Get ready to ride the Tiger. The Lunar New Year celebration is on Sunday, February 14. For the next three weekends, Vietnamese communities all over the world will be kicking off festivities for Tet Nguyen Dan (that’s our official name). Take it all in as Tet is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur, and Easter all rolled up into one. The build up and fervor can be overwhelming as people try to square away all unfinished business before the New Year commences. Repaying debts, cleaning the house, and xong dat New Year greetings are some of the ways that Vietnamese people address Tet superstitions and ensure good luck for the next twelve months. Tet gift baskets to your superiors work too!
At Vietnamese markets, delis, and bakeries, you’ll find an array of colorful candies, sweetmeats, cakes, cookies, pickles and sticky rice cakes called banh chung and banh tet. The cakes are must-haves for Tet. They are essentially supersized dumplings wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for hours. They may look like abobe bricks or door stops, but don’t be put off as they are really delicious when made well.
Most people buy the giant, tamale-like dumpling wrapped up in fragrant leaves. I prepare my own as it’s a nice way to keep tasty traditions alive. The wrapping and boiling takes a day, but I have a foursome of banh chung (that's one of my homemade ones!) to eat over months as the sticky rice cakes filled with mung beans and pork freeze exceptionally well.
If there is a Vietnamese community near you, NOW is the time to look for Tet festivals. For example, in California we have:
Bay Area Tet Festivals
2/7, 10am-6pm: San Francisco Tet Festival, Larkin Street (b/n Eddy and O’Farrell)
2/13 & 14: San Jose Tet Festival, Santa Clara FairgroundsSouthern California Tet Festivals (note the romantic names)
2/12-14: “Spring of Love” Tet Festival, Garden Grove Park, Westminster
2/19-21: “Spring of Harmony” Tet Festival, Balboa Park, San Diego
At events such as these, expect food booths, art and crafts, variety type shows featuring local talent, and lion dances. Some women and girls dress up in traditional ao dai outfits.
How will you celebrate Tet this year? To get your creative juices going, take a look at these links:
Cultural information
- The Year of the Tiger: Tiger birth years, traits, and famous tigers/tigresses
- Simple Ways to Celebrate Tet: Easy, no-sweat things to do for Tet, such as a downloadable Tet couplet for your door, pointers on how to wish people “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin, and how to attract good luck for the New Year (xong dat)
- How to find a Tet Festival: Tips for locating these events, which hare typically advertised only in the Vietnamese community!
- Traditional Tet Flowers and Blossoms: My father used to cut blooming branches from trees he found in the neighborhood. You can clip like him, or buy, like me. This post tells you what to look for.
Food
- Special Foods for Tet Celebrations: What is typically eaten during this holiday? Great for menu planning.
- Banh Chung and Banh Tet: What are they and how do you eat these sticky rice cakes
- Chicken and Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup Recipe (Bun Mang Ga)
- Banh Chung Tet Sticky Rice Cake Recipe
- Candied Lotus Seeds Recipe
cbien says
Since Tet falls on a weekend this year, I'll actually be able to go home (4.5hr drive) and go to the temple with the family! YAY! I told my mom we will have to make tons of food! 🙂
Can't wait!
Andrea Nguyen says
Cbien -- how lucky you are! Would love to know what your mom fixes for Tet fete/feast. Drive safely.
Van says
I buy my banh tet at a Viet grocery store. It's cooked by a lady owner. She takes pride in her cooking, and the result is outstanding food. She sells banh tet year round. What a treat!
Linda Brown says
I just ordered these Roberto Rossi Knives! Can't believe the ridiculous low price!
Hope you guys enjoy
LB
Roberto Rossi Knives
Andrea Nguyen says
Van -- you're very lucky to know the person who makes your banh tet!
Linda Brown -- we understand that you're selling something here but your comment doesn't fit on this page. Please be more clever. Thank you.
Suzanne says
Thanks for the information about the Tet Festival in San Jose. I wanted to go to it this year but didn't know where and when it would be! Thanks so much!
Twinkle says
Your banh chung looks so delicious! I wish I could get a small serving somewhere as my parents are foregoing it this year (sacrilege!) and I don't think my boyfriend is a fan of sticky rice or mung bean. 🙁
r4 gold says
Wow you gays are lucky enough!This type of food festival just make chill in kitchen recipe!But I am not so much lucky,any way but I thanks to all wonderful people who are upload their recipe online so I and lots of more people can have spicy food without out going!
Lauren says
Ugh, why was the San Francisco festival a week early this year? I completely missed it. Bah!
kba says
This is cool! Too bad that I didn´t hear about it before.
Could you tell me pls. when the next festival
will take place? Thanx.
Shox NZ Shoes says
sweetmeats, cakes, cookies, pickles and sticky rice cakes called banh chung and banh tet. The cakes are must-haves for Tet. They are essentially supersized dumplings wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for hours. They may look like abobe bricks or door stops, but don’t be put off as they are really delicious when made well.
Most people buy the giant, tamale-like dumpling wrapped up in fragrant leaves. I prepare my own as it’s a nice way to keep tasty traditions
mbt online says
That was my thought,too.
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That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating.