Vietnamese Table Etiquette

The fish gaped at me. Its glassy bubble eyes regarded me with equanimity. My Vietnamese hostess had just placed a fish the size of a pig on the table in front of me with the bullet-shaped head aimed at my sternum. Everyone around the table stared, smiling, nodding and watching my reaction.

Unnerved, I could only manage a goofy grin. Did they expect me to eat the fish head?

"Eat. Please eat," urged my hostess. The chopsticks in my hand clattered like reeds in the wind. Fish head, eyes and gills lay before me, all unacquired tastes.

"It's not much," said my hostess. The fish was longer than my arm. "It's a simple dish, not much flavor." It looked more elaborate than any Thanksgiving turkey I'd ever had. "Eat. Eat."

My mind raced. How to decline without offending? How to eat that gargantuan head without vomiting? Then it struck me - my grandmother's lesson in etiquette. I was the guest of honor, hence the fish head. It was positioned to honor me with the choicest meat, the part just behind the head above the gills.

I sampled the fish and complimented my hostess vociferously, and the meal continued without a hitch.

Knowing a little Vietnamese table etiquette can take a foreigner a long way when dining as the honored guest of a Vietnamese family. Despite forms or circumstances, an invitation to dine with the family is not often extended casually. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep a guest in favorable view with the host and hostess.

Always bring a present when invited to dinner. Flowers are acceptable as long as they are not white, the color of death. Common gifts are sweets and teas.

Dining Vietnamese style is a practice of interaction, an interplay of gestures and forms. For example, when dining is at its most formal, a guest seldom has to serve himself. The host and hostess will see to it that the guest has more than enough to eat including the first sampling of each plate. But the guest should never be the first to sample a dish unless the host insists.

Sampling is a better term to describe dining the Vietnamese way. One never takes more than a single helping from any plate without first trying all the other dishes on the table. A tablespoonful constitutes a helping. If serving spoons are not provided, at most two trips of the chopsticks to the serving dish represent one serving. Most important of all, never dwell on any one dish and always compliment the food after the first taste. Also avoid eating too much meat, as it's considered the most expensive ingredient of any dish. Never reach for food until rice has been served and the host has given the signal to begin. The only exception is at a banquet where rice may not be served.

Don't pour dipping sauces directly into the rice bowl. One hand should always be touching the rice bowl while eating even if the bowl is not picked up. Polite convention demands using both hands when offering or accepting anything--a dish, a cup or a pair of chopsticks. A little polite nod is always expected when passing or accepting something at the table.

It is generally considered more elegant to hold the chopsticks as far away from the business ends as possible. This naturally requires more skill and dexterity. A child learning how to use the chopsticks usually begins holding the utensil closer to the business ends and migrates upward with experience. In some situations, it is common to hold the chopsticks at midpoint so that the chopsticks can easily be turned and both ends can be used. The slim ends are used to put food into the mouth. The thicker ends are used to pick up food from the communal plates.

"Chopsticks" is a Western barbarism. In Chinese this utensil is called kuaì-zi, in Japanese hashi, in Vietnamese doi dua. A host of chopsticks etiquette rules govern the proper usage.

Chopsticks should not touch the lips, teeth or tongue. Never pick up more than one morsel with the chopsticks. Another point to remember is that it is regarded crude to move food from the communal plate directly to the mouth. The morsel should first be transferred to the individual's rice bowl before eaten.

The ideal sequence is one bite of rice for every two bites of meat, fish or vegetables. The reverse is appropriate when the entree is a delicacy or the portion is small. It is very distasteful to shift the food on the serving plate to search for a choice item. At the same time, the chopsticks must not show hesitation while moving to pick up a morsel. The chopsticks must not pick up the morsel by piercing it. Also, returning a morsel to the plate after picking it up is very bad form.

If chopsticks mastery is lacking, a request for forks--but not knives--is acceptable. Vietnamese have a saying adopted from the Chinese: "We sit down to eat not to cut up carcasses." Vietnamese use deep ceramic spoons and consider sipping from the spoon more sophisticated than placing the spoon into the mouth.

Whereas a second or third serving may be declined at a Western table without offense, it is considered almost rude to decline the hostess' offers at a Vietnamese table since custom requires the hostess to be persistent in her solicitation. It is wise then to feign fullness early and acquiesce gracefully at the first two or three offers of additional servings.

When memory fails at the table, the best solution is a forthright apology and declaration of etiquette ignorance coupled with adept imitation of the host's table manner.

If you happen to be visiting Vietnamese friends during Tet, it is wise to note how much stock Vietnamese (no matter how rational they are) place on taboos and superstitions. This is the one time of year when a well-intentioned but ill-informed gesture may well turn out to be a brick in the road to hell for the recipient. For the rest of the year, whenever something inopportune occurs, the culprit's name will be spoken with no small amount of rancor. The culprit is considered not as the harbinger of bad luck but bad luck itself.

The list of taboos and superstitions is tedious and long, however, there are a handful that are considered crucial social knowledge. Foremost is visitation. It is extremely important not to visit or telephone anyone on New Year's Day without an invitation. When an invitation is extended, it should be accepted graciously for it is a great honor. People only invite those they respect, love and consider to be good luck. This and a number of other taboos are rooted in the belief that New Year's Day activities set precedents for the rest of the year.

Also, things should not be lent on this day (so don't ask); people fear they might be lending things for the rest of the year. Things should not be broken, especially in someone else's home. Greetings should not be delivered in the bedroom; people fear this may mean they will be sick most of the year.

In Vietnamese culture, food is so inextricably tied to the concept of prosperity that most of the presents people exchange are food: rice cakes, fruits, nuts, sweets, wines and teas. When visiting friends in their homes during the Tet festival, remember to bring small food gifts. These will be greatly appreciated because Vietnamese take food gifts as tokens of good luck and prosperity signifying that they will have plenty to eat in the coming year.

One way to bring brightness and glory into someone's household is to greet him or her on New Year's Day with a long and eloquent speech of good wishes and blessings. Something along the line of: "I wish you and your family a prosperous New Year filled with joy, love, harmony and good fortune. May the Light of Heaven shine brightly upon your household. May your cupboard be filled. May you come into great wealth. May your health be strong and vibrant. May all things turn out according to your desire."

And whatever else the person may wish for. But if the formality seems too much, a simple "Happy New Year" will do: Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

The Vietnamese Zodiac

In Vietnam, the calendar was devised based on the regularly changing phases of the moon. Most Vietnamese, even city dwellers and overseas Vietnamese, have a lunar calendar in their homes to consult for festivals and auspicious dates. Because of the use of the lunar calendar, the actual days of the New Year vary from year to year.

The equinoxes and solstices that marked the beginning of the European seasons were taken as the midpoint by the Asian calendar with the result that each Vietnamese season begins six weeks earlier than its European counterpart.

Each year is "sponsored" sequentially by one of the twelve animals of the Vietnamese zodiac: the rat comes first, then the ox or buffalo, followed in order by the tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, goat or ram, monkey, cock, dog, and lastly, the pig. Of these animals one is mythical (the dragon) and four (rat, tiger, snake and monkey) are wild, shunning contact with humans. Seven are domesticated. Every twelve years, the sponsorship reverts to the same animal. The years 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 are dragon years.

In addition the Vietnamese use another set of names by repeating a cycle of 60. The 60-year cycle is made up of combinations of the twelve animals representing the earthly signs of the Vietnamese zodiac and ten heavenly or celestial signs usually called "stems". The Asian calendar forms a cycle of 60 years similar to the western century of one hundred years. The 60-year cycle begins when the first of the twelve zodiac signs is joined with the first of the ten celestial "stems". When each of the ten "stems" is matched with an animal, the result will be 60 different sets. The celestial "stem" attached to the zodiac animal provides modifying influences on the characteristics of the animal. For example, the year of the dog sign can be "modified" by each of ten different associated "stems".

Each year has import for humans who have converging or diverging signs. These examples are given in the order that they occur in the year. Each of the following animals sponsors a two-hour period of time of the 24-hour day.

A RAT year prophesies a year of chaos. Rat people are charming and attractive to the opposite sex, although they have a fear of light and noise. Rat people are active and dynamic but can be fussy about little things. Rats can have a positive side because if there are rats, it is a sign that there is grain in the storage bins, so rats can represent a bountiful harvest. Because it is a nocturnal animal and can be heard scurrying about at midnight, the period of time between 11pm and 1am is called the rat hour.

