In the book "Rituals in Vietnamese families" (Culture and Information Publishing House), people can do some activities after New Year's Eve to pray for luck and peace in the new year.
Open the pen
The first writing session of the new year is when people hold a pen to write for the first time in the new year. Usually, in the past, people who often wrote, such as scholars, scientists, and officials, considered the first writing session to be important.
The teachers choose a good day and time, light incense sticks, pray respectfully before the altar, then take the paper with fairy flowers that they have bought, grind new ink, and start writing at the beginning of spring.
On Tet holiday, Confucian scholars also choose an auspicious time to start writing to pray for progress in their studies, to pass every exam, and to make their hard work in studying worthwhile.
Therefore, writing at the beginning of the year is still considered a custom to pray for a smooth career and study, achieving good results in the year.
Departure
After the New Year's Eve, many people have the habit of traveling to the spring.
Some people bring home a few incense sticks called “huong loc” to put in the Kitchen God altar at home. The red flame in the incense sticks is “loc”, symbolizing prosperity.
Many people, after the ceremony, go to the temple garden to ask for blessings from the oldest tree, commonly known as picking blessings and bringing them back to hide under the roof of the middle room in front of the family altar. People also often pick blessings from the banyan tree at the beginning of the village, because the banyan is a long-lived tree, symbolizing longevity. Banyan also means many - many children, much money and must intentionally choose branches facing the East, with clean leaves, no worms, beautiful branches, and new buds to be really good.
Before picking, they must count the number of leaves on the branch: if the number of leaves is even, it is not good for trading or having children, but it is good for asking for a wife (because even means a pair).
After asking for the leaves, recite the mantra: "Please give luck!" and then pick them. Absolutely do not give away the leaves because it is believed that giving away the leaves will cause you to lose the leaves.
Happy New Year at the temple
After the New Year's Eve ceremony, many families have the habit of going to the communal house to welcome the new year. Everyone reads the greetings, prays in front of the altar, lights firecrackers, and wishes each other a happy new year. After that, everyone goes home to attend the New Year greetings of the village and neighbors.
Not only do people wish a happy new year at the communal house after New Year's Eve, some people also go to the communal house to pray for luck and burn incense early in the morning of the first day of the new year to find peace and serenity for the first day of the new year.
