Happy Lunar New Year

Today celebrates the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar—officially starting the Year of the Ox! Vietnamese New Year, Tết Nguyên Đán (Tết for short), marks a time to honor ancestors and look forward to prosperity in the year ahead.

This Lunar New Year marks the official transition out of the Year of the Rat–believed to be one of constant change–and into the Year of the Ox, which is traditionally associated with things moving at a more slow and steady pace. The ox is the second animal of the Vietnamese zodiac and symbolizes hard work, positivity, and fertile harvest.

Throughout Vietnam and around the world, the lunar new year is warmly welcomed with traditional foods such as bánh chưng, bánh tét, and mứt (candied fruits). Alongside special meals, many Vietnamese decorate the outside of their homes as a way to welcome the new year, like buying a cây đào (cherry blossom tree), cây mai (apricot blossom tree), or cây quất (kumquat tree) to symbolize the hope of fertility and fruitfulness in the coming year.

So take this year by the horns—here’s to this next lunar cycle being as strong as an ox!

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