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.
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.
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