------ Talk About Tet holiday in Vietnam-----

Introduction: Okay, so now let me tell you about the biggest festival that occurs every
year in my country which is called Tet holiday.

Body: It is a very important holiday for all Vietnamese people which often takes place
from the end of January till the end of February every year. You know, people use the
Lunar Calendar, which is according to the Moon, to count the exact dates. Luckily, this
period of the year is in the spring season when the weather is good enough for the
festival and for people to take part in some fun activities as well.
The meaning of Tet is ending old year and welcoming a new year. Tet holiday is very
special for Vietnamese families to reunite. At that time, all the family members try to
come back their homes and get together to prepare for Tet.
One week before the festival, what we habitually do is a thorough spring cleaning, saying
we freshen up the whole living place and buy some new ones. But the most important
thing to do is to carefully, wholeheartedly clean and decorate our ancestor’s altar which
is the spiritual symbol of the holiday. Moreover, we will buy new clothes and clean our
house. A branch of Mai flower or a Kumquat tree can't be absent because they bring a
fresh atmosphere to the house. We decorate the ancestral altar with a tray full of fruits
and flowers. Some typical foods are sweets, coconut jam, candied fruits, lemon seeds,
chung cake, stew pork with eggs.
During the festival, the first thing we will do is to visit our friends and relatives’ houses
where we will feed on big, delicious meals with some special delicacies like square sticky
rice cake, braised pork, sticky rice, banh chung and eggs. After the meals we often spend
the rest of the visit playing cards, chit chatting and exchanging lucky money, lucky
wishes. In addition, we will also visit pagodas in order to pray for a year of luck.

Conclusion: So, those are the reasons why I am so delighted to share with you what I
know about Tet holiday. " Tet" holiday is always in Vietnamese's heart. I really wish such
a meaningful holiday like Tet will soon arrive with loads of luck, love and happiness.

*The traditional greetings are:

- Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year)

- Cung Chúc Tân Xuân (gracious wishes of the new spring).
- Sống lâu trăm tuổi (long life of 100 years): used by children for elders. Traditionally,
everyone is one year older on Tet, so children would wish their grandparents health and
longevity.
- An khang thịnh vượng (security, good health, and prosperity)
- Vạn sự như ý (may myriad things go according to your will)
- Sức khỏe dồi dào (Plenty of health)
- Cung hỉ phát tài (congratulations and be prosperous)
- Tiền vô như nước (many money flows in like water): used informally

*Things I usually do to prepare for Tet: About 2 weeks before Tet, I often help my
mother and brother clean and decorate the house. In addition, I also help my mother
cook and go to the market to buy new clothes and necessary items during Tet.

*The dishes I often cook on Tet: On Tet, I often cook and eat special dishes such as pork
rolls, sticky rice, banh chung, boiled chicken, pork sausage,etc…

*Activities I often do on Tet: On Tet, my mother often takes me to the temple to pray for
good health in the new year. My family and relatives also gather to eat a meal and send
each other wishes and I also received lucky money.