Special New Year's Eve

“Tông cũ, nghinh tân” means sending the old away and welcoming the new, sending off the hardships and difficulties of the old year and making room for the good luck and fortune that will come in the new year. That sacred moment between the old year and the new year has been in the subconscious of the Vietnamese people for generations. Those are the emotional moments of the 30th night of Tet.

Tonight, Hai Duong will be filled with colors from sparkling fireworks displays in many localities. However, an interesting fact adds to the specialness of this moment. That is, we will have to wait 9 more years to see the real 30th of Tet again.

This is also a hot topic on many social media channels in recent days. Ms. Nguyen Thi Linh, born in 1997 in Ung Hoe commune (Ninh Giang) shared: “For my family, the 30th night is New Year's Eve, the moment when everyone gets together to celebrate the new year. Therefore, I don't care too much about whether December has enough or not enough days.”

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Van Dat, born in 1990 in Hung Dao commune (Tu Ky) said that whether New Year's Eve falls on the 30th night of Tet or not is just a number on the calendar. "New Year's Eve activities do not change, so this does not affect people's lives much. Moreover, even if there is no real 30th night, in everyone's heart, New Year's Eve can still be considered the 30th night," said Mr. Dat.

Not only the young generation, even for many middle-aged people, celebrating New Year's Eve on the 29th of Tet is considered the 30th of Tet. "We still choose the most beautiful peach blossoms and kumquat trees to decorate the house, there are still trays of five fruits to offer to our ancestors and cozy Tet meals, there are still children and grandchildren gathering around a pot of fragrant banh chung... For my family, those are the moments of Tet, of reunion and gathering. And that is the 30th of Tet, whether December is full or not", Mr. Truong Van Mat, 60 years old, in Phu Thu town (Kinh Mon) shared.

In fact, even without the 30th of December, the Tet holiday schedule and Tet celebrations of Vietnamese people in general and Hai Duong in particular still take place normally. Speaking of the lack of December, this happened in 2021 and many years ago. In 2021, we will welcome the New Year, say goodbye to the year of Tan Suu, and welcome the year of Nham Dan 2022 on the night of the 29th of Tet.

But for some people, having to wait nearly another decade to experience the atmosphere of the 30th of Tet still brings up nostalgic emotions. “Although the customs and practices of celebrating the traditional Tet have not changed, having to wait 9 more years for the 30th of Tet still makes me feel a bit disappointed, something is missing. The 29th of the month is too short. Only on the 30th of the month is Tet truly Tet,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, Dong Tam commune (Ninh Giang).

The days of Tet are also fun and exciting, but many people still remember and love the excitement of the afternoon of the 30th of Tet, taking care of everything carefully, then waiting with their family for the moment of New Year's Eve to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year.

This year, there is the 30th of Tet, an extra day of waiting for spring compared to many years after. An extra day of December seems to be an extra day of Tet. That is why the excitement and excitement are the things that make tonight a special 30th of Tet. It reminds everyone to live more fully and more fully on this special day - the 30th of Tet, with the promise of meeting again in nearly 10 years.