Why is it called January?

The names of the lunar months have a special feature, that is, the first and last months of the year have their own names in addition to the usual ordinal numbers. Specifically, January is often called January, while December is often called December. The word "January" in January makes many people wonder what it means.

Why is it called January?

According to Professor Kieu Thu Hoach (senior researcher of the Institute of Folklore Research) onVietnamese People, in terms of historical phonetics, the word "gieng" originates from the word "chinh" in Chinese.

Since ancient times, the Chinese have called the first lunar month the Chinh Nguyet. The word "chinh" from Chinese to Nom has the rhyme "ieng", so the Vietnamese call the first lunar month the January month. The first day of the first month is called Nguyen Dan. Nguyen means first, used to call the first day of the year (Nguyen Dan) or leaders such as marshals, heads of state...

Professor Tran Lam Bien - a researcher of Vietnamese culture, also believes that the word "gieng" in January originates from the word "chinh" in Chinese, the two words "ngan jang" correspond to the word "chinh nguyet".

"Nguyet means both moon and month. Chinh nguyet is the main month, the first month of the year. Chinh is similar to chieng, over time, people mispronounced it as gieng", Professor Bien explained.

In the lunar calendar, January is not allowed to be an intercalary month. For Vietnamese people, January is considered the most important month of the year because of Tet Nguyen Dan and Tet Nguyen Tieu (full moon of the first lunar month). The major festivals of the year are also concentrated in this month.

January is the beginning of the year, so everyone has good thoughts, wishes for a peaceful and lucky new year, and avoids bad things. Therefore, on the first day of the new year, many families go to the temple to pray for health, fortune, career...

To welcome January, especially the Lunar New Year, every family prepares very carefully, cleans, decorates the house, displays peach blossoms, kumquat trees, bright yellow apricot trees or other spring flowers. On this occasion, from adults to children, everyone behaves gently, happily, and does not do bad things to avoid bad luck all year round.

In January, people also try to be careful not to drop or break things, because breakage always implies bad luck; avoid arguing and scolding each other. Especially in terms of finance, people often avoid borrowing money and paying back money in January, especially before the full moon, because they want to avoid losing money or getting into debt at the beginning of the year.

Activities in January

- Going to the pagoda at the beginning of the year: This is one of the traditional customs of Vietnamese people. People go to the pagoda to worship Buddha, pray for a peaceful and favorable new year, and at the same time enjoy the scenery and immerse themselves in the spring festival atmosphere.

- New Year greetings, spring outings: Lunar New Year is an occasion for reunions, meeting relatives and friends, people often visit each other, exchange best wishes and go out together. Many people buy bags of salt, rice, lighters... in red cloth bags to pray for luck, money and health.

- Buying gold on the God of Wealth's day: Many people buy gold on the God of Wealth's day, January 10, to pray for luck and fortune, because gold is a symbol of wealth and prosperity; buying gold on this day is believed to be a way to ask the God of Wealth for blessings and a prosperous year.

- Full moon worship in January: Many folk festivals are held on this day. This is also the day when people often gather with relatives and enjoy a feast together after a solemn worship ceremony.