The BUFFALO symbolizes industriousness and patience. The year is one of slow, steady progress and patient strength; traits suitable for a scientist. He is the traditional symbol of spring and agriculture because of his association with the plow and his pleasure in wallowing in mud. People of that year are thought to possess the characteristics of that animal: steady, placid, but stubborn when crossed. The buffalo hours are from 1 am to 3 am when buffalo are feeding and the day's farm work begins.

TIGERS are quick to anger, indecisive but can be flexible and accommodate their personalities to suit the circumstances. He is the king of the jungle, nocturnal and evokes images of darkness and stormy weather. The period from 3am to 5am is the time when the tiger returns to his lair after prowling at night.

CATS are smooth talkers, talented and ambitious and will succeed in studies. They are in conflict with the rat. A cat person has a supple mind and patient personality and knows how to wait for favorable conditions before taking action. Cat hours are between 5am and 7am, when cats begin their prowling.

The DRAGON in eastern mythology can be protective and a symbol of the male (yang) principal of the universe of royal authority. The dragon is in its element everywhere; under water, on the ground and in the air. It is a water sign and a propitious sign for agriculture. Dragons are sincere, energetic but short-tempered and stubborn. They are symbols of power, wealth and prosperity and of royalty. There is a saying "In the year of the dragon, everyone keeps his food for himself". Famine usually appears in these years. His hours are between 7am and 9am.

SNAKES speak little but have tremendous wisdom. They are associated with the damp earth. Snakes symbolize the eternal revolution of the ages and the succession, dissolution and regeneration of humanity. Snake year people are considered calm and gentle, profound, compassionate, but may fly off the handle at times. They are determined and persistent. His hours are 9am to 11am.

HORSE year people are smooth talkers and given to compliments and generosity, therefore, they are popular, but rarely listen to advice. Its propensity to kick evokes images of a quick-tempered personality. The horse's speed has caused him to be compared with the sun that traverses the earth daily. In legend, the sun is associated with fiery steeds. The Greek myth related to this is of Apollo driving the chariot of the sun across the skies each day. The horse is invested with purity, nobility and wisdom. It is esteemed for altertness, intelligence, strength and is a friend to man. Noontime, when the sun is the highest, is the horse hour.

The GOAT people are calm and shy, unassertive and self-effacing. They are clumsy in speech so they are poor salespersons, but are compassionate for the less fortunate, and help others. They are often taken advantage of because of their natural kindness and timidity. His hours are between 1pm and 3pm.

The MONKEY is an erratic genius. They are clever and skillful when making financial deals. They are cheerful, skillful, curious and inventive, but they may drive people away by talking too much and being contemptuous of others. Their weakness lies in their tendency to be erratic and inconsistent. The time between 3pm and 5pm is the monkey hour.

The ROOSTER year represents a period of hard work and activity as the rooster is busy from morning to night. His comb is a mark of high intelligence and of a literary spirit. People born in the year of the cock are considered profound thinkers. At the same time, he is a symbol of protection against fires. Pictures of a red cock are hung in houses for that reason. People born in the cock year earn their living from small businesses they practice with diligence like a "cock scratching the soil for worms". Because ghosts disappear at sunrise it is believed that the cock drives them away with his crowing. A white cock is sometimes placed on the coffin of funeral processions to make the way free from demons. The cock controls the hours between 5pm and 7pm.

The year of the DOG indicates future prosperity. Worldwide, the dog is used as a guard against intruders. Pairs of stone or ceramic dogs are placed on each side of the entrance to villages and temples as guards. The dog year will be secure and protected. The hour of the dog is 7pm to 9pm when people of rural Vietnam have gone to bed and leave the dog to keep watch.

The PIG symbolizes the wealth of the forest because the boar maintains his lair in the woods. Boar year people are chivalrous and gallant, honest, courageous, but headstrong and short tempered, impulsive, studious and well informed. The hour of the pig is between 9pm and 11pm.

Editor's Note:
This chapter was excerpted from Tet, The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, by Barbara Cohen & Huu Ngoc, The Gioi Publishers, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Happy Lunar New Year! Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

Planning a Celebration?

