2012 Vietnamese New Year is known as Tet as per the Vietnamese language. The New Year celebration is a seven days long celebration and it is known as Nguyen-Dan. This time of the year is considered to be the most auspicious time in Vietnam. Happiness and joy prevail in every corner of the community. The New Year time in Vietnam is associated with excitement and enthusiasm. 2012 Vietnamese New Year is the time for harvesting. So, people from this community considers this time of the year to be the most important time.

The Vietnamese calendar is based on the lunar calendar. The 2012 Vietnamese New Year is a commonly celebrated holiday and a festival time in Vietnam. The beginning of the year is celebrated after the harvesting of the crop and before the sowing of the new crop. Thus, this festival marks the coming of the spring. Cleaning of the house is a necessary act during New Year as the Vietnamese believe in washing away the bad memories and bad fortune of the previous year. This way they bring good luck in their homes. Buying new clothes and new shoes are a part of the custom during this time of the year.

The grand celebration for the New Year starts on the eve and it is called Le Tru Tich. This festival starts from the mid night before the New Years’ Day. The Vietnamese believe in loud happy noise. So, during the New Years’ Eve they showcase fireworks and this includes high noise. This way they say goodbye to the previous year. As per the Vietnamese belief, any work you do during the New Year marks the coming of the next year. Like, they have a fun filled first day of the year. Even the babies are not allowed to cry during the New Year. They buy gifts for all the members of the family and exchange gifts too. 2012 Vietnamese New Year will be a time to meet all near and dear ones.

The Vietnamese offer tribute to their kitchen king during New Years’ time. The main kitchen equipment in a Vietnamese kitchen is three legged owing to their God. They believe that the middle one is a woman and the other two are her husbands. The kitchen God is known as Tao and a week before the New Year they worship the God for giving them food for the entire year.

The custom of Vietnamese New Year

This time of the Year is meant for returning home. Many visit the graves of their ancestors at New Year. It is important to be debt free during the early phase of the year. So the people from Vietnam pay all debts, go for shopping, decorate their homes, cook traditional food and wait for near and dear ones to return home. The custom to pay homage to ancestors during the New Year is called altar. The money that the young members receive during this time of the year is given to them in a red envelope. This tradition is known as Mung Tuoi.

An artificial tree, which comprises of five to six meter long bamboos are used during New Year. The other decorative items used during the New Year are good luck charms, origami fish, cactus branches and many more. Bonsai is also considered to be lucky and hence it is used during the New Year.

The custom to eat traditional food during New Year is known as Tet eating. Few vegetarian dishes are cooked at New Year and it is believed that vegetarian food brings good luck. Few Dishes which are made especially during the New Year are:

• Banh Chung: This dish comprises of sticky rice and meat. This dish is cooked overnight and New Year celebration is incomplete without this special dish.
• H?t Dua: Roasted Watermelon seeds.
• Dua Hành": Pickled onion and pickled cabbage.
• C? Ki?u: Pickled small leeks.
• M?t: Dried candied fruits are rarely eaten at any time besides T?t.
• C?u D?a Ð? Xoài – Special arrangement with fruits.

2012 Vietnamese New Year will be incomplete without the traditional games played. Few popular games are b?u cua, c? tu?ng, ném còn, ch?i trâu, dá gà, marshmallow toss and many more. There is a habit to visit the fortune teller during the beginning of the year.

Holiday list for 2012 in the Vietnam Calendar

The list below mentions the holidays for 2012 in the Vietnam calendar:

• Tet Duong Lich New Year’s Day: Sunday, 1 January 2012
• Gio to Hung Vuong Day: Hung Kings Commemorations: Saturday, 31 March 2012
• Ngày thong nhat: Monday, 30 April 2012
• Ngày Quoc te Lao dong: International Labour Day: Tuesday, 1 May 2012
• Quoc khánh: National Day: Sunday, 2 September 2012

The 2012 Vietnamese year will be the year of Dragon. The dragon is considered as auspicious as per the Vietnamese culture unlike the western culture. The dragon is a legendary creature and it has mythic counterparts in the Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. This animal presents long and good life with its long, serpentine, scaled and four legged body.

The Vietnamese belief that the auspicious dragon has control over water, rainfall, hurricane and flood and it symbolizes power, strength and good luck.

People born in the Dragon year will have the following characteristics:

• Innovative
• Enterprising
• Self-assured
• Brave
• Passionate
• Conceited
• Short tempered
• Free and uninhibited

Few mentionable personalities born in the dragon years are:

• Reese Witherspoon
• Calista Flockhart
• Courtney Cox
• Courtney Love
• Isabella Rossellini

Few Dragon years as per the Vietnamese calendar are:

• 1904-1905
• 1916-1917
• 1928-1929
• 1940-1941
• 1952-1953

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