After New Year's Eve, visiting first person on New Year's Day is an indispensable custom with the wish for a year of luck, prosperity, happiness, and longevity.
Xong dat (also known as dap dat) is a long-standing custom of the Vietnamese people. The ancients believed that after the moment of New Year's Eve, if the first person to come to wish a happy new year is compatible with the homeowner's age, the homeowner will have a lot of luck and prosperity throughout the year.
On the contrary, if the person who comes to enter the house first is of an unlucky age or has many difficulties in life, the homeowner will have bad luck all year round. Therefore, in the first period of the new year, many Vietnamese families attach great importance to the custom of entering the house first.
According to Vietnamese beliefs, Tet is an occasion for family members to reunite, gods and ancestors also return to celebrate Tet, blessing their descendants. After the New Year's Eve, the first person to enter the house with good wishes is a decisive factor in determining the luck of the homeowner throughout the year.
The act of entering a house on New Year's Day essentially brings new biological energy not only to people but also to the land. When this energy comes at the moment of New Year's Eve, the response and reception will be more complete and effective.
The custom of the first visitor of the new year may differ in style and form in each place, but in essence it is the same. The time for the first visitor of the new year is calculated from the moment the clock strikes the new day. Depending on each family, the process of first visitor of the new year can take place naturally or with preparation. In the case of the first visitor of the new year being arranged, they are the first guests arriving on the morning of the first day of the New Year, must have an age compatible with the homeowner and the animal representing that year.
The homeowner will welcome them happily and enthusiastically and receive good wishes for their family. In the past, people who come to visit first on New Year's Day often bring meaningful gifts for the homeowner, representing luck such as candy, cakes, parallel sentences...
However, adapting to the development of society, nowadays the first person to enter the house will bring red envelopes to give lucky money to the homeowner and family members.
The value of the lucky money envelope does not need to be high. When giving lucky money, the guest will include their best wishes. If the family has elderly parents, they should wish them “a long life,” “longevity,” and “happiness.” If the homeowner is a merchant, they should wish them “good luck in business,” and “prosperous business.”
Meeting children, congratulating them on “eating well and growing quickly,” “studying well”… After that, the host also gives lucky money, wishes the first visitor good luck, then invites guests to enjoy tea, raise a glass of wine at the beginning of the new year and chats about good things in the new year.
The person asked by the homeowner to be the first to enter the house is usually generous, carefree, honest, and good-looking, especially if the family has no deaths and has both boys and girls. When coming to visit the homeowner, you should only talk about happy stories and lucky things. Avoid sad stories from the old year and do not mention past events.
Overall, the number of families that proactively ask someone to come to their house to be the first to enter the house on New Year's Day is lower than the number of families that let this custom happen naturally. In the case of natural people coming to their house, the homeowner will not be too strict, and anyone who accidentally comes to their house to enter the house on New Year's Day will be warmly welcomed and wished good luck and peace.
Many elders say that entering a house on the first day of the new year is a custom to pray for luck and fortune for the family. Therefore, when entering a house on the first day of the new year, one must pay attention to some taboos to make the meaning of entering a house complete.
- When coming to visit someone on New Year's Day, do not wear black or dark clothes, but wear bright colors such as red, pink, yellow, green... with the meaning of starting a new year bright and brilliant in every aspect.
- If there is a funeral or illness or misfortune in the past year, you should avoid visiting someone else's house early, as it will make the homeowner unhappy. People who are incompatible with or have an age that is not in line with the homeowner's age should not visit. Nowadays, as society develops, many customs have changed to suit.
- When you come to visit someone on New Year's Day, don't tell them old stories or sad stories.
- Women and children, unless directly invited by the homeowner, should not enter another person's house to be the first to enter. When coming to wish a happy new year, the men should enter the house first, followed by women and children.
- The ages that are incompatible with each other, the homeowner and the guest need to pay attention to avoid:
The ages that should avoid conflict include Dan - Than, Ty - Ngo, Thin - Tuat, Mao - Dau, Suu - Mui, Ty - Hoi.
Avoid the three shapes, including the first shape: Dan - Ty - Than; the second shape: Suu - Tuat - Mui; the third shape: Mao - Ty.
The custom of entering the house on New Year's Day in many rural areas has become more relaxed, no longer placing much importance on the age and gender of the person entering the house as before. Nowadays, families consider entering the house as a blessing from heaven, so they just follow the natural course and do not prepare a person to enter the house on New Year's Day. Anyone who comes to the house to enter the house on New Year's Day is considered to bring luck to the homeowner and everyone is happy. In fact, the homeowner or a family member can completely enter the house themselves.
To have a lucky and successful new year depends largely on the will, personal belief and efforts of the homeowner and family members in implementing their plans and goals. A smooth start will bring good results, as long as we keep trying and never give up.
TB (summary)