Vietnamses Canadian Federation

Tet Trung Thu – Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
This is a festival for children similar to Halloween in North America. Trung Thu is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the same day as the full moon. This children festival is only second in popularity to the New Year Celebration.

Tet Trung Thu celebrates the end of the harvest season and the parents finally get a chance to spend quality time with their children. The festival begins only when the full moon appears high in the night sky. Children parade colourful lanterns of difference sizes through the streets singing as they go. Popular lantern shapes include fishes, dragons, butterflies, stars and lanterns that spin when a candle is inserted.

It is customary to give Banh Trung Thu, boxes of moon cakes, which are traditionally rich in taste. The cakes are filled with lotus seeds, ground beans and orange peels and have a bright yoke in the center to represent the moon.

To help children get ready for the Festival, parents help their children with making lanterns and costumes for the lantern possession and discuss the history and culture of Vietnam.

Tet Nguyen Dan – The Vietnamese New Year
This is a national holiday usually last for three days beginning in the second week of February, however the celebration begins much earlier as families shop and clean in preparation for the holiday feasts.

It is a time of connection, renewal, forgiveness and peacemaking. Families save money, store food and plan far in advance for Tet. The Vietnamese take extreme care to start the New Year out right. They buy new clothes, paint and clean their homes, cook three days worth of food, pay off all debts and make aments to rid themselves of all bad feelings.

Tet is a time for visits from family and friends. The first visitor to a home is very important. If the first visitor is rich, prestigious or happy then the family will have good fortune that year. Usually, this visitor is a relative, but sometimes the family will invite a special guest that they feel will bring them good luck.

The Vietnamese believe that their deceased ancestors will visit the family for the holiday. Alters are decorated in the homes with incense, flowers, and photographs of the deceased relatives. A tray full of fruits, coins, and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the alter symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The third day is a day to visit the graves of the deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers and candles. Many Buddhists go to their favourite Pagoda to pray for a good year. The Catholics go to a pre-midnight mass.

Food plays a major role in the Tet celebration. It is a time of excess. One does not enjoy Tet, one “eat” Tet.

Anniversary of Hung Vuong
On the 10th day of the third lunar month every year, Vietnamese commemorate the anniversary of Hung Kings. It is widely believed that King Hung Vuong was the first ruler to unite all the people and formed Vietnam into a country.

The ceremony involves incense burning in temples to honour all of the 18 Hung Kings, and gives the Vietnamese people a chance to show their respect and gratitude to their ancestors.

Festival for the Trung Sisters
The Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, lived in the first century Vietnam and led a heroic rebellion against Chinese ruling. For about four years, the thousand-year period of China’s domination of Vietnam ended. When these women leaders suffered defeat, they committed suicide by drowning themselves rather than face the humiliation of capture.

The uprising is an event of great significance as it left a bright example to later generations. It is an honour for, not only for women of Vietnam, but also for the whole nation in promoting national independence. When the nation is threatened, even the women must rise up to take arms and defend their homes.

Hai Ba Trung Festival runs from February the 3rd to the 6th day of the lunar calendar.