How many countries celebrate Lunar New Year like Vietnam?
(Baonghean.vn) - Lunar New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, bringing hopes for good luck and fortune. Not only Vietnam celebrates Tet according to the lunar calendar, some Asian countries also celebrate Tet in their own way.
1. China
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| Tet in China has many similarities with Vietnam. |
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday of the year. Starting from the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, Chinese people all over the world return to their hometowns to reunite with their families, gather together to make delicious dishes to worship their ancestors during the New Year and their joyful Lunar New Year festivities last until the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.
Every year, Chinese people often decorate their houses by hanging red parallel sentences, red lanterns with red paper and setting off firecrackers to wish for a happy New Year and a peaceful new year.
2. South Korea
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| Seollal (Seol) begins on January 1st every year according to the lunar calendar and usually lasts for 3 days. |
In Korea, Seollal (Seol) begins on January 1st every year according to the lunar calendar and usually lasts for 3 days. Seollal is the most important holiday for the people of the land of kimchi. During the holidays, everyone wears traditional Hanbok or chooses their best clothes to worship their ancestors.
For Korean children, Tet is also an opportunity for them to freely participate in folk games held in public places such as: tug of war, kite flying, seesaw, yutnori (moving chess pieces on the board, using sticks as dice), tubo (throwing arrows into a jar), jegichagi (soccer)...
3. Singapore
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| Singapore is a small island nation whose symbol, the Lion, represents the country's enduring strength. |
Singaporeans take the traditional Lunar New Year celebration very seriously. Taking place at the same time as the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the Spring Festival in Singapore usually takes place with 3 outstanding events: Lantern Festival, Singapore River Hongbao Festival and Chingay Street Festival along with many other activities.
During the 15 days from New Year’s Eve to the 15th of January, spring celebrations are held all over Singapore, where people visit relatives and friends and hold parties. Parents and married relatives will give “hong baos” (lucky money in red envelopes) to unmarried relatives as a way to wish them good luck.
4. Japan
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| Japan has switched to the New Year like Western countries. However, the Japanese New Year concept is similar to that of Vietnam. |
Although Japan is a country in Northeast Asia, since the Meiji Restoration was successfully carried out by Emperor Meiji in 1868, it has had the tradition of celebrating Lunar New Year according to the Gregorian calendar like Western countries. Normally, Japanese people start preparing for the New Year from December 31 of the old year.
All work stops for a week. They shop and decorate their homes with pine trees or bamboo trees in front of the door to prevent evil spirits from disturbing their homes and to wish for good health and longevity. Before the 30th, all debts must be paid off completely because the Japanese fear that having debts at the beginning of the new year will bring bad luck for the whole year.
5. North Korea
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| North Korean people are very happy to participate in traditional games to celebrate the New Year. |
In the past, Koreans celebrated New Year in October and November, but recently it has gradually shifted to the first day of the first lunar month. The Korean New Year lasts for weeks with many unique traditional customs such as sticking pictures of animals on doors to pray for good luck, inviting shamans to perform rituals and fortune telling, and holding moon-raising ceremonies.
An indispensable dish during the Korean New Year is “medicinal rice”. To prepare this dish, people steam sticky rice, then mix it with honey, chestnuts, apples, pine nuts, lard, soy sauce... and then steam it. Koreans have long considered honey to be a medicine, so they call this type of rice “medicinal rice”. This type of rice is used to entertain guests and worship ancestors. Koreans believe that eating this type of rice at the beginning of the new year will bring prosperity and sweetness all year round.6. Mongolia
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| On the first to third day of the Lunar New Year every year, Mongolians enthusiastically celebrate the New Year, also known as Tsagaan Sar (“white moon”), with many unique customs. |
Mongolia is one of the few countries that celebrates the Lunar New Year like Vietnam. In Mongolia, the two most important and anticipated holidays are the White Month Festival (locally called Tsagaan Sar) in January and the Naadam Festival in July.
Mongolians always pay attention to the ritual of purification, “cleansing” both body and soul to welcome the new year, as well as washing away the sins of the previous year. Therefore, every year, at the moment before New Year’s Eve, Mongolians will wash dishes with horse milk.
At the same time, before the New Year's Eve every year, all men go up a hill or a mountain, bring food and pray. Then, each person chooses a direction that according to astrology is suitable for them to go, this custom is also called "Departure Ceremony" (muruu gargakh). According to Mongolian beliefs, going in the right direction will bring good luck.