Lecture: Tết Lunar New Year Traditions – The Kitchen God (Ông Táo) – FULL

THIS EVENT IS FULL –  THE REGISTRATON FORM IS NOW OPEN FOR THE WAITING LIST – PLEASE RSVP FOR THE WAITING LIST AND WE WILL BE IN TOUCH IF SPACES ARE AVAILABLE. THANKS

OUR ANNUAL TET EVENT – THE LEGEND OF THE KITCHEN GOD

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.  People turn one year older as traditionally the New Year determines one’s age. Custom dictates actions and thoughts at the start of the lunar New Year influence one’s fate and prosperity for the coming 12 months.  Also high on the agenda are family reunions and paying respect to the ancestors.

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 family report.

We are delighted to welcome our lecturer, Dr Tran Doan Lam – one of FVH’s favourite speakers  – to  start the evening and explain the origins and rituals of Tết and the significance of the Kitchen God. We will then participate in sending the three kitchen gods, a new set of paper clothes  burnt as an offering to Ông Táo.  This is followed by a chance for everyone to release a live fish into West Lake ‘to carry your family’s report’  to the Jade Emperor.  Back inside the room we learn about a wide range of traditional Tết foods which we will then eat and end the evening with a quick fire Tết quiz.

The evening includes:

• A snapshot summary about Tết
• the legend of the Kitchen God
•  burn paper offerings and release fish on the lakeside
• traditional Tết buffet meal
• evening ends of a fun interactive Tet quiz with prizes

Venue:  The Hanoi Club Hotel, 76 Yen Phu street – Tay Ho district

Time:   doors open 5.45pm, arrivals and starting the event at 6.15pm. Ending appx 9pm

Welcome email with venue info will be sent to those confirmed on the event a few days before

Set donation: 250,000 VND pp (this includes a voucher towards the cost of water, wine or beer at the bar, 1 fish per person and a traditional Tết buffet).  Additional drinks can be purchased at the time from the bar

200,000 VND for students with current ID and children under 12 years.

Limit:   50

RSVP:   via this google form https://forms.gle/jQ2qVKfxxa7dV25x8

You should get an automatic reply that your registration was received and we will be in touch nearer the time with welcome emails and more info. Please email at hello@fvheritage.org if you have any questions.   If you RSVP but can no longer come please email at the hello@ email address.    Please let us know asap if you do need to cancel so we can fill your space as we have event expenses to cover.

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