Vietnam celebrates Tết Đoan Ngọ

Tết Đoan Ngọ has existed in the folklores and cultural activities of many East Asian countries; however, each country celebrates the holiday very differently from each other. Let’s follow our reporter to see what the Vietnamese often do during Tết Đoan Ngọ.

Tết Đoan Ngọ is an Asian tradition associated with the atmospheric circulation in a year. The holiday is celebrated not only in Vietnam and China, but in Korea as well.

Unlike the Duanwu Festival, which is the Chinese version of this holiday, Vietnam’s Tết Đoan Ngọ is not a day to pay respects to a patriotic writer who killed himself after failing to protect his kingdom. Rather, it is a day to mark the beginning of the hottest month of the year. For Vietnamese farmers, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is associated with summer disease prevention and insect extermination to protect the crops.

"In this time period, Vietnamese usually pick herbs during the hour of the horse to make medicines for their families. Also, they urged children to eat lots of fruit in hopes that it would help cool the body in summer." - Tran Dai Vinh, Historical & Cultural Researcher.

Legend has it that, after the celebration of an abundant winter-spring crop, insects from out of nowhere started to destroy the harvest. Fortunately, an elderly man by the name of Đôi Truân came to the village and solved the problem by making foods made from local ingredients such as millet sweet soup, duck meat, and sticky rice, and offering them to the ancestors at high noon, or the hour of the horse.

"Every year on this day, we always gather everyone in our family to prepare the offerings. It’s also a good opportunity to see everyone after it's been a while." - Tran Duc Lu, Phu Binh Commune, Hue City.

Thus, despite having the same origin as China’s Duanwu Festival, Vietnam’s Tết Đoan Ngọ is meant to honour family ties and respect for ancestors. On this day, families often gather, eating together, sharing stories and preparing offerings for the ancestors to mark a new season and to pray for peace and prosperity.