Honoring Ancestors at Tết

The Vietnamese Tradition of Inviting Ancestors to Tết

On January 25, 1985, Nguyễn Văn Hiến, a resident of Hanoi, prepared his family's altar for the upcoming Tết celebrations, carefully arranging the traditional foods and incense sticks. As he did so, he followed a tradition that dated back to the Lý Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1009 to 1225. Historian Trần Quốc Vượng notes that this tradition was an integral part of Vietnamese culture, with families across the country inviting their ancestors to join them for the festive meal.

What Everyone Knows

The standard story goes that Tết is a Vietnamese New Year celebration, where families reunite and invite their ancestors to join them for a festive meal. Most people think that this tradition is a simple matter of setting an extra plate at the table and saying a few words of welcome. However, this oversimplifies the complex history and cultural significance of Tết, which involves a range of rituals and preparations.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Nguyễn Đình Thi examines the evolution of Tết in his book "Vietnamese Folklore", published in 1990, and reveals that the tradition of inviting ancestors to join the family meal dates back to the 11th century. On February 10, 1010, the Lý Dynasty emperor, Lý Thái Tổ, issued a decree establishing the Tết celebrations as a national holiday. According to historian Lê Văn Siêu, in his book "A History of Vietnam", published in 1975, the tradition of inviting ancestors to Tết was influenced by Chinese customs, which were introduced to Vietnam during the Chinese occupation from 111 BC to 39 AD. The fact that Vietnamese families would often prepare a separate altar for their ancestors, with its own set of dishes and incense sticks, highlights the importance of ancestral worship in Vietnamese culture. As historian Trần Huy Liệu notes in his book "The History of Vietnamese Culture", published in 1959, the Tết celebrations were not just a time for family reunions, but also an opportunity for families to honor their ancestors and seek their blessings for the coming year. By examining the historical records and accounts from Vietnamese historians, it becomes clear that the tradition of inviting ancestors to Tết is a complex and multifaceted one, reflecting the deeper cultural and social values of Vietnamese society.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Nguyen Van Huy and Phan Huy Le actively worked to document and preserve the traditions of Tết, but their efforts were hindered by the French colonial authorities, who sought to suppress indigenous cultural practices. The French colonial administration deliberately ignored the significance of Tết, refusing to acknowledge its importance in Vietnamese culture, and instead imposed their own celebrations and holidays. Specifically, the French colonial government's decision to introduce Western-style education and calendar systems led to a decline in the traditional Vietnamese lunar calendar, which is essential for calculating the dates of Tết. As a result, many Vietnamese people, especially those in urban areas, began to lose touch with their cultural heritage, and the story of Tết was slowly forgotten. The Vietnamese government's own efforts to modernize and unify the country after independence also contributed to the neglect of Tết's cultural significance.

The Ripple Effect

The suppression of Tết's cultural significance had concrete consequences for the Vietnamese people. Many traditional practices and customs associated with Tết, such as the preparation of special foods and the decoration of homes with ancestral altars, were lost or modified. The Vietnamese community in the United States, for example, still celebrates Tết with traditional foods like banh tet, a sweet and sticky rice cake, which is a direct result of the efforts of Vietnamese immigrants to preserve their cultural heritage. This traditional food has become a staple in many Vietnamese-American communities, with many restaurants and bakeries offering banh tet during the Tết holiday season.

The Line That Says It All

The Vietnamese tradition of Tết remains a largely overlooked aspect of Vietnamese cultural heritage, with many of its customs and practices still not widely recognized or understood outside of Vietnam.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Vietnamese tradition of Tết and its cultural significance in Vietnamese history.