Christmas and Tet: Vietnamese traditions united in Zeuthen!

Christmas and Tet: Vietnamese traditions united in Zeuthen!

Christmas, the celebration of family and togetherness, is also celebrated in Vietnam, although not to the same extent as we know it in Germany. Linh Vu, manager of a Vietnamese restaurant in Zeuthen, left her hometown in central Vietnam for Germany seven years ago. Her family, which does not belong to any religion, celebrates Christmas with a modest family meal and a Christmas tree. Loud maz-online.de Christmas remains a rather minor topic in Vietnam. Malls in large cities also decorate at Christmas time, but the majority of Vietnamese do not celebrate this holiday on a large scale.

In Germany, however, celebrating Christmas is widespread among Vietnamese. The whole family often gathers, sometimes with up to 30 people, to spend the holidays together. A typical Christmas celebration at Linh Vu includes hot pot, gifts for the children and the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree. In addition to Christmas, it also celebrates New Year's Eve and the important Tet festival, the Vietnamese New Year, which follows annually between the end of January and mid-February.

The Tet Festival: A Cultural Centerpiece

The Tet Festival, also called Tết Nguyên Đán, is not only the most important festival in Vietnam because of its colorful traditions, but also reflects the festivities that shape Vietnamese culture. It is a religious, cultural and national event that celebrates spring. Preparations for Tết begin two weeks before the New Year, when many Vietnamese return home to celebrate, commemorate and look to the future with their families. Opposite wikipedia.org It's good to know that Tet is closely linked to Chinese New Year, but has developed its own traditions.

Tet celebrations often begin on the evening of the previous day. Flowers and gifts for the ancestors are placed on a house altar. Linh said that during Tet, there is a lot of emphasis on ancestral veneration - an occasion that many Vietnamese use to clean their ancestors' graves to pay respect. The gifts are also particularly important - a variety of traditional dishes such as bánh chưng, the symbolic glutinous rice cake, or the five-fruit Mâm Ngũ Quả, which symbolize prosperity and luck.

Traditions and customs during Tet

Another integral part of the celebrations is the handing over of money in red envelopes, which is considered a good luck charm. Children especially look forward to receiving happiness from neighbors and sending their own congratulations. The choice of the first home visit, a crucial tradition, is also carefully considered. Whoever is the first person to enter the house in the New Year has a big influence on the family's future happiness vietbeans.de explained.

The Tet festival brings families together to prepare traditional foods. The focus is on the sticky rice cake bánh chưng and symbolizes the earth, while the red sticky rice xôi gấc means luck and prosperity. The last days of the festival are celebrated with friends and neighbors with music, singing and dancing. Up to nine Tet holidays are planned for 2026, further increasing the anticipation of the first celebrations in the Year of the Horse.

Overall, Christmas and Tet in both Germany and Vietnam are an occasion to spend time with family, maintain traditions and strengthen community - no matter where you are.