世界文化英语阅读30篇（1）

7 / 30

越南春节：更新、祭祖与红包

Tết Nguyên Đán—the Vietnamese Lunar New Year—marks both agricultural renewal and deep ancestral reverence.
Before Tết, families thoroughly clean homes, settle debts, and avoid arguments to welcome luck and harmony.
Ancestral altars are refreshed with incense, fruit, and sticky rice cakes called bánh chưng, wrapped in banana leaves.
Children wear new áo dài—elegant silk tunics—and receive red envelopes containing lucky money from elders.
Each envelope must contain an even number of bills, never four, since the word for ‘four’ sounds like ‘death’ in Vietnamese.
Firecrackers were banned in cities for safety, so families now use electronic versions or drum ensembles instead.
The first visitor of the new year—xông đất—must embody kindness and success, shaping the household’s fortune.
Street markets overflow with peach blossoms in the north and apricot flowers in the south, signaling regional identity.
Overseas Vietnamese hold virtual Tết reunions, sharing recipes and teaching grandchildren to fold dumplings online.
More than celebration, Tết is a living grammar of respect, balance, and hope passed down in daily gestures.