ASIA – THE CRADDLE OF LUNAR NEW YEAR

Lunar New Year – festivity of the soul…

Since time unmemorable, Lunar New Year has been deep rooted in the mind of Asian people because it is the sacred moment marking the start of spring with overflowing energy of live. For that reason, beside the Western New Year which is considered as an important mark of time, around which all activities in a “flat world” are orbiting, the Lunar New Year is the spiritual support for Asian people with a plenty of festivities and important events that nothing else can replace.

For Asian people, the Lunar New Year always conveys a special meaning as the moment when everyone thinks of the ancestors with gratitude and respect. It is as well the moment of warmth and happiness for those away from home who come back for a reunion dinner. Not only in Vietnam, the issue of crowded buses, overbooked flights in these days is always a hot topic in other countries like China, Korea, Singapore, etc. Massive crowds at bus and train stations, airports, or endless lines of vehicles on the road travelling up north are something so familiar. In spite of costly expenses and lots of hassle for such long trips home, a peaceful New Year in the cozy atmosphere at home with the family is a priceless reward for everyone. 

What can be better than having the family around in the kitchen preparing special food for the New Year, or giving a hand in tidying up the home, setting up the offering tray for the ancestor in the New Years’ Eve? The magical smell of incense and flowers and the tempting flavor of the offering dishes blend together and make a typical “smell of Tet” recalling the family atmosphere much remembered for any Asian man away from home.

… and the essence of Tet’s cultural values

In Vietnam, “Tet”, short for Tet Nguyen Dan or Lunar New Year is the most significant festival with a lot of celebratory events across the country from North to South, conveying profound spiritual meanings. Tet starts before anyone knows it, when people naturally change the way they address the dates, from their names in Western calendar to those in traditional system.

Spring starts with the full moon of the last lunar month when daddy starts plucking out the leaves of the forsythia and cherry blossom trees in the garden. Spring touches the doorway when mom buys a gold carp and paper attires for the Kitchen God to go to Heaven. Spring fills the air when every family eagerly goes to Tet market for food, flowers then gathers around the fire to cook banh chung or banh tet waiting for the eve.

The neighbor country, China, also has a lot of similarities in New Year festivity tradition. The Luna New Year is also the most celebrated event in a year and is called “Spring Festival” starting from the 1st day of the lunar New Year to the full moon on the 15th. In the country with most people celebrating Lunar New Year, the atmosphere of spring comes early. The streets and the houses are painted in red with the light from the lanterns and the calligraphy scrolls. Ornaments in red and gold colors are most preferred as they are the symbol of fortune and prosperity. Firework shows are often organized in open public places whereas exciting lion dance performances are seen everywhere.

In Hongkong, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with a bunch of activities starting with the flower market which usually convenes from the 25th day of the last month in which plenty of flowers are on display and for sales. The firework show at Victoria Habour is a symphony of light and colors against the background of flickering skyscrapers. On this occasion, the people in Hongkong often go to the horse race at gamble on their favorite horse with hope for fortune.

In Singapore, even before the New Year, red lanterns are put out in every street. The Chinatown is bustling with sellers and buyers for food and fruit for the New Year days. Crowds of people come at pagodas to pray for luck. The Merlion Island welcomes the New Year with Chunjie Festival taking place at the Chinatown and including lantern celebration, Singapore River Hongbao celebration, and the street celebration of Chingay attracting millions of people every year.

People in Korea call the Lunar New Year Seollal. The night of the New Year Eve, Korean people purify the body with warm water and burn pieces of bamboo to drive the evil spirits away. The offering tray of that night cannot miss out rice noodle soup Tteokguk a symbol for good luck. In the morning of the 1st day, after praying to the ancestors, the family will go to the neighbors for new year greetings, or visit friends, or go to pagoda. The children will have a good time playing traditional games: tug of war, kite flying, see-saw and yut-nori, an interesting game played with wooden boards and sticks.

The influence of Asian lunar New Year spread to other big cities in the world where many Asian immigrants are living. In San Francisco, the Lunar New Year lasts for a few weeks with a lot of activities such as parade, lion dance. In Sydney, thousands of Asian people participate the celebration of the lunar New Year also with lots of events, lanterns, and Asian food.

Sample tour programs:

Beijing – Hang Chou – Wuxi – Suzhou – Shanghai (7 days)

From: 21.990.000 VND

Suzhou – Wuxi – Hangzhou – Shanghai (4 days)

From: 13.490.000 VND

Beijing - Shanghai (5 days)

From: 18.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Wax Museum – Taershan (4 days)

From: 16.990.000 VND

Shenzhen – Guangzhou – Macau (6 days)

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Hongkong – Disneyland – Macau (4 days)

From: 25.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Macau (5 days)

From: 28.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Guangzhou - Shenzhen (5 days)

From: 22.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Guangzhou - Shenzhen (6 days)

From: 19.690.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Macau - Shenzhen (6 days)

From: 26.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Wax Museum – Ocean Park (4 days)

From: 21.990.000 VND

Hongkong – Disneyland – Wax Museum – Ocean Park (5 days)

From: 22.990.000 VND

Singapore (1 day free) (4 days)

From: 7.390.000 VND

Genting - Kuala Lumpur (4 days)

From 6.390.000 VND

Singapore - Malacca - Kuala Lumpur - Genting (6 days)

From: 11.690.000 VND

Singapore (4 days)

From: 12.490.000 VND

Seoul - Nami - Jeju (6 days)

From: 24.990.000 VND

Contact:

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