Sequence of the Tet Celebration

Do it right. Here's a step-by-step sequence of the Tet Celebration

Preparation.During the week before Tet, some families visit the graves of parents and grandparents. Fresh earth is placed on top, weeds removed from around it and incense is burnt to invoke the souls of the dead from the other world to return to visit the family home.

The Kitchen God (Ong Tao or Mandarin Tao) is also called the Hearth God, the Stove God or the Household God. This god who was privy to the family's most private business and intimate secrets for the ending year, returns to Heaven to make his report to the Jade Emperor. This report includes the year's activities of the household in which he has lived. On the 23rd day of the 12th month, a farewell and thank you dinner is given to the Kitchen God by the household. The Kitchen God will need a week for his mission to Heaven.

Folklore has made the spirit of the hearth into a picturesque character, a buffoon who is the butt of crude jokes. Although he is a messenger of the Jade Emperor in Heaven, he is depicted as so poor as to be unable to afford much clothing. He wears an important mandarin hat but goes about with bare legs because he has scorched his pants in the hearth fire. Another version tells that he was in such a rush to get back to Heaven that he forgot his pants and ascended in only his underwear. Efforts must be made to put him in a proper mood to secure a favorable report to the Jade Emperor of the family's activities. Offerings are made to him. These gifts certainly aim at influencing the outcome of the report. But no one considers such gifts to be crass bribery. Such pleasantries merely sweeten the god's way, as perhaps cookies placed by the fireplace will please Santa Claus, who might be tired from delivering so many gifts on Christmas night.

The paper carps, horses and clothing (hats, robes and boots) will be burned by the family and thus transformed into a spiritual essence usable by Ong Tao in the world beyond. Like Santa Claus, the Kitchen God is loved and respected. Both have the capacity to bring fortune and happiness into the home depending on the previous year's behavior. Although beliefs about the Kitchen God have changed over the years, he remains an important figure in the rich texture of Vietnamese New Year. The Kitchen God travels on the back of a brightly colored and powerful paper horse or sometimes a grand bird with great wings, such as a crane. Or he might ride on a carp with golden scales. Paper images of these vehicles are purchased at Tet or a living specimen of fish is bought and later set free. The day of his departure is marked by the calls of fishmongers from the countryside carrying baskets of fish hanging from their shoulder poles and calling "Fish for sale, fine mounts for the Household Gods to make their ride!" Live fish held in tanks of water and plastic bags are released into ponds, lakes, rivers and streams to impress the god with the kindness of the household. In Hanoi, the Sword Lake is a favorite spot for releasing Ong Tao's fish-vehicle. In some cases, three fish are released to account for the possibility that one must please all three Hearth Gods.

Most frequently we hear of only the Kitchen God, but many legends support the trinity of Kitchen Gods. Ong Tao represents the blending of all three.

In the old days, and still in some countryside homes, cooking occurs over clay tripods. Three stones were all that was needed to hold up the pot over the fire. Few people spend time thinking about the nature of the Kitchen Gods or the specific meaning of the items that are associated with them. The three Hearth Gods are represented at Tet by three hats and shops sell sets of three miniature paper hats: two men's hats and one woman's. These are burned as offerings to Ong Tao. The God will also need a new pair of boots to wear as he travels to Heaven. Two favorite gifts for the triad of household deities are gold and wine.

In the central part of Vietnam, cooking tripods or blocks that make up the family hearth, even if they are still usable, are ritually discarded when the God leaves. One week later, new blocks will greet his return or the arrival of his replacement assigned by the Jade Emperor.

After the Kitchen God has left, preparations for the New Year festivities begin in earnest. The week before New Year's Eve is a period of Tat Nien. Tat Nien (literally meaning the end or 'to extinguish the year') is the celebration of the last session of a period, such as the last class of school, the last bus home, the last day in the office, even the last bath, all with parties and great ceremony. There is a festive holiday atmosphere before New Year's Eve with dragon dances.

