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There are
thousand of festivals happen in the
country in a year. Every festival have
its own meaning and dedicated to
something: A worship ceremony to the
village founder, a ancestor of the
handicraft likes silk weaving, a
legendary event, a super nature being
... most of the festivals are takes
place in country side in Red river delta
and Mekong delta where the wet rice
culture strong influence to the normal
lives. The dates of festivals are based
on the lunar calendar, because Viet Nam
has same some countries in south east
Asia followed Chinese calendar.
The most popular festival in Viet Nam in
winter is ONG TAO, this festival is
concerned to every family, it occurred
in 23rd day of the 12th and last month
in the year, right 7 day before Tet. ONG
TAO the God of kitchen is believed
existing in every kitchen, he task is to
report the things happened in the family
in a year and look after for the cooking
works. Legendary has it that ONG TAO is
three persons, a wife and two husbands
they dead by the mistake and the
faithfully to each other in fire. The
Heaven King feel moved about that and
gives them a home is the kitchen and
their spirits lives in every family.
In this day, every family buys a carp
for kitchen god, he then use it like a
transport to heaven, carp is thought
will becomes dragon so it explained that
not many Buddhist eating carp. For bon
voyage, houses are cleaned, party is
hold, a real carp after worshiped on
altar will be released to river and
start in own voyage. When the kitchen
God return home, new year begin.
For
visitors to Viet nam, no time is more
fascinating - nor more conflising than
the weeks leading up to Tet nguyen dan,
the lunar new year.
Time is more rush as the year going end,
in the week leading up to new year,
every where in country is ablaze with
color. People buy flowers and peach
blossom, busily tidy their homes. AS the
big day draw near, people rush off to
get a hair cut, buy new clothes,
decorate their ancestral altar and
prepare massive quantities of special
foods , making BANH CHUNG is the most
interesting job for every body.
According to Viet nam lore, on the eve
of the lunar new year officials are
elected in Heaven and charged with
overseeing the world. If the newly
appointed officials are trustworthy,
harvests will be good and the world will
be free of wars, nature disasters and
plagues. If this year 's crop officials
are lazy and greedy, however, life down
on earth will be dreary.
Lunar new Year in Viet nam is like
Christmas, New year's, Thank giving ,
Easter, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur.
House calls are positively require
during the Tet. Day 1 is reserved for
parent and close relatives. Day 2 is for
distant relatives and intimate. Day 3 is
for friends and newer acquaintances. The
most crucial time during the festivities
is New Year 's morning, when the first
person to sep across the house 's
threshold is thought to set the tone for
the family in the coming year. Home
owners go to great lengths to arrange
the first-footer, whose are must be
lucky according to the complicated
calculations of the Vietnamese
horoscope.
Long ago, during the first day of the
New Year, poor people would carry
buckets of water back home as believed
that the money and happiness may flow to
they home like the water.
In the day 1 morning, children should
first wish their parents and
grandparents a hearty " Chuc mung nam
moi " - Happy new year! Older people
then distribute " lucky money" small red
envelopes containing crisp new bill to
their kids and to the kids of friends,
neighbors and relations.
In 3 days of Tet, nobody sweeps their
house for fear of sweeping away good
luck. This superstition was imported
from China, based upon a legend about a
merchant named Au Minh. One day,
according the tale, a lake deity sent a
maid named Nhu Nguyet to sever Au Minh.
There after, Au Minh became very rich.
But in the first day of New Year Au Minh
beat his servant, at which point she
vanished, leaving only a pile of dust.
Since, Au Minh lost his wealth, fearing
a similar turn of bad luck, people
refrain from cleaning up during the
first day in new year.
If you visit Viet nam in some that days,
it litter bit hard for you, entire
communities shut down and takes a few
day off from their busy lives. Many
museums, markets, restaurants, shops and
offices are closed for 4-5 days in the
weekend. Major hotels stay open, you
should choice a Vietnamese friend and
enjoy New Year with his family, wine
will be drink everyday.
