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Tet Nguyen Dan, Tet for short: Vietnamese Lunar New Year

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Tet Nguyen Dan, Tet for short: Vietnamese Lunar New Year

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This guide from the Asia Society explains the meaning of Lunar New Year, and gives a fun way to learn about the themes and concludes with students making a poster, or one pager as in our AVID work.

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Learn about Lunar new Year in Vietnam and why it is an especially good time to review good manners.

Questions to Explore

What is New Year?

How do we celebrate New Year in another culture?

Materials Required

World map to show where Vietnam is

Art supplies for children to make a book or poster (optional)

Assessment

Student discussion and art project

Procedure

1. Explain to students that everyone celebrates something. Ask students to name several special holidays they celebrate.

2. In Vietnam, there is a holiday so special it takes three days to celebrate! This holiday is called Tet Nguyen (pronounced nwen) Dan, or Tet for short.

3. Tet is the Vietnamese New Year. Tet begins during the full moon prior to spring planting, sometime in January or February. Like any special events, much preparation takes place. With so much to do, work and school grind to a halt as families prepare for tho most joyous time of the year. Although the holiday officially lasts three days, many people enjoy at least seven days break from their normal schedule.

4. Ask students if they look at the moon often. Does it change shape? Draw the four stages of the moon and identify each one for students. Which is the full moon?

5. The New Year's moon, or Tet moon, reminds people to be honest and good. The Vietnamese prize good manners and tend to judge others by their use of courteous behavior.

6. Go around the room and ask students to think about important manners at school, home or play. Write them down. Ask students to help you choose the ten most important ones.

Extension

Help students make a book or poster that celebrates good manners and a new year. Students can draw pictures of good qualities everyone should exhibit.

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Learn about Lunar new Year in Vietnam and why it is an especially good time to review good manners. What is New Year? How do we celebrate New Year in another culture? World map to show where Vietnam is Art supplies for children to make a book or poster (optional) Student discussion and art project Explain to students that everyone celebrates something.

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Using the book D is for Doufu as a model, students can create their own C is for Culture book around another new year celebration.

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Event Description

Today is the first day of the New Year on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year of the calendar's 12-year cycle is represented by an animal. According to the Chinese zodiac, people born during a given year share traits with that animal. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Those born in the Year of the Dragon are known to be vigorous, ambitious, and honest.

Classroom Activity

Introduce students to the Chinese New Year by having them explore the Chinese zodiac. Begin the activity by having each student write five to eight adjectives or phrases that describe his or her personality traits. These should not be physical characteristics like hair color or height, but qualities such as "a good sense of humor," "honest," or "a risk-taker."

Then, have students look at the Chinese zodiac to find a description of the attibutes people would have if they were born in the same year they were. For younger students, try the Chinese Calendar, and for older students, try Chinese Horoscopes.

Once students have read their animal's attributes, have them explain how the animal does or does not seem to represent them. They should use specific examples from their own experiences to support what they say. For example, if the zodiac says that they have difficulty with authority, students should write about a time when they resisted (or did not resist) an authority figure.

Next, students can look through the other animal signs to see which one best represents them and write a persuasive piece describing why that sign fits them best.

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Event Description Today is the first day of the New Year on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year of the calendar's 12-year cycle is represented by an animal. According to the Chinese zodiac, people born during a given year share traits with that animal. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.

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A Vietnamese City, Nha Trang, during Tet

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A Vietnamese City, Nha Trang, during Tet

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This beautiful video gives us a view of what a city in Vietnam has done to prepare for Tet. Classes could watch the first three minutes and take notes, draw what they notice. Then discuss. Maybe compare and contrast with Portland's new year celebrations? Notice the golden ox which means this video is from last year. This is the year of the tiger.

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The myth behind the Chinese zodiac - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen