Come celebrate Tết, also known as the Vietnamese New Year with Summitt Elementary students on Jan. 26 from 8:45 to 10:15 a.m or on Jan. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. Both events will be at the Summitt campus, 12207 Brigadoon Ln. The evening show will also include a dinner fundraiser, staff and volunteer recognition, a foundation/scholarship award and much more. Students from the Vietnamese Dual Language Program will perform a variety of acts, including a lion & dragon dance.
Please note: food is $5.00 per plate with 1 drink included. Entry tickets for the night show are $2.00 per person. Come join us as we say Happy New Year or Chúc Mừng Năm Mới and Cung Chúc Tân Xuân!
Download the event flyer>.
Background info:
Tết is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late Jan. or early Feb.) until at least the third day. Tết shares many of the same customs of the Chinese New Year and was derived from Chinese traditions. There are quite a few customs practiced during Tết, such as visiting relatives or friends on the first day of the new year, ancestral worshipping, exchanging New Year’s greetings, giving lucky money to children and the elderly.
Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday food such as bánh chưng (tightly packed sticky rice with meat or bean fillings wrapped in banana leaves). People often buy presents, decorations, food, and clothing to celebrate the new year. It is also customary that every family thoroughly cleans the house before the first day of the new year to sweep away any bad luck in order to make way for incoming good luck. Tết is also an occasion for pilgrimages and family reunions. During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, leaving behind the troubles of the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year. The Tết traditions are a great way to reconcile grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.