Differences in New Year’s Holidays in Us And Vietnam

Have you ever thought that you could have the New Year’s holidays in the same year in two different countries such as the US and Vietnam? I think that you could. They are both celebrations that have a lot of beautiful fireworks, parties and special events. However, they have so many differences from each other.

The first difference is the time of event. New Year’s day in the US falls on January 1st, and marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar.

It marks the end of New Year's Eve celebrations in the United States and gives many Americans a chance to remember the previous year. It lasts only one day. In conversely, Vietnam’s New Year holiday often falls in February because Vietnamese people use the Chinese calendar. It is called Tet holiday. In every Vietnamese‘s mind, Tet holiday is the most important time of the year. Even though, how far away they live, they try their best to go home to gather with other family members.

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Tet holiday in Vietnam lasts 5 days.

The second difference is the food. On New Year, Americans eat fish, turkey, cabbage and bread - the symbol of wealth. Pork is widely eaten on New Year’s because pigs eat moving forward. Pork is also eaten because it’s fatty, so it symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Some Americans also eat twelve grapes or raisins to bring them luck for all twelve months of the coming year. In Vietnam, New Year’s Eve is surrounded by traditions and superstitions that supposedly ward off evil and ensure good luck in the New Year.

Vietnamese people eat traditional cakes : “Chung” cakes and “Tet” cakes that are made from rice, pork and green beans. There are various kinds of jams and fruit, watermelon seeds, and sunflower seeds on Tet holiday.

And the last difference is their customs. Americans love parades. They have the most famous parade of the year. Many people think that parade is a way to chase away evil spirits as well. On Tet holiday, the adults give money in red envelopes to the kids for luck, hope that the kids will grow up, study well and obey to adults. People often go to the pagodas to pray for a new, happy and wealthy year.

Although, New Year’s holiday in Vietnam and the US are both celebrations that everybody can gather and have fun together, they still have so many differences such as: time of event, food and customs. New Year’s Holiday is the most wonderful time of the year. Families gather together to share stories of holidays past, and pass the traditions of their faith along to younger generations. I don’t know if there is a better time to share stories and show love for the family than these wonderful days.