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Tet Customs
by
Nguyen Ngoc Bich in Viet Home magazine
With the absence of the Kitchen God, the superstitious Vietnamese believe that evil spirits could enter one's home and do havoc. That is why some Vietnamese families take care to raise in front of the house a nêu pole, a single bamboo pole with only a few leaves left on top that would be waving in the wind, within a circle defined by a limestone circumference. Evil spirits are believed to be afraid of the limestone and would not dare cross the line. (In Japan and China, sacred trees sometimes also have limestone circles drawn around their roots to keep evil spirits out). This nêu pole in some cases would be raised ( dựng nêu) on the day of departure of the Kitchen God and would not be taken down ( hạ nêu) until the Kitchen God come back on the seventh of the first lunar month. In terms of decoration, the nêu pole, which is about 15-18 feet tall, would carry a bamboo ring not far from the top. To the ring are attached paper-gold ingots and paper carps ( cá chép), which according to legend could transform themselves into dragons ( cá hóa long) and serve as mount for the Kitchen God to go up to Heaven. Also attached to the ring are small tablets made of baked clay ( khánh) that would knock into one another when waving in the wind. This is a primitive kind of wind chime that is believed to scare away evil spirits. |
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This article of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich from Viet Home magazine January 2004)
Ông Táo is only an abbreviated and convenient way to refer to the Kitchen god (s) of whom there are actually three, two men and one woman. Several versions exist of the story of Ông Táo but , in order not to confuse the reader, I will give only one, probably the most popular version which is a follows: There once lived in Vietnam a very poor but happy couple. They made do by gleaning grain in the fields and gathering wood in the forest. But then came some bad harvests and the grinding poverty was really hurting the couple as they did not have enough to eat or even wood to warm themselves The husband thought for a long time then shared his thought with his wife. "Wife", said he, " we cannot go on like this. Let me go out into the world and I will try to see if I can make a living on my own. If I do well I will come back and get you.. If I don't come back after a time, consider me as dead and you should remarry." Years went by and he was nowhere in sight. Finally, the wife remarried and this time she was lucky in finding a better off husband. One day, when the second husband was out hunting in the wood, the first husband came back. He was as poor as before. The wife took pity of him and fed him a good meal. As they were reminiscent over old times, the second husband came back. The situation being rather awkward, the first husband rushed to a haystack and hid inside it. But as he had some venison with him that needed cooking , the second husband started a fire in the haystack to proceed with roasting the meat. Seeing the impossible situation of her first husband, the woman jumped into the haystack to show her faithful love. Not quite understanding what was going on, the second husband also jumped into the fire in an attempt to save his wife. All three ended up dead in the confused comedy. Ever since then, it is said, it takes three supports a pot cooking over the fire. And those three supports show that in life or in death, one must be true to one's love On the twenty-third, the Kitchen god goes to Heaven. The kitchen or the hearth, remains the center of activities in a home.. That is why the Kitchen god is believed by the ancient Vietnamese to be the silent witness to much of what goes on in a household. He is therefore entrusted by the Jade Emperor ( "Ngọc Hoàng") in Heaven with the task of recording everything that goes on in that household and reporting them back to the Heavenly Court at the end of each year!- How he goes there? He is reported riding on a carp's back. Every Vietnamese household takes care that he has a carp to ride by presenting him with a live one that later would be let go in a nearby stream.
Another traditon, imported from China, consists of firing off firecrackers at exactly midnight on the very first day of the Lunar Year. This is believed, on the one hand, to be loud noises to greet the New Year while, on the other hand, to chase off evil spirits if any happen to lurk around. Firecrackers, which had been used for nearly two thousand years as a mean of celebration and warding off evil during three days of Tet, were suddenly made illegal in Vietnam in 1998 under Premier Vo Van Kiet. The decision was extremely unpopular since it killed ơff a traditional industry which had brought prosperity to several Vietnamese in North Vietnam and and only benefited the Chinese firecrackers manufacturers since they remained outside Vietnamese jurisdiction. Outside of Viet Nam, however, the Vietnamese Diaspora still celebrates Tet with firecrackers. |
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Composing, challenging and displaying parallels represents an elegant cultural activity of the Vietnamese people. On the occasion of Tet, parallels are written on red paper and hung on both sides of the gate, the pillars or the ancestral altar.  Each pair of parallels has an equal number of words with contrasting or corresponding meanings and lines of verses. They show a keen intelligence, perception of nature and social life, uphold morality and a yearning for the well-being of all people. The red is symbolic of auspicious and powerful vitality, according to popular belief. Mingling with the green of the Chung cake, the pink of the peach blooms, the yellow of the apricot blooms, and the red of the parallels is sure to make the Spring warmer and cosier. When Tet is coming, everybody is so busy shoping, cleaning and decorating houses. Vietnamese people cannot miss the Tet with parallels Fat pork, salted onions, parallel sentences written on red paper. Long bamboo poles planted upright, strings of fireworks, and square glutinous rice cakes", these all make a meaningful Tet holiday for Vietnamese people... (Please click Wedding customs or Mourning customs ) |