Some families set up a Tet tree in the week before New Year's Eve. The Tet tree called cay neu, is a bamboo pole stripped of most of its leaves except for a bunch at the very top. The Tet tree has Taoist origins and holds talismanic objects that clang in the breeze to attract good spirits and repel evil ones. On the very top, they frequently place a paper symbol of yin and yang, the two principal forces of the universe. Sometimes a colorful paper carp flag will fly from the top. The carp (or sometimes a horse) is the vehicle on which the Hearth God travels to make his report. This tree is more common in the countryside now than in the city. It is ceremonially removed after the seventh day of Tet.

Sweeping and scrubbing is done in advance as tradition discourages cleaning during the holiday itself. During this time, shops and restaurants close while the cleaning spree proceeds in earnest. On hands and knees, the floors will be scrubbed; bronze will be polished to a brand new finish. Closets will be ransacked for old clothes to be tossed out. Shoppers swarm the streets at temporary Tet stalls that have sprung up, lit with tiny gaily-flashing lights. Everything needed for the celebration from food to decorations is at hand and in abundance at these Tet markets.

Two items required for the proper enjoyment of Tet are flowering branches and the kumquat bush. For the sale of these and other flowers and plants, a lively flower market is held in the center of the ancient quarter of Hanoi on Hang Luoc Street. A massive flower market was organized on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City and attracts crowds who walk up and down the street admiring the flowers, meeting old friends and making new ones. However, this was moved out of the center in 1996. Throughout the country on bicycles of roving vendors, flowers create great splashes of color. In the south, the bright golden yellow branches of the mai apricot are seen everywhere. In the north, the soft rose-colored dao peach flowers decorate homes and offices. A truck driver will adorn his truck with a dao branch to cheer him on a long-distance run.

Miniature kumquat bushes about two or three feet tall are carefully selected and prominently displayed. To carefully choose a kumquat bush, the buyer must pay attention to the symmetrical shape, to the leaves and to the color and shape of the fruit. The bushes have been precisely pruned to display ripe deep orange fruits with smooth clear thin skin shining like little suns or gold coins on the first day. Other fruits must still be green to ripen later. This represents the wish that wealth will come to you now and in the future. The leaves must be thick and dark green with some light green sprouts. The fruits represent the grandparents, the flowers represent parents, the buds represent children and the light green leaves represent grandchildren. The tree thus symbolizes many generations. Guests will caress the light green leaves about to sprout and compliment the discerning host who chose so carefully. The Sino-Viet pronunciation of the word for orange sounds like the word for wealth and the tangerines signify good luck.

Crowds of shoppers at the markets become thicker and more frantic each night, holding up traffic as they jostle each other to reach the counters with the best buys. Prices are a bit higher, but then thriftiness is not considered a virtue at Tet. Everyone is wishing each other Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

One must purchase the sugared fruits, banh chung and the colorful decorations before the afternoon of Tet.

While shoppers roam the streets, banh chung patties wrapped in leaves are steaming in giant vats. The outside has taken on a lovely light green tinge after being boiled inside a wrapper of leaves. Banh chung in the north is a square patty measuring seven inches and two inches thick, filled with shreds of fatty pork surrounded by a dense mixture of sticky rice and mashed ground green beans. In the south, a similar dish is cylindrical. It is given as a gift at this time of year and has a similar long life and social significance as the western Christmas fruitcake. These are frequently called sticky rice cakes, but are unlike sweet cakes in the western sense. There is however, a sweet version made without meat but with sugar added called banh ngot (sweet rice patty).

Suddenly, as if by command of some magic wand, the spree of activity, the light, the noise, all vanishes. By early evening, markets and shops are abandoned. Shops, stalls and restaurants are locked leaving a notice hung on the door announcing the date of reopening. Special dishes must be completed that are expected to serve the family and its guests for the first three days of the new year. People desert the outer world and disappear on the requisite trip to their home villages and inside their homes for intimate family celebrations.

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Giao Thua. As midnight approaches, all eyes maintain a close look on clocks and watches. The Giao Thua ritual occurs at that most sacred moment in time. At midnight on the last day of the year, every Vietnamese family whispers similar fervent prayers. Bells ring and drums beat in temples. The old year gives over its mandate to the New Year. The words Giao Thua (Giao means to give and Thua means to receive) mean a passing on or a receiving and handing down of life, and the recognition of that gift by the present generation. It marks the magical transition time from one year to another. Those who practice Buddhism will pray in the pagoda.

