Lunar New Year, Tet

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:34): I rise today to speak about the Lunar New Year, in particular the Tết holiday celebration in the Vietnamese culture. Tết is short for Tết Nguyên Đán, which means Festival of the First Morning of the First Day. Lunar New Year celebrations can be traced back 3,500 years ago to the Shang dynasty in China before spreading to countries across Asia, when the date was fixed about 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. It is also celebrated in Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Mongolia and Taiwan.

For those of us who have moved away from our birth countries, whether by choice or necessity, connection to our former homeland is significant. Being able to practise the cultural beliefs of our diverse Australian communities and share celebrations with others helps all Australians to live a rich and creative cultural life.

In China, the celebration lasts 15 days, with the Spring Lantern Festival on the final day. The Tết Festival was originally a three-day celebration, but it has gradually expanded to last a week or two. One of the most important customs during Tết holiday is ancestor worship. Prior to Tết families go to their ancestors' graves and offer food and drinks. Just like Western new year, it is about starting afresh. Everything we do will start as new, but with past experience to make things better.

It is a time for family reunions. Vietnamese people usually visit friends and relatives during Tết and exchange new year's greetings and special Tết gifts. It is also time for people to practise religious traditions, to pray for good luck and happiness by visiting Buddhist temples. Some of the most popular Tết traditions in Vietnam that my family still practise are:

cleaning your house before Tết. It is traditional to clean your house in preparation for the new year. This is seen as a way to sweep away the old year and make way for new beginnings, and you are not allowed to do any cleaning during the Tết holiday;

decorating with Tết flowers and plants. It is considered good luck to decorate your home with flowers and plants during Tết holiday. The most popular Tết flower is the yellow apricot blossom or Hoa Mai; and

lucky money or 'li xi' is given out in red envelopes. Kids are given these instead of stockings, filled with lollies and stuffed toys.

Adult family members give younger generations lucky money in exchange for the promise to study hard and behave. At the same time, older family members also receive lucky money to wish them continued long life and good health. One of the most important foods during Tết celebrations is Bánh Chung, or square sticky rice cake, which is topped with pork and mung beans and wrapped in banana leaves.

In Australia, I think it is fair to say that most of our children and grandchildren have a good education and good job prospects. We should all feel proud of what we have improved and laid out for the next generation. I know the life lessons I have been taught help me to continue to work hard, to remain dedicated and to be respectful of other fellow human beings, especially our elderly. I want to encourage my children to do this too. It is especially important for the Vietnamese, as well as other Asian cultures, to keep connected from generation to generation.

In conclusion, I would like to wish all honourable members and your families good health, much happiness for the New Year of the Tiger. Chúc Mừng Năm Mới and happy lunar new year.