Vietnamese New Year is a time to decorate the home for Tet in a truly radiant way, as it is the most important festival for Vietnamese people. Wondering how to decorate beautifully and in harmony with the Tet atmosphere? Check out the article below from Mykingdom.
Decorating Tet at Home with Flowers and Ornamental Plants
Tet cannot be without flowers and ornamental plants, symbols of growth and flourishing. Flowers and plants common during Tet, such as mai (apricot blossoms), hoa lan (orchids), đào (peach blossoms), cúc (chrysanthemums), or kumquat trees, carry good feng shui meanings. Families usually buy them a month before Tet to wait for the flowers to bloom and the fruit to ripen at the start of the new year.
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Mai and đào blossoms: Represent spring, luck, and prosperity. The homeowner will care for them from the moment they bud until they bloom brilliantly. The flowers can display their colors from before the 30th of Tet until the first day of the New Year, which is best.
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Chrysanthemums: Symbolize longevity and happiness.
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Kumquat tree: A symbol of plenty and prosperity, especially when the tree is laden with fruit.
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Wealth tree: Symbolizes abundant luck in the new year.
In recent years, people also buy many other types of flowers and ornamental plants such as rice plants, corn stalks, sugarcane, etc., to make Tet decorations more unique. These pots can be placed on the porch, in the living room, dining room, or kitchen. Having beautiful flowers and plants will make the home more lively and attract luck and prosperity into the house.
Decorating the Ancestral Altar
The ancestral altar is the most sacred place in the home, and during Tet it is the time for descendants to decorate it as neatly and beautifully as possible.
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Five-fruit tray: A folk saying goes “Cầu dừa đủ xài sung,” corresponding to soursop, coconut, papaya, mango, and longan, suggesting that the new year will bring abundant prosperity. Today, in addition to abundance, families may also prepare more kinds of fruit to diversify the offering to ancestors.
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Additionally, you need lamps (oil lamps or electric lamps), tea, wine or candles, simple and proper offerings on the altar. You can also decorate with LED lights in various blinking colors, creating a lively effect.
Couplets, New Year Greetings, and Tet Paintings
Couplets and New Year greetings hung on the main door, on plants, or on the wall carry blessings and wish for luck in the new year. You can make hanging garlands from colored paper.
Choose a few paintings depicting Tet activities, such as mai and đào blossoms, bamboo, or rural markets, roosters, paintings of the five-fruit tray, the year's zodiac animal, or folk prints from Đông Hồ and Hang Trống to create an artistic focal point in your home.
Đèn lồng, đèn kéo pháo, đèn led nhấp nháy
Có đèn là ấm áp. Red lanterns, đèn kéo pháo hiện diện trong ngôi nhà sẽ tạo nên không khí sum vầy, đoàn viên như văn hóa truyền thống bao đời nay. Bạn có thể treo đèn bên hiên hoặc trong phòng khách để đèn đón nắng và đón gió.
With blinking LED lights in multiple colors such as white, blue, yellow, red, you can hang them in several spots throughout the house, on ornamental plants, or in mini-scene corners to create a lively vibe in your home.
Lucky Decoration Accessories
Wallpaper with images of mai, đào, Thần tài, or phrases “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới”, “Vạn Sự Như Ý” are timeless ideas. Additionally, red firecracker strings, lucky envelopes, gold coins, gold bars are items you'll also need for decorating.
Give your sofa, curtains, and table runners a fresh look with Tet motifs. Additionally, you can fold flowers from crepe paper or create frames for family memories to hang on the wall.
Setting Up Mini Scenes
Lovely mini scenes have become commonplace during Tet and are present in many families. The whole family no longer needs to go to the park or a cafe to take Instagram-worthy photos.
Decorating mini scenes is fairly simple, and you can easily adapt from items you already have. Choose a nice corner, place a few pots of flowers, couplets, decorative LED lights, bamboo-woven lanterns, etc.—and you’ll have a cute spot for everyone to take Tet photos together.
Mykingdom hopes the above suggestions will help you with more ideas to refresh your family's space for Tet. Family, please plan your Tet home decorating to welcome a new year full of warmth, abundance, and happiness!
