Tết Nguyên Đán

Interculturality of culture and faith is seen during the Vietnamese / Lunar New Year celebrations for Vietnamese Catholics.

"Chúc mừng năm mới" (Happy New Year), the colors red and yellow, hoa đào (peach blossom) and hoa mai (yellow apricot blossom) trees, lion dancing, bao lì xì (red envelope / lucky money), hái lộc thánh (picking a holy (scriptural passage) gift from the tree), áo dài (traditional attire for both men and women) and traditional food are several symbols of Tết for the Vietnamese people, and this was evident for the Vietnamese community at St. Martin of Tours.

Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán is the beginning of the new year for the Vietnamese people. On February 10, they celebrated the New Year based on the Lunisolar calendar. And traditionally this is a 3-day celebration. 2024 is the year of the Dragon of the Vietnamese Zodiac. The parish hall and gym has been decorated with vibrant colors of red and yellow as well as having the two blossom trees.

Many of these traditions were seen at the New Year's Mass at St. Martin of Tours as the community celebrated the new year; however, this special time doesn't start on February 10, but rather weeks before as many days and hours went into the decorations and the preparation of food. This new year mass is important for the Vietnamese people because it's a time where they can offer praise to God and remember their ancestors who hav gone before them. At the evening Mass, the faithful came in their traditional áo dài. After the final blessing, they came up to pick their Scriptural passage from the tree, and that is the passage they'll take with them for the year, to live with God's words. These traditions are traditions from a homeland that many of them have left long ago, as the first Vietnamese to Milwaukee settled as early as 1975.

This year on Sunday, February 11, the Vietnamese community of the parish is hosting a Vietnamese festival for the greater Vietnamese community of the Milwaukee and beyond, welcoming people from all over. The lion dance team of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth will be preforming. Many traditional food will be on sale, such as bánh chưng which is a square rice cake and bánh tét which is similar but in a cylindrical shape, as well as peanut candle, dried fruit, and etc. Music, singing, and performances by varies associations and ministries will entertain the crowd.

As the days of the Vietnamese New Year commence, its a time of recollection to thank God, to remember the ancestors who have gone before, and to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Chúc mừng năm mới!