Activities to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday and a programme to make thousands of “banh chung” (square glutinous rice cakes) for the poor are slated to be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism. (Photo: VNA)

These will take place at the village from January 29 to February 1 (the 17th to the 20th day of lunar December).

The village’s annual programme to make “banh chung” to help the poor enjoy Tet has been held for many years. Some 1,000 Tet gift sets worth some 500,000 VND (22 USD) each will also be sent to disadvantaged people in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri.

Traditional customs during Tet will also be introduced to visitors, with the aim of preserving, upholding and promoting the values of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups, and easing the difficulties facing the poor.

A planting ceremony for a “Neu pole” (a tall bamboo tree with red strips of fabric attached to ward off evil spirits during Tet) was re-enacted at the village on January 25.

The Neu pole is not only believed to stop ghosts and demons from entering the community during Tet but also directs ancestors seeking the path home for the holiday. The custom is also practised in other Asian countries.

The largest and most celebrated holiday in Vietnam, Tet falls from February 12 to 14 this year.

Source: VNA