TET THUONG NGUYEN (Nguyen Tieu)
According to Buddhist sutras, the first and the fifteenth days (Tet Nguyen Tieu) of every lunar month are Buddha's Days, when acts of worship are performed in Buddhist shrines and before family altars. Joss-sticks are lit and trays of fruit and other offerings are laid out. Celebrations related to the lunar New Year are over, but the festive Tet atmosphere still remains. The weather is mild despite an occasional drizzle, pagodas and temples are crowded with old people telling their beads, young people praying for happiness in love and luck in business, parents wishing for health and prosperity to their children... Fruit and delicacies offered to Buddha are taken back home to be distributed to all members of the family as "gifts" from the deities.
In traditional astrology the fate of each person is influenced by one particular star. On the 15th day, an act of worship is performed to the star before a three-level altar. On the top level, offerings of incense and food are made to Heaven and Buddha; on the middle level they are made to the tutelary star; on the lowest level are various foods, including rice gruel, which are offered to the "wandering souls".
The origins of the sacred character of this particular date are unclear. One version has it that on the occasion of the first full moon of the year, the emperor of China used to offer a lavish banquet to the most prominent scholars of the country, who would compose poetry to the glory of the monarch, as well as to the beauty of nature.
Whatever its origins, one thing is certain: on this day the heart of everybody is turned to a vision of peace and happiness.
TET KHAI HA
Khai Ha is organized on the seventh day of the first lunar month on which the owner offer their ancestors paper money and clothes and says farewell to them. The neu bamboo pole is lowered and a new yearis welcomed. According to Vietnamese thinking, if the weather is warm and the sun is shining on Khai Ha, man will be healthy and fortunate all the year round.