Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

The Lunar New Year or Tết is Vietnam’s main holiday. It is the grandest and most important occasion in the year, which falls somewhere between the 19th of January and 20th February on the Western calendar.

Tết marks the beginning of spring and, for agrarian people, the start of a new year.

 
Tết’s preparations and celebrations used to be spread over months, but nowadays the holiday is much shorter.

A great deal of excitement still builds up well before Tết however. Streets are decorated with coloured lights and red banners. Shops are full of goods, people are busy buying gifts, cleaning and decorating their houses and cooking traditional foods.

Homes are often decorated with plants and flowers at this time. Peach blossom is traditional at Tết in the north while apricot blossom is traditional in the south. The kumquat tree with its ripe deep orange fruit is popular throughout the country.

One of Tết’s most special foods is banh chung, which is made from sticky rice, green beans and fatty pork. Mut, which is candied fruit such as sugared apples, plums or tomatoes is also popular.

 
On the days of Tết, everyone tries to be nice and polite to each other. People believe that what they do on the first day of the year will influence their luck during the whole year.

Thus only positive comments should be made.

People visit other family members or friends and they exchange new year’s wishes. Children receive their lucky money inside red envelopes.

Many people go to the pagodas to pray for a happy year for themselves and their families.

Both children and adults take part in games and various forms of entertainment.

Tết is really a time of fun and festivities throughout the country.

Questions

Tết Holiday, The New Year. The main idea or theme of this video is traditional Vietnamese cuisine (food). True or false?

Valentine’s Day. Is Tết celebrated from the 31st of December to the 1st of January?

Maslinitsa. Are there changes in towns and cities during Tết? What happens in towns and cities during Tết?

Carnival. Families decorate their homes with green, pine trees. Is this right or wrong? What plants are mentioned?

Easter Holiday. During Tết, do people eat roast turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, ice-cream, donuts and chocolate bonbons?

Spring Break, Spring Vacation.. How do people feel during Tết? How do they speak and behave?

Summer Vacation. Do people exchange gift of toys and clothes?
 
 
 
Halloween. We celebrate New Years in my town, city, region and country. Yes or no? How do people celebrate New Years?

Thanksgiving Day. Are there large winter holiday markets and festivities?

Winter Solstice. Do you have a favorite color? What are your favorite colors?

Christmas. What might happen in the future?

New Years. What could or should people do?