Red and yellow lanterns hang from the ceiling of the Fisher Pavilion in Seattle. Young women wear traditional pink Vietnamese dresses and conical hats on their heads. Booths sell acrylic nails, embroidered flowers, miniature paintings, cookies, stuffed animals and various designs of dresses.
According to the Seattle Times, thousands of people gathered at the Seattle Center on the afternoon of January 25 to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2025. This is the first Tet after Lunar New Year became an official holiday in Washington state.
In 2024, Washington decided to recognize Lunar New Year as a holiday, following similar moves by other states such as California and Colorado.
In the outdoor space at Seattle Center, children and families gather to watch a traditional Vietnamese lion dance.
“Tet is a time for us to remember our ancestors, wish them good luck, and we pray for good luck in the new year,” said Alanna Dimiceli, a Silverdale resident of Vietnamese descent.
Alanna Dimiceli’s two sons were excited to celebrate Lunar New Year, jumping for joy as the lion dance began. One boy held a paper lantern made of purple cardboard. The other held a red paper egg with a green snake head sticking out of the top. “I want to see the lion!” one boy shouted.
"The kids don't know much about their culture so I brought them here," Dimiceli said.
Seattle’s Lunar New Year celebrations have been held for 29 years. In addition to the booths, hundreds of visitors to the Seattle Center view the art installations. Children color drawings of snakes and pin them to a giant snake to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
Vietnamese food trucks serving banh mi and bubble tea lined the event. Many people moved around while others stopped to watch the colorful lion heads and bodies dance to the beat of drums.
“Anything related to Vietnamese culture is very important because it is like the root of our existence,” said Amanda Hoang, a Vietnamese Bellevue resident.
Hoang worries that when most Americans think of Vietnam, they immediately think of war. "Instead, I want to be able to look at how we celebrate new life every New Year with family and friends and maintain our traditions."
Amanda Hoang brought her boyfriend Dominic Ricciaridelli along when she went to celebrate Lunar New Year.
"She came to the festival in Italy for me this summer and I came to this festival for her. I think I was more excited to be here this morning than she was," Ricciaridelli said.
Tuyet Nhi Vo - co-director of Tet in Seattle, was born and raised in King County and moved to Bellingham for college.
“As an adult, coming back to Seattle, I felt like I didn’t have my own Vietnamese community. I had family and that sense of community, but I didn’t have a peer group. It was interesting to make new friendships, to be part of those existing friendships and groups,” she said.
Tuyet Nhi Vo loves Tet in Seattle because it is a space for people to gather and participate in many different activities: dancing, making crafts, food and art.
“I really value the intergenerational aspect. The team working on this project, including myself, are all in their 20s and 30s. Being able to continue the efforts of the previous generation is really great,” she shared.
