The New Year: Western and Eastern perspectives

New Year’s Day (also called “Tết Tây” and Lunar New Year (also called “Tết Ta”, “Tết Nguyên Đán”) have existed simultaneously for thousands of years. However, there are big differences in people’s perceptions and customs.
In essence, Tet is used to mark the beginning of a new year. However, the time of the Western New Year and Lunar New Year has a certain difference because the Western New Year is based on the cycle of the earth revolving around the sun. In contrast, Tet is based on the lunar cycle orbiting the Earth (so English uses the word “Lunar New Year” – with “lunar” meaning “moon” – to refer to Lunar New Year).
On New Year’s Day, Westerners have a habit of going out to celebrate, meet, play and enjoy collective activities outside. They do not spend much time with their families at the beginning of the year because for Westerners, the most special and important time for their families is Christmas Eve. They already spent time together with their families and children. So, in the Western conception, the New Year is simply a day off or the beginning of a year.
The activities during the Tet holiday of Westerners are often less than those of Easterners.
By contrast, Easterners believe that Tet is an occasion for family reunion and everything must be good to start a new year with “well begun is half done”. From this perspective, the customs before, during and after Tet are much more complicated and diverse. Traditional customs and taboos on Tet holiday are very focused by Vietnamese people in order to bring wealth and prosperity to their families. A few weeks before Tet, they often decorate their houses to welcome their relatives and guests. During Tet holidays, they also often wear new clothes to visit their relatives, bringing each other good wishes. During the Tet holidays, they also have many taboos to avoid losing their family’s fortune. Some taboo customs can be mentioned such as abstaining from sweeping the house, not breaking things, abstaining from fire, water at the beginning of the year, and avoiding quarrels, discord in the new year,…. All of them aim for newness, luck, health, happiness, favorable work, etc.
Differences in customs and cultural significance make Tet in Vietnam and the New Year’s Day of the West unique in its own way. However, in the era of integration and globalization, all gaps are narrowing. The intersection between the two cultures is increasingly creating uniqueness, richness and harmony.
*Due to unique points, the translator uses the term “New Year’s Day” to refer to the New Year holiday of the Westerners (01/01) and remain the term “Tết Tet” to refer to the Lunar New Year of the Easterners.
Trương Anh Khoa