Têt Traditions

Ringing in the new year looks different from culture to culture, but one commonality is the idea of a fresh start, saying goodbye to the past year and welcoming luck, prosperity, and health into the coming one. In some cultures, that might mean making New Year’s resolutions, counting down for the ball drop in Times Square, plunging into the icy ocean, cleaning every inch of your house, setting up an altar to honor ancestors, or eating lucky foods like black-eyed peas, grapes, or apples.

And while many Americans celebrate the Gregorian New Year on Jan. 1, other cultural New Year’s celebrations take place on other dates; for example, the Lunar New Year, celebrated in many Asian countries, happens on the second new moon after the winter solstice — Jan. 29 this year. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on the first day of the month of Tishrei — Sept. 22 this year.

In Vietnam, the most important holiday is Tết, a multiday Lunar New Year celebration of spring. The holiday centers around family, and adults typically give children and elderly people gifts of money in red envelopes to symbolize luck. Lucky red decorations can be seen everywhere; businesses and homes are draped with paper lanterns, flowers, trees, and fruit. On the streets, celebrations, fireworks, and music fill the air, and at home, families honor their ancestors by placing gifts on the altar and performing rituals.

According to Francis Lee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Vietnam representative based in Ho Chi Minh City, people in Vietnam also give, display, and eat fruit — including apples — during Tết celebrations.

“It’s a very important tradition,” Lee said, “because when you visit the house, they will offer it to the ancestors on the altar.”

One of the most common features of a Tết ancestor altar is the five-fruit tray, a collection of fruits in colors representing the five elements: white for metal, green for wood, black for water, yellow for earth, and red for fire. While the specific fruits presented on these trays vary, many five-fruit trays in Vietnam feature red and green apples to represent fire and wood — and many of those apples are grown here in Washington.

In fact, Vietnam is one of the top buyers of Washington apples in the world — in 2023, the country spent $57 million on our apples, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture — but the biggest demand for apples occurs before Tết, said Lee. “At this time of year, we are seeing that many apples are being shipped here (from Washington),” Lee said, adding that Vietnamese people can buy Washington fruit through the wholesale market or traditional Vietnamese markets, called wet markets.

Elsewhere in the world, apples are also an important part of other New Year celebrations. In many other countries in Asia, for example, eating and giving fruit, especially apples, for Lunar New Year is considered lucky. In China, according to a New York Times article about Lunar New Year’s celebrations, “Apples are said to bring peace to whoever eats one, because the Chinese word for ‘apple’ sounds like the word meaning ‘peaceful.’” In Jewish cultures, the tradition to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah symbolizes a sweet new year.

So if you, too, want to add a bit of sweetness, luck, and peace to your life, consider biting into a fresh Washington apple to welcome in the year ahead.