Lecture: Tết Lunar New Year Traditions – The Kitchen God – FULL

5.45pm/6pm arrivals and registration from this time
6.15pm program commences
9pm end

THIS EVENT IS FULL. PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE WAITING LIST.

We delighted to announce that for this year’s Kitchen God event we are now partnering with the Turtle Lake Brewing Co.  in Tay Ho.

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 calendar 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.

Tết’s celebrations start with  The Kitchen God or Ông Táo. 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.

This is an annual event that FVH has been holding for as long as we can remember.  Last year we had to cancel it due to Covid. But we are keeping everything crossed we can go ahead this year at the Turtle Lake Brewing Co.

We are delighted to welcome our lecturer, Dr Tran Doan Lam (fomer editor in chief of The Gioi publisher) – who will 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.  Afterwards we all have a chance to gently and humanely release live fish into West Lake ‘to carry your family’s report’.  We will then return inside to learn about  a wide range of traditional Tết foods. and sample some of the most important dishes at this time of year + some other snacks before ending the evening with a Tet quiz.

Venue:  TURTLE LAKE BREWING COMPANY, 2nd floor (private room with balcony) 105 Phố Quảng Khánh, Quảng An, Tây Hồ.  One of Tây Hồ’s favourite and popular venues

Time:  6pm-9pm, arrivals from 5.30pm or arrive earlier and grab an early drink at the bar

Set donation: 250,000 VND pp,  180,000 vnd per student or children under 12 yrs.  Includes a voucher towards first drink, fishes to release (humanely) into West Lake, food – Tet food and snacks, quiz with prize for winner.   Additional drinks can be bought and paid for at the time at the bar

Dress code – you are very welcome to dress up in an ao dai

Registration is open again due to change of venue, spots available. Please grab you place and email  John Reilly to secure you seat –  lefthanded2hanoi@yahoo.com.                      

Please provide your mobile number when registering.

Please note at this changeable period due to COVID-19 that events are subject to government and local authority advice plus the agreement with our hosts; some events may need to be postponed at the last minute; we hope this won’t happen, but we will keep you updated.  If you have any questions, please contact us at hello@fvheritage.org. Thank you

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