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Custom
From the vibrant celebration of Tet (Lunar New Year) to the solemn rituals of ancestor veneration, the customs of Hue are deeply ingrained in the lives of its people, contributing to the city's unique cultural identity.
The event was organized by the Hue Monuments C'onservation Centre to mark the official closing of the Tet festival in the Hue heritage site, reported the Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.
Under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), cay neu was erected on the 23rd day of the last month of the lunar year in Hue Citadel, starting the Tet holiday.
A tall bamboo pole was erected with some ritual items, like a royal seal, pen brush and swords, which were guarded by soldiers, to be hung on its top. It was believed to expel evils and pray for favorable weather and bumper crops in the New Year.
The pole was ceremonially removed on the seventh day of Tet, bringing an end to the New Year celebration.
At the ceremony to remove the pole in Hue, the center re-enacted the royal seal opening and presented calligraphy with a seal on it to visitors on the special day.
The two-day festival is set to feature diverse activities such as folk games, a cooking competition, and a food fair which will showcase local delicacies including Banh Chung, a type of square glutinous rice cake, and Banh Tet, a round glutinous rice .The products made during the cooking competition will be presented as special gifts to underprivileged people from Thuong Thanh district in addition to being sent to five children support centers located around Hue..
The products made during the cooking competition will be presented as special gifts to underprivileged people from Thuong Thanh district in addition to being sent to five children support centers located around
Being the former imperial capital, Hue still preserves many aspects of traditional culture, especially the rituals of the Lunar New Year. Among these, ancestral worship is considered the most significant, conducted with great solemnity and precision. Starting from the beginning of December, most women in the family are busy preparing for the ancestral worship with traditional items such as Thanh Tien paper flowers, five-color powder, square glutinous rice cake, cylindrical glutinous rice cake from Chuon village...
The ancestral altar is meticulously arranged during Tet days.
Paper flowers are indispensable on the ancestral altar for every Tet celebration.
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Not only that, but also every incense bowl on the ancestral altar must have fresh sand. To demonstrate deep respect, the replacement sand must be pure white and finely sifted from coastal villages. Items for ancestral worship such as incense burners and candle holders must be polished. In addition to the traditional offerings of five fruits on the altar - custard-apple, persimmon, coconut, papaya, and mango - the altar cannot be without a bunch of bananas, known as honey bananas. These are the only bananas that people in Huế use for ancestral worship during the Tet holidays.
Paper flowers are indispensable on the ancestral altar for every Tet celebration.
On the morning of the first day of Tet, the first ritual is the New Year's ancestral worship. This is when people in Huế perform vegetarian offerings on the ancestral altar. Offerings include incense, tea, and candied fruits..., before opening the door to welcome guests for Tet visits. In Hue, on Tet day, there is a beautiful and humane tradition, which is to visit the graves of ancestors and relatives at the beginning of the year. On the first morning of the lunar new year, families gather their children and grandchildren, then visit the graves together.
A wide range of cultural activities that relate to a traditional Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, got underway at Thuong Bac park in Hue in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on January 15.
It is hoped that the event will serve as a platform to promote various cultural activities to international guests.