Not only in Vietnam, Doan Ngo Tet is also available in many other Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea...
In Vietnam, Doan Ngo Tet is called the Tet of Pest Destruction. Because during the changing seasons and menstruation, epidemics are likely to arise, affecting crops and health, so pests must be killed. On this day, Vietnamese people often have many traditional customs to prevent and fly pests.
In many Vietnamese villages, Doan Ngo Tet is an important occasion. Therefore, children and grandchildren, even from afar, still try to arrange to go home, gather together to eat family meals with plums, cloth, sticky rice, ashes, duck meat... to kill insects and ward off diseases.
According to ancient folk customs, right at the time of Noodle (4:00 p.m.), rural people often pick leaves together. This is the moment with the best sunshine, the sun shines brilliantly. picking leaves at this time is said to have the effect of treating skin diseases such as itching, phlegm, and intestinal diseases.
For urban areas, where there are few gardens and grass, families will choose to buy medicinal leaves on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. On this occasion, many people in their hometown will bring the leaves to the city to trade. Depending on the needs of use, we choose the right type of leaf, dry it and store it in a cool place for use.
In Hanoi and the North, sticky rice wine and brocade wine are popular on Doan Ngo New Year's Day. According to the concept, the digestive part of humans contains harmful parasites, located deep in the abdomen, so it is difficult to destroy them. But on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, they will get crowded, so this is the right time to kill insects with wine.
Note, sticky rice alcohol should be eaten right after waking up to increase effectiveness, but should only be eaten in small amounts. From the elderly to children, they can use sticky rice alcohol and black sticky rice alcohol.
