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Lecture: Tết Lunar New Year Traditions – The Kitchen God (Ông Táo) – CANCELLED
February 4, 2021 @ 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
250,000VND
DUE TO THE CURRENT COVID OUTBEAK IN HAI DUONG AND QUANG NINH WE SADLY HAVE TO CANCEL THIS YEAR’S KITCHEN GOD EVENT.
5.45pm/6pm arrivals and registration from this time
6.30pm program commences
appx 9pm-9.15pm end
Governed by tradition, taboos and legends, Tết Nguyên Đán welcomes the Lunar New Year and spring’s arrival. It is Vietnam’s most important festival and public holiday. The lunar and solar calendars are linked in Vietnam. The former dictates the observance of festivals and rituals according to cycles of the moon. Hence, Tết dates are not fixed. The New Year starts on the first night of the first moon of the first month of the lunar calendar.
Also known as The ‘Feast of the First Morning of the First Day’, it is when the new and good replace old and bad elements.
One of Tết’s most important ritual is that of The Kitchen God or Ông Táo which signals the start of the Tết preparations. Legend says each home has three kitchen gods overseeing the household’s affairs. On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, each kitchen god (Ông Táo ) returns to the Jade Emperor, the King of Heaven, on the back of a carp fish. The kitchen gods report back to the Jade Emperor on each family’s affairs for that past year, returning on New Year’s Eve. People clean their houses and offer sacrifices in order to aid the god’s journey and ensure a good report.
We are delighted to welcome our lecturer, Professor Lê Văn Lan, noted author, historian, archaeologist, television celebrity – basically a living legend in Vietnam – who will first explain the origins and rituals of Tết. We will then participate in sending the three kitchen gods, a new set of clothes (made of paper) which will be burnt as an offering to Ông Táo. After the offering of new clothes, everyone will have a chance to release a live fish into West Lake ‘to carry your family’s report’. This would lead to the Red river, which leads to the ocean and then to the Jade Emperor. We will then return to learn about and experience a wide range of traditional Tết foods.
The presentation will include:
- A snapshot summary about Tết (a huge topic)
- the legend of the Kitchen God
- move to the lake side to burn paper offerings and release fish on the lakeside
- return to the function room to enjoy a traditional Tết buffet meal and interactive quick fire quiz with prizes
- a chance to meet and chat with Vietnam’s legendary Professor
Venue: The Hanoi Club Hotel, 76 Yen Phu street
This year the date falls on Thursday 4 February
Time: 6pm-9pm, arrivals from 5.30pm
Set donation: 250,000 VND pp, 180,000 vnd per student or children under 12 yrs. Includes 1 free drinks voucher pp, 1 fish per person, quiz with prizes and a traditional Tết buffet. Additional drinks are a personal cost bought at the bar paid for at the time
QPVN TV will be filming this event for a special Tet program
Maximum: 40
Contact: John Reilly by emailing lefthanded2hanoi@yahoo.com. Please provide your mobile number when registering.
