Tet time

So, as previously mentioned Tet is celebrated as the new lunar year. It goes for 3 days.

Tet is a very important time. As well as being the new year, it is considered a new start. The aim is to start the year how you will begin, so everyone has brand new clothes, people give lucky money out to friends or family (usually to the children, and any arguments of feuds are forgotten. On the other side, it is extremely unlucky to start the year in debt, so everyone tries to settle any accounts and start fresh.
families pray to ancestors and burn things that the ancestors might need in the afterlife (paper cutouts of houses, clothes,apparently the richer families also burn paper iphone and castles). Lots of visiting relatives, friends, neighbours.

I have found it an amazing time to visit Vietnam. Everywhere has a happy, friendly, excited feel particularly the children, who are running around hopped up on sugar and so proud of their new clothes and handful of money(like Christmas). It is also a very hopeful time as people embrace the new year and hope for the best luck in the coming year.


Tet day 0.5 (or New Years's eve)

We started the last day of the year going off t the orphanage as usual. But after lunch we instead had the afternoon off. Time to go and have a look at the Cham museum, then get ready for an afternoon Tet party at our cooks house. For a number of reasons the party was cancelled, and moved to our house instead. So we feasted (so much food!) and then went on an adventure to the flower market.

Every family has flowers or trees in their homes at Tet, I am not really sure why, but I guess it is lucky? The traditional tree is a tangerine (I am pretty sure that's what it is) that is full of fruit. But these are extremely expansive and so lots of people instead use flowers.

The flower market was a new years eve trip because apparently it is 2 whole fields, full of trees and flowers and an amazing site. However, all the prices are slashed on new years eve..... So by the time we got there not many flowers left at all! But we got to look at some of the trees and buy some cheap flowers for the volunteer house. Then as we were leaving we came across people who had just cut the tops off lots of flowers and throw them away. So we scavenged through to get some extras!


We got home and went onto the roof to watch the fireworks at midnight (which meant that all the leftover food, and extra food that suddenly appeared got taken up with us and we were expected to eat more).

Tet day 1
Off to the family village of some of the Vietnamese staff this morning. We met lots of family, walked through the rice fields, ate lots of food, played with the kids..... then went to someone elses house.... and were faced by a table full of food! Turns out, at every house you go to they will offer food and beer and "wine" (which is mostly either an extremely sweet and strong port-like wine, or spirits). If you don't eat the food, they will assume you don't like the food, or you don't like them. People are also fond of handing you more and more food, putting stuff into your bowl if you have a bowl, or just passing you a handful of nuts, or candies. So I am learning to slowly nibble at things, and always hold one thing, regardless of if I actually want to eat it or not!
One of our volunteers left about 2pm to go to the airport.... So then there was 2.....


We were taken home for a quick rest..... before dinner at the physiotherapist's house. (seeing a food based pattern yet?)

Tet Day 2
Morning Pho and coffee and saying goodbye to the other volunteer in the morning. Then off to the house of some of the vietnamese staff. For food of course. I tried to help with the cooking, not sure if I was a help or a liability as I was given the job of frying some sort of spring rolls. Some of them got... broken, but in the end I think they were ok!
We feasted, neighbours and friends dropped in, it was good.

After lunch we played a Vietnamese gambling game.... there is a piece of paper with 6 pictures (mostly animals) and 3 dice with those pictures. You put money on which ever animal you want to bet on, the dice are rolled and you win (or lose). There were 6 or 7 of us playing, with 1000 and 2000VND notes (so 5 or 10 cents) and it was hilarious fun!

I went home after this for a rest, and a walk. And was picked up by Kim (house coordinator - and my Tet social secretary) to go the the house of her friend for dinner. Who lives out of town in a little village. It was much fun, I got to pick the veges, and meet the pigs and the dogs. Eat lots of delicious foods. But, I forgot the golden rule. And just as i finished eating a piece of delicious deep fried new years rice cake, that I was too full to eat, but felt like I better try one piece seeing as it is the traditional food.... Kim announces that we will go to another friends house to eat more. O.o

I think she saw the look of horror and fear on my face.... and promised I could just eat a couple of watermelon seeds and a biscuit or two and they will be satisfied!


Tet day 3
Breakfast at a beautiful cafe. think big gardens, with ponds, flowers, trees and tables scattered through. Then, off to Kim's auntie's house for lunch. We were early, so went for a walk to a near by pagoda (so quiet, and calm and relaxing!). I met the woman who looks after the pagoda, who gave me a little good luck charm.

Then back for lunch in which many people regularly told Kim to feed me more. Then next door for drinks and nibblies.
Home for a nap, then back to dinner!

Tet is a crazy time, full of food, and fun and sitting in peoples houses explaining that I from Op (Australia) I am hai muoi bon (24), no, I am not married. This is the list of questions every new person I meet will ask!