Bính Ngọ: Lunar New Year

So, Lunar New Year is coming. This is interesting.

Since that is the year of the Horse, I guess I will talk about stuffs about Tết, yeahhhhh.

What's Tết?

Basically, Tết is Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Very simple indeed.

2026's Lunar New Year will start on 17 February, yep, after Valentine, and it is tomorrow, TOMORROW.

What to do during Tết

During Tết, you should offer wishes for good fortune and whatever else that are considered «good» to those you love. You ought to visit your family, Tết is a good holiday for family reunions, did you know?

If you are an adult, considering giving younger people lucky money. Also, you should like to wear bright clothes, those symbolise luck and a fresh start for a new year.

And please be nice and positive during Tết, since your mood is believed to influence your entire year.

What NOT to do

Don't sweep or throw out trash on the first day, you may accidentally sweep away your luck as well.

Don't pay debt, since that also means you give away your luck. If you have to pay debt, do it right now.

Don't break things, you may not know what you will break next, your relationship, your luck, etc.

If you feel bored of talking about luck, let's talk about bad luck. Don't enter someone's house if you have accidentally spent all of your luck or swept it away, because it is believed that the first to enter one's house would determine their family luck. Yep, misfortune is infectious. By the way don't talk about misfortune and bad stuff in general, since it is also very unlucky.

Also, whilst you should wear bright colours, DON'T WEAR WHITE, it is associated with funerals and this is Tết, not a funeral.

And finally, don't watch Instagram. Why? Because it is TERRIBLE, watching it in anytime is bad, I thought y'all know that.

Ok, well, it seems there are lots of bad things you shouldn't do during Tết, compared to good things. Well, gotta acquire bad luck so that you guys don't have to 🥀

Oh wait there are still dishes-

So we have bánh chưng, bánh giầy and bánh tét, they are basically sticky rice cakes filled with toppings. They symbolise the Earth, gratitude to ancestors and family unity. And when was the last time Earth was delicious to eat? Yep it has never been delicious, and I'd say neither the 3 bánh's are. So let's talk about another dish that is much better.

We also have thịt kho tàu, aka «caramelized pork and eggs»..? It is simply braised pork with eggs. It is delicious compared to whatever I've said in the previous sentence, but you, or at least I, can get sick of it very fast.

Pickles are also common during Tết, I feel like I would get cancer from them though...

And finally, I WOULD CUT YOUR FUCKING HEAD IF YOU MENTION BOILED CHICKE-

Anyway, there are still many more dishes but you should look them up yourself. Regardless, thank me for «acquir[ing] bad luck so that you guys don't have to» (acordding to myself a few minutes ago) and happy Lunar New Year!