Viet nam is the Buddhism country with
more than 80% population is buddhist,
buddhism plays very important role in
the social as well as in the family.
Most of the festivals in country are
involves in buddhism original, Vietnam
's is the cradle of this religion,
special in Perfume pagoda.
70 km southwest of Hanoi, in My Duc
district, Hatay province. Perfume pagoda
festival is the top important festival
for the buddhist people, this festival
is the longest one in the country and in
south east Asia, It is started in 6th
first lunar month and ended in the third
month. Only 3 months but perfume pagoda
attracts about 20 millions buddhist
people pilgrimages here. The complex
pagodas area of 40 km2 seems have no
room in that time, the long queue, path
and boat jammed is the normal scenery,
but you can not refused to say Perfume
pagoda is the most beautiful one in Viet
nam.
Giong was a legend hero of nation, he
known being born in Phu Dong district,
just across red river. The legend has it
that Giong was born without father, one
day his mother went to garden she found
a giant human step sealed on ground, so
curiously she put her foot in, since her
got pregnant, the baby was born but in 3
years he does not talks, smiles and
walks. At that time Chinese invaded Viet
Nam, the Vietnamese King calls on the
patriots to help the country, when the
King's envoy passed he home the baby
suddenly stand up and talk " let bring
me a iron horse, a iron stick I will
sweep them away". The envoy so surprise
about this, but so stressed in war
situation he can not refused. After
eaten huge foods that the villagers
collected Giong became a big man. ride
the iron horse he went directly to the
battle field, Chinese invaders defeated
then, but Giong not came back home. He
ride iron horse fly to heaven, villagers
believed that he is the heavenly son.
To day in the victory day the villagers
in Phu Dong reenacted the battle for
memory GIONG and he called genie.
TRAM GIAN - Mean 100 rooms
pagoda, it show the long of this
construction, which more 900 year old
and a lots of ancient statues, the
pagoda have its own reputation, every 15
ferbruary the pagoda attracts thousand
of people come worshipping, enjoy
martial arts displays, chess games, and
water puppet show.
it 's 30 km away Hanoi, you can come
here by car, bus or motor bike.
Thanh minh is celebrated in the first
day in third lunar month, the other word
is a day of ancestor worship. In Thanh
minh day, all people in family go to
cemetery to repairing graves of diseased
loved ones, burning incense and talking
with the dead people.
This ceremony usually takes place in the
morning, the family have a party worship
at home in afternoon to send foods for
the dead having TET.
The H'mong people have they own lunar
New Year Tet. It takes place in the
third month in Sapa, Bac ha and some
other northwest provinces.
This time is the chance for young H'mong
find their lover, music through days and
nights to calls love, and its also the
chance for older drinking wine. If you
lucky meet this chance, you will never
forget it just in one time.
That TET is celebration the summer
solstice, falls on the fifth day of the
fifth month. Historically the festival
takes place during the hottest time of
year. When fevers, malaria and all kinds
of insects are very common. This is the
open ceremony in each family, special it
very busy and nosy in countryside.
Fruits, steamed - sticky rice, cakes,
and liquor are served to ward off these
diseases.
In the countryside the farmer is
believed that in the tree exist tree 's
soul, in DOAN NGU day they pray to the
tree soul to gives them more crop in the
year. If they didn't get good crop, the
same day in next year they will ask tree
again, but by the other way. Usually son
and dad, the son climbs on top of tree
and acted like tree's soul and answer
questions from dad to promise that this
year will be full of crop. The ceremony
ended by the dad use a big knife cut on
the tree to threat that if you not give
me crop, I will cut you down.
The DOAN NGO Tet also get highly
promotion from government, because a
lots damage insects was killed in a day,
and people has more awareness of
environment protection.
This is the second most important event
festival in a year after Lunar New Year,
it takes place in 14th to 15th of the
seventh lunar month. It is time to give
thanks and praise to parents and
ancestors. But is most important
function is to help lost souls by
pardoning and looking after them.
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