『えいごで読む物語』シリーズでは、ランカル英会話に所属するメイトの日常や思い出をえいごでお届けします。
今回のテーマは「Lunar New Year（旧正月・春節）」。
中国をはじめ、中華圏における旧暦のお正月を指します。
Maddieの母国・ベトナムでもLunar New Yearのお祝いがあるということで、彼女にお祝いの様子や食事、伝統衣装を紹介してもらいました♪
初心者の方は「エクステンシブ・リーディング（多読）」の読み物として、こちらのシリーズを読んでみることもオススメです。
知らない単語や表現が文中にあってもとにかく最後まで読み進めることで、自然と読む力がつき、文章の組み立ても早くなります！
詳しくは下にまとめてみたのでチェックしてみてくださいね。

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Intro

The New Year’s holiday has always been one of the biggest and most anticipated events of the year. What is more exciting is that different countries around the world, or even different regions within a country, may have various traditions to celebrate this occasion.

With that said (or written), it is obvious that people in my hometown, which is Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, also spend New Year’s holiday in their own ways.

1. Vietnamese Lunar New Year – Tet Holiday

Vietnamese celebrate New Year ( “Tết” in Vietnamese) according to the Lunar calendar, not on January 1st like the majority of the world. Of course, everyone will still get 1- 2 days off (usually December 31st and January 1st), but there won’t be any big or magnificent events happening just yet. The real celebration starts on December 31st of the Lunar calendar. This varies between the end of January and mid-February depending on the year. This time, all people will get around two weeks vacation as this is the biggest and most important holiday of the year.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, all family members gather together at the eldest member’s home and have dinner together. The menus and activities on this day will vary among families.

On  New Year’s day, everyone will visit their families and relatives to eat together and say New Year’s wishes. People wish each other luck, health, and wealth for the coming year.
On the second day of New Year, all businesses start opening again, and their opening events (with dancing, music, campaign, etc.) can be seen on the streets.

2. Lucky Money

When children and younger people visit their families, relatives, or elderly’s homes, they can receive “Lucky Money” ( “lì xì” in Vietnamese) after exchanging New Year wishes. These are usually given by adults in red envelopes with various and beautiful decorations on them. The amount of money inside may vary based on the age of the receiver, or how close the receiver is to the giver. 

This “Lucky Money” is considered a charm, or a wish for luck for the new year.

3. Traditional Dances / Performances

During the New Year holidays, many performances, events, and festivals can be seen around the city. The most popular and seen event is “múa lân”. This can be translated as a “dragon dance”. 
Performers will wear pants with colorful layered frills and glitter that resemble a lion’s or dragon’s legs. Then, they will put on a big headpiece that can be moved around when they perform. There are many types of headpieces and they can be used for different types of dances. 

These are also sold in smaller sizes as they are popular toys for children during this time of year.

4. Decorations

It is never a celebration without decoration. Here in my hometown, there are two main types, which are flowers and zodiac animal-themed decorations. 
The representative flowers for New Year in Vietnam are “hoa mai” (apricot blossoms), which are yellow, and “hoa đào” (peach blossoms), which are pink. Apricot blossoms can be seen only in the south of Vietnam, while peach blossoms are only used in the north. In Ho Chi Minh, the streets, as well as the residence’s gardens, are seen decorated in yellow flowers.

Animal-themed decorations are based on the zodiac animal of that year. The 12 Vietnamese zodiac animals are a bit different from the ones used in China or Japan. Compared to the Chinese zodiac animals, the fourth animal in Vietnam is a cat, whereas this is a rabbit in China. Another difference is that while the twelfth animal of the zodiac is a pig in Vietnam, it is a boar in Japan. 
Stickers, drawings, and even plants cut in the shape of the zodiac animal of the year can be seen filling up the streets, parks, and shop windows. 

5. New Year Attires

Although there are no specific dress codes for the New Year holiday nowadays, many people still love to wear the traditional Vietnamese attire “áo dài” to celebrate New Year.

As years passed, not only the traditional ones but many new designs and modernized versions of  “áo dài” are enjoyed by people of all ages.

6. New Year’s Food

Last but definitely NOT least, the food cannot be forgotten when talking about the New Year holiday.
Firstly, “bánh chưng” (square-shaped) is always the first to come to mind when Tet holiday is mentioned. These are cakes made from sticky rice, with mung bean paste and fatty pork as fillings. They are wrapped in “dong” leaves or banana leaves and then steamed until fully cooked. Making these cakes together with family is a New Year tradition of Vietnam.
Another holiday food that is made with family as a tradition is “củ kiệu”. This is a type of onion that is pickled in a mixture of sugar and vinegar and can be kept for a long time. This pickle is eaten with most Vietnamese New Year dishes to get rid of greasiness.

“Thịt kho tàu” is another popular dish that can be seen in every family’s New Year meal and is usually served to guests. This is a braised meat dish that is normally cooked with fatty pork, boiled eggs, and fish sauce to season. This dish is also eaten on regular days and is the most popular home-cooked dish due to the ease of preparation and longevity. Once made, this dish can be eaten for many days after, and is mostly enjoyed with rice.

Alongside the dishes mentioned, there are various sweets and snacks made from fruits or vegetables that can be enjoyed by ourselves or are offered to guests. They are placed in beautifully decorated boxes and are best enjoyed with tea.

Conclusion

The list goes on when it comes to New Year traditions in Vietnam. Tet holiday is such an important event in Vietnam that everything mentioned in this article is not only representative of this specific holiday but is also at the center of the Vietnamese culture.

Hopefully, this article can help the readers here understand a bit more about how the New Year is celebrated in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh specifically), and enjoy it more should you ever have a chance to visit the country during this occasion. 

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いかがでしたか？
「『Lunar New Year』の名前を聞いたことはあったけど、どんなものか知らなかった･･･」という方が多かったかと思います。
2022年は2月1日がLunar New Year。
今年は「Happy Lunar New Year!」とお祝いしたり、お家でご紹介したベトナム料理や中華料理を食べて、旧正月気分を味わうのもいいかもしれません♪
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