music” performances, “Tet comedy”, “Tet fashion ”. If they like crowded places, they can “go to Tet festivals”, go out to see “Tet flower streets”, go on “Tet tours”, and join in “Tet folk games”. If they want peace and relaxation, they can go to “Tet pagodas” to pray for blessings and peace. If they are afraid to go out, they can stay at home and still enjoy modern “Tet pleasures” such as watching “Tet television”, reading “Tet newspapers”…

Tet is really strange. When happily meeting each other, people wish each other a warm and poetic "Tet wine". If by chance or accident they offend each other, people often say "It's Tet" to easily forgive each other's mistakes and shortcomings. Since it's Tet, people avoid saying bad and unlucky things, but always think about good and lucky things. Tet at this time truly becomes an emotional bond that connects people, making the meaning deeper and the love stronger.

Unlike normal days, Tet holiday is considered a golden time, because it often passes quickly while people have many other pleasures that are not yet complete. After a year of hard work and labor, everyone wants to have time to play, relax, and visit each other more comfortably, even though "Tet holiday" is the longest holiday in a year. During Tet, right when heaven and earth change from the old year to the new year, blending with the most sacred moment of heaven and earth, we miss and are even more grateful to the soldiers who are performing "Tet guard duty" at the border, remote islands and the doctors, engineers, workers who are "on Tet duty" in hospitals, factories, construction sites... so that many people can enjoy a warm and peaceful Tet with their families.

Just a few words about Tet are enough to see that Tet always carries humane and positive values. Because the activities related to and associated with Tet all contain very intimate meanings for each individual's life and the noble aspirations of the community such as joy, health, success, happiness, fulfillment, brightness, luck, freshness, excitement, convergence, fullness... Not only that, Tet also carries sacred spiritual and mental values because Tet is an occasion for everyone to express gratitude and respect for ancestors, grandparents, parents, teachers; to attach each person to their family, clan, village, homeland; to share and sympathize with pain and loss; to encourage and motivate each other towards more good-willed and kind-hearted gestures and actions; to rely on each other to create a spiritual support and motivation for a new year with many new wills, aspirations and successes.

Tet is a common noun but is always capitalized as “Tet”, because Tet has long been “in everyone’s heart”, so it is both “common property” of the community and “private property” of each person. Tet is a word that is difficult to define perfectly, nor can it be accurately transcribed into the languages of other ethnic groups. There is only one word “Tet” but it is like an immortal seed, always arising, developing, constantly expanding both in content and meaning. Therefore, there is every basis to affirm that “Vietnamese Tet” will definitely have a name in the world cultural dictionary. That is not a misconception, a humorous optimism, a “mother praises the singer”, but a living “entity word” that has been deeply proven in the past, is richly present in the present and will last forever, accompanying the future of the nation.

Every Vietnamese living far away from home, every child living far away from home, when spring comes, never ceases to feel a sense of “missing Tet”. When material life is abundant, who can avoid moments of “missing Tet” in poverty in the not-so-distant past. Tet is just a time condensed in a special space of the Vietnamese people, although the shape and color are not clear, but everyone has a feeling of “valuing Tet”, a mentality of “loving Tet”, an attitude of “respecting Tet” with all their own inherent instinctive moods. As many hearts as have Vietnamese blood, there are as many emotions about Tet. Tet is a unique and special value of Vietnamese culture. Therefore, we can confidently and proudly call it a “Vietnamese cultural brand” capable of anchoring the soul and character of the Vietnamese people in the era of international integration and globalization.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/tet-viet-xuc-cam-thien-lanh-764582