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How do Vietnamese celebrate? Tet is commonly described as Christmas, Thanksgiving and your birthday all celebrated at once. The second most celebrated Vietnamese holiday is the Mid-Autumn Festival. This celebration honors the harvest time and family. The mid autumn festival, Tet Trung Thu, is also celebrated by many adoptive families.
What are Vietnamese festivals? There are two main traditional festivals celebrated in Vietnam by the locals are Tet and Mid-Autumn Festival. Tet is also known as the Vietnamese New Year and it is considered as the celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas and one’s birthday on one day.
How do Vietnamese celebrate Tet? The date changes annually, but falls between mid-January and late February. Most Vietnamese people will have five days off for Tet. Tet celebrations can range from 3 days and continue for up to one week. The festival is split into the day before New Year”s Eve, New Year”s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
What is Vietnam traditional clothing? The national traditional dress in Vietnam is the ao dai, a silk tunic with pants worn by women and men. Ao dài are worn for special occasions including Tet, the new year celebration. Since the twentieth century, Vietnamese people have also worn contemporary clothing that is popular in many places in the world.
Do vietnamese celebrate Christmas? Yes, they do! Reflecting on western traditions, during Christmas season, Vietnamese enjoy celebrating the holiday with immense joy. Christmas is one of the four main annual religious festivals celebrated in Vietnam.
Must not gifts include shoes, watches, sharp items, handkerchiefs, suitcases, underwear, rings (for girlfriends at Tet), money, etc. Shoes also mean “hài” which is pronounced like a complaint. Watches remind Vietnamese old people about their ages.
Common taboos in Vietnam
Avoid hugging, holding hands, and especially kissing in public. Even touching a member of the opposite sex is looked down upon. Modesty: It is important to keep your body covered. Avoid overly short shorts and revealing shirts.
Palm down when you call someone over
The usual gesture to call people over — open hand, palm up — is considered rude in Vietnam. It’s how people call for dogs here. To show respect, point your palm face down instead. And you also shouldn’t call someone over when they’re older than you.
The Vietnamese culture is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia and is heavily influenced by the Chinese culture. Despite the changes over the years, some elements of the Vietnamese culture like the veneration of the ancestors, respect for family values, devotion to study, etc., remained intact.
Wearing black is normal in Vietnam – as is wearing any other colour. The Viet Cong traditionally, or perhaps culturally wore black clothing. The colour that is worn here to signify grief and mourning is white.
Vietnam is a conservative country, so it’s important to dress conservatively while traveling around the country. The dress code is a little more relaxed in major cities, but don’t wear short-shorts, low-cut tops or revealling dresses to the local fish market. Save the skimpy attire for the beach – if you must.
As a communist country, Vietnam is officially an atheist state. Even so, most Vietnamese are not atheists, but believe in a combination of three religions: Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Added to these are the customs and practice of spirit worship and ancestor veneration.
Vietnamese Santa
Like most other countries, kids in Vietnam believe in Santa Claus and he’s known as ‘Ông già Noel’, meaning ‘Christmas old man’.
Chocolates, Puff Snacks, and Ice Creams are popular for both males and females. Especially Chocolates seem to be the most popular sweets for them. So Chocolates may be your first choice as gifts for Vietnamese people.
For certain feelings, Vietnamese people favor non-verbal communication. They often do not express feelings of thankfulness or apology by verbal expressions such as ‘thank you’ or ‘I am sorry’, but instead do so through non-verbal means such as slight bow or a smile.
Families are very strong and help each other in all needs. The Vietnamese generally shake hands both when greeting and when saying good-bye. Shake with both hands, and bow your head slightly to show respect. Bow to the elderly who do not extend their hand.
As a rule of thumb, Vietnamese people always take off their footwear when they come home or enter others’ houses. The origin of this tradition is pretty unknown. Bringing shoes into a local house in Vietnam is, therefore, a taboo to some people, just like bringing dirty things, bringing bad luck into the home.
For example, it is usually considered polite to slurp or make noises while eating in Vietnam. This is especially true when it comes to eating noodles: slurping is the norm and there are many (good) reasons for this, all of which are related to taste, flavour, and general enjoyment of the food you’re eating.”
During a meal, everyone can say “Xin mời” to invite each other to dig in. In a way, this is one of the many Vietnamese versions of the phrase “Bon appetit”. Specifically, children and younger individuals at the table are expected to invite everyone to eat before they can start eating.
For the Vietnamese, the smile is a proper response in most situations when verbal expression is not needed or not appropriate. With a smile, the Vietnamese can show happiness, contentment, agreement, acceptance, desire, and tolerance.
In Vietnam the gesture is considered rude, especially to another person. Referring to female genitals, it is comparable to the finger in western culture. In German-speaking countries and also Sweden and Latvia the gesture is a sign of lying.
The Vietnamese consider the following respectful: Bowing is a greeting and shows great respect. Nodding is used as another way to say hello and yes. Avoiding eye contact shows respect to older people or to people of the opposite sex.
There are actually dozens of rat species, and Vietnamese mostly eat two common ones: The rice field rat, which weighs up to half a pound, and the bandicoot rat, which can grow up to two pounds. (Read how rats became an unescapable part of city living.)
In Vietnam, red envelopes are a traditional part of Vietnamese culture considered to be lucky money and are typically given to children during Vietnamese Lunar New Year. They are generally given by the elders and adults, where a greeting or offering health and longevity is exchanged by the younger generation.
Nguyen is the most common Vietnamese family name.