Vietnam public holidays and special events
Politics affects everything, including public holidays. As an indication of Vietnam's new openness, Christinas, New Year's Day, Tet (Lunar New Year) and Buddha's Birthday were re-established as holidays after a 15-year lapse.
The following is a list of Vietnam's public holidays:
New Year's Day (Tet Duong Lich) 1 January
Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnamese Communist Party (Thanh Lap Dang CSVN) 3 February - the Vietnamese Communist Party was founded on this date in ] 930.
Liberation Day (Saigon Giai Phong) 30 April - the date on which Saigon surrendered is commemorated nationwide as Liberation Pay Many cities and provinces also commemorate the anniversary of the date, in March or Aprit 1975, on which they were 'liberated' bv the North Vietnamese Army
International Workers' Day (Quoc Te Lao Dong) 1 May - also known as May Day, this falls back-lo-back with Liberation Day, giving everyone a two-day holiday
Ho Chi Minh's Birthday (Sinh Nhat Bac Ho) 19 May
Buddha's Birthday (Phat Dan) Eighth day of the fourth moon (usually June)
National Day (Quocc Khanh) 2 September -commemorates the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence ol the Democratic Republic of Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh in 1945.
Cliiistmas (Giang Sinh) 25 December
Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas when the moon is full or just the thinnest sliver. Many Buddhists eat only vegetarian food on these days, which, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, fall on the 14th and 15th days of the month and from the last (29th or 30th) day of the month to the first daj of the next month.
Festivals
The following major religious festivals include Ihe lunar date (check against any Vietnamese calendar for the Gregorian dates):
Tet (Tel Nguyen Dan) first to seventh days of the first moon - the Vietnamese Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the year and falls in late January or early February. This public holiday is officially three days, but many people take an entire week off work and few businesses are open.
Holiday of ihe Deal (Thanh Minh) Fifth day of the third moon - people pay solemn visits lo graves of deceased relatives, specially tidied up a few days before, and make offerings of food, flowers, Joss stick; and votive papers.
Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Death Eighth day of the fourth moon-this day is celebrated at pagodas and temples which, like many private homes, are festooned with lanterns. Processions are held in Ihe evening. This festival has been redesignated a public holiday.
Summer Solstice Day (Tet Doan Ngo) Fifth day of the fifth moon - offerings are made to spirits, ghosts and the God of Death to ward of Fepidemics. Human effigies are burned to satisfy the requirements of the Cod of Death for souls to staff his army.
Wandering Souls Day (Trung Nguyen) Fifteenth day of the seventh moon - this is the second-largest Vietnamese festival of the year. Offerings nf food and gifts arc made in homes and pagodas for the wandering souls of Ihe forgotten dead.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Trung Thu) Fifteenth day of the eighth moon - this festival is celebrated with moon cakes ot sticky rice filled with lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, the yolks of duck eggs, raisins, sugar and other such things. This festival is like Christmas Day for children, who cairy colourful lanterns in Ihe form of boats, unicorns, dragons, lobsters, carp, hares, toads etc in an evening procession accompanied by the banging of drums and cymbals.
Confucius' Birthday Twenty-eighth day of the ninth moon
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