How are the new year in Korea, China and Vietnam different?

Although welcoming the New Year of Mau Tuat on February 16, Asian countries have different ways to enjoy the biggest festival this year.

About one-sixth of the world's population welcomes the Dinh Dau New Year in the last week of January. Lunar New Year activities are held in many Asian countries from Korea, China to Vietnam. .

Asian countries welcome the new year according to the lunar calendar and share many similarities in culture and tradition, from ancestor worship, respect for old people and continuing to celebrate the age of children in the family. However, each country has its own identity.

Korean people work hard

Koreans only have 3 days off, from the last day of the old year to the 2nd day of the New Year. Some people even go to work on these days.

Korean women often spend 3 days off for cleaning, decorating their homes and cooking for family members. Meanwhile, men are also busy with traditional rituals.

Before the new year arrived, Koreans took hot baths to wash away the unfortunate things in the old year. They set fire on firewood on New Year's Eve, because the sound of wood exploding will dispel demons.

In the 3 days of Tet, after performing rituals of worshiping ancestors, people of kimchi visit relatives, relatives and temples.

The fun activities to welcome the new year of the Korean people usually only take place in 3 days.(Photos: Pinterest).

China is considered to have the longest Tet holiday among Asian countries.

Chinese people have about 10 days to enjoy the spring festival atmosphere. However, most of them often start returning home and reunite their family for 1 week before Tet, many fun festivals last until mid-January.

Activities in each Tet holiday are prepared and carefully reviewed by Chinese people. The first day is a day for families, on the 2nd visit to his parents, the 3rd is a taboo day, there are no visiting activities .

After the Lunar New Year, China welcomes the Lunar New Year on the 15th of the first lunar month , this is also one of the biggest festivals of the year in this country.

Vietnamese people have about 1 week for the longest holiday of the year. The majority of people returned to work after the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year. Vietnamese people are also interested in the timing of activities and journeys in the early days of the new year.

One of the most popular destinations of Vietnamese people is pagodas and shrines. Vietnamese consider it a way to pray for a happy and prosperous new year.

Although the Tet holiday lasts only 1 week, fun activities and festivals often take place throughout January. Vietnamese people have hundreds of festivals during this period.

Family is First

Asian countries have a tradition of going to families in the first lunar new year.

Before Tet, people living far away from home will go through a "great migration" to return to reunite with family members.

The world's largest "migration" of Chinese people.(Photo: Xinhua).

Chinese and Vietnamese people are simpler and less cumbersome. In the days before Tet, family members together cleaned their houses, bought furniture to prepare for Tet.

They ate together, went to the temple to pray for good fortune and visited relatives at the beginning of the year. Some families also hold a ceremony to celebrate life for grandparents and grandmothers.

In recent years, Chinese people tend to travel abroad during Tet holidays due to long holidays. Also reuniting families on Tet holiday, but Koreans have more rituals.

On the morning of the first day of the New Year, the Koreans performed the Ancestor ritual called "Chesa" presided over by the male head of the family. Homage with rice wine is displayed on the table between the houses. Homeowners lit incense, invited ancestors, the whole family worshiped.

After the "Chesa" ceremony is the "Seba" ceremony, the children worship their grandparents and parents with the meaning of happy new year and good luck. Grandparents, parents will reward money or gold, jade or a precious gift for children and grandchildren in the family.

In addition, Korean families set up small houses from wood and firewood, called "Moon Houses". They burned these houses with their wishes in the new year. This is a ritual that dispels demons and expresses the desire for wishes to become reality soon.

Gifts and dishes

Children of Asian countries are looking forward to Tet because this is an opportunity for them to receive money for their happy age. Korean children can only receive lucky money if they are obedient and follow the traditional rituals on New Year's Day. Not only that, some well-off families are happy with the age of gold and pearl .

Hora is an indispensable dish for Chinese people in the New Year.(Photo: Vera and Jean Christophe).

In China and Vietnam, the elderly often celebrate the age of children in red envelopes. They believe it is a way to dispel the demons and welcome many lucky things in the early days of the year.

Adults often give each other expensive dishes such as fruits, seafood, rare types of ginseng .

The Lunar New Year is also an occasion for Asian people to process and enjoy the unique traditional dishes, bringing many different meanings and messages.

Chinese and Vietnamese people share similarities in the New Year's candy tray. Each candy has its own meaning. Red melon seeds symbolize joy, happiness, sincerity. Dried fabrics are a symbol of strong family ties. Blueberries are reminiscent of prosperity and are an indispensable dish in China. Coconut jam brings attachment .

In addition to the traditional confectionery, Korean Lunar New Year cake tray is indispensable rice cake soup, the soup has the meaning of luck and happiness in the new year. There are also other items such as dried fish, dried beef, steamed buns, fruits, vegetables and dried persimmons.