Doan Ngo Tet takes place on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year. In 2025, Doan Ngo Tet will fall on Saturday, May 31.
According to the book "Van khan truyen thong Viet Nam" (Vietnam Culture and Information Publishing House), Doan Ngo Tet is a major festival of the Vietnamese people, held at the Midsday of the 5th lunar month.
For a long time, they have believed that in the human body, especially in the digestive system, there are invisible insects. They silently increase their numbers. If not destroyed in time, they can harm their health. According to legend, this flood of insects only "abated" on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month - Doan Ngo Lunar New Year, so this is the ideal time to "destroy".
The ceremony usually begins early in the morning. When still in bed, people will close their mouths three times before placing their feet on the ground to clean up the " air" in their mouths. Next, eat a boiled duck egg, then step out of bed. A bowl of wine is used to " get drunk" on insects, and finally eat fruit to completely destroy them.
Depending on different customs and regions, the Doan Ngo Lunar New Year worship tray is also different. However, according to the book Vietnam Traditional Worship - Rituals and Ritual Practices ( though World Publishing House, 2024), Doan Ngo Lunar New Year worship tray often has:
- Artichoke;
- 3 cups of water;
- Plum, peach, fabric...
- Ashwater cake;
- Ass, lamps, Candles, flowers.
Here are the details of Doan Ngo Lunar New Year worship trays in 3 regions in Vietnam:
Doan Ngo Tet worship tray in the North
Doan Ngo Tet offerings in the North are often prepared quite elaborately, with familiar offerings such as incense, flowers, plums, cloth, sticky rice, clean water... and especially sticky rice wine.
An indispensable traditional dish is banh gio - a type of cake made from sticky rice, soaked in ash and wrapped in banana leaves. The cake has a light, soft taste, often eaten with sugar or molasses to enhance the flavor. According to popular beliefs, banh gio has the cooling properties of plants, has the function of purifying the body and supporting digestion.
Also on this day, sticky rice is considered a "famous medicine" that helps kill pests in humans. In addition to the popular yellow sticky rice wine, many families in the North also prefer brocade wine thanks to its characteristic aroma.
Doan Ngo Central region's Tet worship tray
In the Central region, Doan Ngo offering tray not only retains basic offerings but also has duck meat, a dish that is believed to help cool down and nourish in hot weather. Scaffolding served with rice paper is also a typical traditional dish, especially popular in the worship tray of Hue and Quang Nam people.
In addition, banh da bao wrapped in sticky rice, green bean filling or meat also appeared as a familiar part of this holiday.
Doan Ngo Southern Tet worship tray
In the South, the way of preparing the cross has its own unique features. Rice and wine are often held in small pieces, eaten with sugar water, creating a feeling like a sweet sticky rice sweet soup.
Ba Trang banh toan, similar to banh gio but with larger fillings and shapes, is an important dish in the offering tray. This type of cake is often wrapped in dong or lotus leaves, with sweet or salty fillings depending on the family's preference.
In addition, sweet soup with a soft layer of white sticky rice, green bean filling, served with sugar water and coconut milk is considered a dish "except for blackness and insect repellent", meaning to pray for health and peace.
