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On which day of the lunar calendar is Tết?
- ✓ The first day of the first lunar month
- The full moon of the first month
- The 23rd of the last month
- The 30th of the last month
Tết is the first day of the new lunar year.
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Why does Tết fall on a different calendar date every year?
- ✓ A lunar year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year
- Because of the weather
- The government picks the date
- Because of time zones
A lunar year has about 354 days; an extra month is added in some years to catch up.
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In the legend, what do ông Táo, the Kitchen Gods, ride to heaven on the 23rd of the last month?
- ✓ A carp
- A horse
- A dragon
- A crane
That is why many families release a carp that day. It is a legend, and each family has its own way.
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In the Vietnamese zodiac, which animal is the year of Mão?
- ✓ The Cat
- The Rooster
- The Rat
- The Goat
The Vietnamese zodiac has a Year of the Cat.
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What is xông đất?
- ✓ The first person to step into the house after midnight on New Year's Eve
- Cleaning the house at year's end
- Burning paper offerings
- Picking a sprig at the pagoda
By folk belief the first visitor brings the luck of the year. It is a belief, not a rule.
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On the first morning of Tết, what do children usually do before receiving lì xì, lucky money?
- ✓ Wish their grandparents and parents a happy new year
- Eat bánh chưng
- Light firecrackers
- Go to the pagoda
Lì xì comes with a wish. The red envelope is the second part.
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Why do many families avoid sweeping the house on the first day of Tết?
- ✓ For fear of sweeping the year's luck away
- Because of dust
- To rest
- An old law forbade it
An old folk belief; many families no longer keep it.
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The five fruits on a southern Tết tray spell out which wish?
- ✓ "Cầu sung vừa đủ xài": wishing for just enough to live well
- "Phúc lộc thọ"
- "An khang thịnh vượng"
- "Vạn sự như ý"
Custard apple, fig, coconut, papaya, mango: a play on the sound of the fruits' names.
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In the legend, who first made bánh chưng, the square sticky-rice cake?
- ✓ Lang Liêu
- Sơn Tinh
- Thánh Gióng
- Mai An Tiêm
Recorded in Lĩnh Nam chích quái (14th century). It is a legend.
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Peach blossom, hoa đào, belongs to Tết in which region?
- ✓ The North
- The South
- The Centre
- All three equally
Peach likes the cold; yellow apricot blossom, hoa mai, is the Tết flower of the South and of many homes in the Centre. Which one is at your house?
Tết Holiday