Vietnamese’s Traditional New Years
“Tet holiday” really has to be a day before the “first day of the New Year”
The New Year’s erupts night
There is a truth: For most Vietnamese people, the most favorite New Year’s activity is not receiving gifts or partying at all, but staying up late on New Year’s Eve.
Staying up on New Year’s Eve means that all family members – from the old to the young, guys and girls – will be waiting for the first moment of the new year.
Since then, the New Year’s Eve ritual has also created a very warm and joyful atmosphere, with lots of activities that are highly anticipated.
The favorite tea party
The thing is, every New Year’s Eve of my family usually features a traditional activity – a tea party. And of course, the host of this ceremony is none other than my “beloved” younger brother.
While I’ve always had a strong passion for coffee since I was a kid, from bạc xỉu, americano to cappuccino, my sibling, on the other hand, is a true fan of… soft drinks! So those tea parties, though called ‘tea,’ were always filled with just coffee, soft drinks, and some snacks to nibble on.
But whatever anyone says, I still always enjoy these parties! Because, this is not only a time when the whole family gathers together, but also a moment that I think is the most ‘new years holiday’.
And during those moments of party, we also have another enjoyable activity: Receive lucky moneys!
I’m not eager or anything, but I just… like the feeling of holding money that’s given out from those people who really appreciate you, such as the feeling of being filled with love.
Forgotten ‘kitchen treasures’
One of the dishes that appears most often during Tet in my hometown in the Mekong Delta is none other than… Banh Tet (“Bánh Tét” not “Tết Holiday”) !
However, I prefer banana filling than mung bean or fatty pork filling. Because banana cake always suits my taste better. The soft sweetness of the banana blends perfectly with the chewy cake crust, fragrant with the aroma of fresh rice.
But what left the deepest impression on me is still the cashew nuts! I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks this way, but clearly this cashew dish is being treated unfairly compared to what it deserves! Because that cashew snack is always present in every Vietnamese kitchen during Tet, yet it has never been as famous as dishes like Banh Chung, pickled onions, or braised pork,…
By the way, those cashew nuts are really delicious! There are many types of cashews, like chili salt roasted, fish sauce roasted, garlic roasted, etc., but among them, the most delicious is still the salt-roasted cashew. Firstly, the salted roasting flavor always preserves the rich aroma of the cashews. Secondly, roasting with salt not only does not overpower the natural creamy taste, but also enhances the nut’s sweetness – fragrant, delicious, and emphasizes the flavor.
Yet, they are not often mentioned by young people among the foods eaten during Tet! Such as they only remember the “signature” dishes, without really paying attention to those authentic Tet cultural elements!
Brilliant fireworks!
Finally, the clock have handed exactly to 12 o’ clock. And as my dad’s prediction, all houses in our neighborhood set off fireworks at once. The whole veil of night have painted by the red, green and white light from fireworks. Clusters, cluster by cluster, just dissolved like bubbles.
This is the first time I get to sit at home and watch fireworks with my family. Everything were so attractive, so gorgeous!
The End of the overwhelming night
In conclusion, after those fireworks, I have gone to bed because I was so sleepy. However, the next day, I visited a pagoda with my family, as same as every years. It also a good spiritual tradition in our country that I really support.