Tết Preparations
Tết, short for Tết Nguyên Đán, is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring and the New Year based on the Vietnamese calendar, which is mostly based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar.
The Vietnamese New Year involves many traditions to do with starting fresh and beginning the new year with good fortune and intention. It’s thought that your actions during Tết will reflect how the rest of your year will go. So celebrating mindfully is important.
Flag Raising
At Deer Park, we honor the Vietnamese tradition of celebrating Tết by raising a bamboo tree adorned with a flag. This ritual is accompanied by a Dharma talk. This year, Brother Pháp Xứ delivered the Dharma Talk in Vietnamese (available with English translation).
Flower Market
As part of Tết customs, Vietnamese people typically adorn their homes with vibrant flowers and plants, symbolizing wishes for prosperity, good fortune, and health in the Lunar New Year.
The Tết flower market holds deep cultural significance, offering not only the opportunity to purchase decorative items like peach branches or apricot pots but also serving as a moment of spiritual rejuvenation, fostering hopes for a joyous spring and a prosperous year ahead.
At Deer Park, we recreate this vibrant market atmosphere annually, bringing the essence of Tết celebration to our community.
Earth Cakes
The sangha enjoys wrapping and cooking Earth Cakes (Gói Bánh Chưng) prior to the Lunar New Year celebration.
Lunar New Year’s Eve
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, we held a year-end Dharma talk by Venerable Phước Tịnh, a be-in (performances), and the Lunar New Year ceremony.
You may watch the replays of the Lunar New Year ceremonies here.
Thank you to all of our lay friends who joined us for this year’s Tết preparations and ceremonies.
Photos taken by Vy, a dear Sangha friend of Deer Park.