Tet Doan Ngo – The origin and meaning of the Mid-year Festival

Recently updated on January 25th, 2021 at 11:11 am

Tet Doan Ngo (Mid-year Festival) in Vietnam is an important holiday for Vietnamese and in some other Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. In each country, this holiday has its own meaning with different customs.

What is Tet Doan Ngo (Mid-year Festival)? The meaning of this festival

Doan Ngo Festival takes place on the 5th of the 5th lunar month every year. This is a significant holiday as the full moon in July. Doan Ngo Lunar New Year in Vietnam is also known as the day of killing insects because this time is the season to change; the weather has changed markedly, generating many pests.

People have the tradition of killing insects, worshiping their ancestors and harvest gods for good harvests, abundant life. Doan Ngo Day is also a family reunion, the day when children and grandchildren come together to eat traditional foods… to eradicate “insects” in the body, ward off disease. disability …

In addition to the Lunar New Year, the Doan Ngo Day in Vietnam is an important holiday for Vietnamese people in the year. On this day, those who are far away from home or busy with a lot of livelihoods also try to arrange to return home, enjoy Tet with their families, eat delicious dishes that are often made on each holiday.

Customs

The most important custom on the Doan Ngo Day in Vietnam is to worship ancestors and harvest gods with typical dishes such as sour fruits, glutinous rice wine, cakes, fruits … then everyone in the family will enjoy these dishes together.

Featured dishes in Tet Doan Ngo (Mid-year Festival)

Fermented Sticky Rice

Fermented Sticky Rice is popular throughout the region on the occasion of the Doan Ngo Festival (Tet Doan Ngo)

Fermented Sticky Rice is popular throughout the region on the occasion of the Doan Ngo Festival in Vietnam with the meaning associated with the desire to kill insects. According to popular belief, the spicy taste of glutinous rice wine will cause the parasites in the body to be destroyed. Glutinous wine is loved by many people because of its natural aroma and sweetness without the use of sugar.

Duck meat (Central and Southern region)

Duck meat

According to the tradition of the Central and Southern region, duck meat is an indispensable dish on this holiday, partly because in May of the lunar calendar, duck meat will be the most delicious and fattening, and no longer have the usual odor… Many families often buy ducks as dishes to make the Lunar New Year meal in Vietnam more delicious and richer, in addition to traditional sweet or fruit.

Seasonal fruits (popular areas)

Seasonal fruits

Regardless of the region, fruits are an indispensable dish for Vietnamese people to worship their ancestors and enjoy on Doan Ngo Day. The lunar May is the time of plums and litchi in the harvest season with the freshness characteristic of summer fruits.

Doan Ngo Festival in Vietnam is the mid-year festival, first, to worship ancestors, those who have died, to pray for good harvests, a prosperous life, then to wish to kill all the sickness in people, to have good health. Doan Ngo Lunar New Year Festival has become a special Tet holiday bearing the traditional culture of every Vietnamese.

Tet Doan Ngo 2021 in Vietnam

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202114 Jun

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