In the Gia Tien (family ancestor) ritual or calling of the ancestors, invitations are extended to the deceased relatives to visit for a few days in the world of the living family. They are lured home and kept happy until they leave. The head of the household lights incense and folds hands at heart level in the position of prayer. The prayer may proceed as follows: "In the year of&. And the date of&. Make these offerings and invite all of our ancestors to join in eating Tet with us."

The past generations are invited to share the family's joys and concerns to enjoy a meal with the living, to catch up on the family news and to lavish riches and honors on their descendants.

"I pray to the Heavenly King, the Jade Emperor, to his assistants and to the Earth God and the guardian spirit and to any other spirits present. On behalf of the &family, we offer you incense, gold and silver, fruit and flowers, alcohol and fixings for the betel quid. We are all here to make these offerings so that the next year will be free of disasters and harmful occurrences and that the family will prosper. Please bless us all, young and old, with happiness, prosperity and long life. (Here he might mention some events of the past year such as the birth of a child, someone's new employment or the successful entrance of a child into a good school). Please forgive us any transgressions we may have unknowingly committed against you or others."

Bowing motions, called Le, are performed at least three times and the ceremony ends when all have prostrated themselves (or in more modern families, folded hands and prayed) before the altar. After the "money for the dead" and other paper gifts are burnt in the courtyard, the family watches the ashes dance away on warm currents of air, a sign that the dead have received their gifts. The spiritual presence of the ancestors will be palpable during the days of Tet.

In recent times, a new tradition has evolved to celebrate the important evening of the new year. Those who are not at home praying at this momentous time may be socializing with friends. In the cities, there will be community fireworks displays that will draw the young from their homes into the square or park. Although firecrackers are now illegal in Vietnam, some kind of loud noises will be made. It can be the banging of cans, the use of electronic popping firecrackers or human voices whooping it up. People will break off branches and twigs that contain newly sprouted leaves to bring a sense of freshness and vitality into their home. This follows a Buddhist tradition of bringing fresh new leaves and "fortune bearing buds" into the home from the pagoda.

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First Morning or Head Day is reserved for the nuclear family, that is, the husband's household. Immediate family members get together and celebrate with the husband's parents. A younger brother, if the parents are not alive, will visit his older sibling. Faraway sons and daughters journey to be with their parents on this day. Children anticipate a ritual called Mung Tuoi, or the well wishing on the achievement of one more year to one's life. With both arms folded in front of their chest in respect, they thank their grandparents for their birth and upbringing.

Reciprocally, the grandparents will impart words of advice or wisdom to their grandchildren, encouraging them to study seriously, to live in harmony with others. The promises made by the children are similar to New Year's resolutions made during the western New Year. Adults will make silent promises to themselves to improve their lives, habits and relationships in the coming year. The children accept small gifts, usually crisp bills. Ideally, part of the gifts will be saved for future "investment," and part spent for Tet amusements. The words on the little red envelope in which the bill may be tucked read: Respectful wishes for the New Year. When there was a king ruling Vietnam, the mandarins of the royal court formally wished the King and Queen, "Happiness as vast as the southern sea; longevity as lasting as the southern mountains." Each trade and professional guild in Vietnam has a founder or guardian spirit and on this or one of the next several days, the craft workers will make offerings to their guild ancestor.

The family displays the offerings of food on the altar table for the first meal for the ancestors since they have returned to the world of the living. The head of the family, dressed in fresh clothes, steps respectfully in front of the family altar and presents the offerings of food, liquor, cigarettes, betel fixings, flowers and paper gold and silver. He lights three sticks of incense, kneels, joins hands in front of his chest, bows his head and prays. The names of the deceased of the family up to the fifth generation are whispered as they are invited to participate in the feast prepared for them.

After the ceremony, the entire family sits down to enjoy the meal typically consisting of steamed chicken, bamboo shoot soup, banh chung and fresh fruits. They reminisce with their ancestors.

The Vietnamese do not say "celebrate" when speaking of Tet; the words "to eat" are used as in the expression, "Will you eat Tet with your family?" or "Where will you eat Tet this year?" It does not refer to the filling of one's stomach, although in the old days, when hunger was a constant problem, Tet time was a time of plenty during which one could eat one's full. "To eat" here means more to be nourished by, or to partake in the mutual communion with others, a spiritual eating or being nourished.

There is a Vietnamese saying related to ancestor worship: "Trees have roots; water has a source; when drinking from the spring, one must remember the source." Thanks are offered to those ancestors who labored long ago to dig irrigation channels and remove mountains for this generation to have an easier life. The present is only one link in the cycle of coming back to the past as one looks to the future.

The second day of Tet is for visiting the wife's family and close friends. Some shops have opened and a few lottery stands are busy selling chances to people who feel lucky. Everyone is out on the street parading around in their new clothes.

On the third day of Tet, the circle of connections becomes larger and is extended to the broader community outside the family by visits to teachers, bosses or a helpful physician. The Vietnamese visit teachers and physicians although long out of school and long cured of their illness. This may be the time to have one's fortune told to see what the coming year will bring. These days in Vietnam, there are fortunetellers using computer software. People are also especially interested in the significance of their first dream of the new year.

The evening of the third day marks the departure of the ancestors by burning votive objects such as gold and silver, for them to take with them on their journey back to Heaven.

Now the connections to the world beyond the family can take place. The non-family member who will be the first visitor is carefully chosen. The "first footer" is an auspicious guest who is considered to be good luck for the family. The first non-family visitor to the house brings in the year's luck. This figure's karma will charm the household for the entire year and determine the luck of the family. It is customary to invite a respected person to visit at that time, so that this turn of luck is not left to fate. This person, whose aura is believed capable of promoting the fortune of the household in the following year, is usually someone healthy, successful and prosperous. Some Vietnamese lock their doors to all chance visitors until after the visit of the chosen "first footer."

On the fourth day, banks and shops reopen. Transactions, although slower, will be conducted more cheerfully than usual. Offices open and work resumes. Careful attention is paid to the resumption of activities. The first outing is the first time in the New Year that a family leaves their home. A propitious time is chosen in advance for this outing and one sometimes asks the advice of fortunetellers.

Formerly, scholars initiated their new brushes and paper with a small ceremony with the wearing of new clothes. This also requires an auspicious hour. The theme of the proverb or poem is considered carefully and newly purchased high-grade paper was used. Today's students are less formal in their initiation rites, but most enjoy a new pen and a fresh notebook for the New Year. Everyone determines to do what he or she can to help fate along to make the next year most successful.

In the countryside, there are rituals to enliven the land out of its winter's rest. The Rites of Dong Tho activate the soil to bring it alive from its sacred rest. When there was a king in Vietnam, he symbolically initiated the harrowing of the first furrow of the planting season in a royal rite.

A hundred years ago, on Hang Buom Street, a ceremony was performed right after Tet called the Beating of the Spring Ox. This ceremony initiated the breaking open of the agricultural land and chased away the winter cold. A ceramic image of the ox was beaten with sticks until it broke into pieces. Everyone scramble to grab and take home a piece of the sacred ox.

On the fifteenth day of Tet (called Ram Thang Gieng), the first full moon, there are ceremonies in Buddhist temples. This is considered the most auspicious day of the Buddhist year. "Paying homage to Buddha all year long is not as effective as praying on the 15th day of the first lunar month." The devout flock into pagodas, their eyes stinging with the blue haze of incense. After prayers, shared blessed offerings from the temple keeper are stuffed into bags carried with them for that purpose. Over the years, this Buddhist sacred day has transformed into a holiday of other cults.

It is also called Tet Trang Nguyen or the feast of the first laureate. There is a legend associated with its beginnings: the emperor once staged a banquet on the full moon to which the most prominent scholars of the kingdom were invited. They drank exquisite liquor and each man composed a formal poem on a theme chosen by the emperor. On that day, many families celebrate Tet all over again by eating banh chung.

This is also called the Little New Year or full moon New Year and celebrated by farmers following an indigenous practice of welcoming Spring at the first full moon. Later, it became infused with Buddhist meanings.

The Vietnamese traditionally celebrated Tet from the fifteenth day of the twelfth month to the fifteenth day of the first month.

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Excerpted from Tet: The Vietnamese Lunar New Year by Huu Ngoc and Barbara Cohen