Students came together last night to celebrate the beginning of Tet, three days of celebrations for the Vietnamese New Year.
Ackerman Grand Ballroom was filled with people from a variety of backgrounds. They watched members of VietNamese Language and Culture club, or VNLC, perform skits, traditional music and dance, and wished each other “chúch mùng năm mói,” which means “happy New Year” in Vietnamese.
Though Tet officially begins next week, VNLC held celebrations Sunday night so students could celebrate both with their families and with their friends at UCLA.
Tet is a period of relaxation and rejuvenation after 12 months of labor in the spring time in Vietnam, according to festival organizers.
Traditionally, Vietnamese families try to start the year with good deeds and kindness to ensure prosperity for the rest of the year, according to Helena Tran, former director of VNLC.
“There are a lot of traditions. We try to clean up the house, pay our debts,” Tran said. “If we do something bad, we want to compensate for that, and there are superstitions, like you don’t sweep your house during the New Year so that you don’t chase away the good luck.”
However, she said the event was mostly for families and friends to come together and enjoy themselves.
“It’s New Year so we relax,” she added.
Students played games of chance to see what their luck would be like in the coming year, including Bà u Cua Cá Cop, a dice game, and Dzách, a card game similar to blackjack. Students also had their palms read and were told fortunes in keeping with this tradition.
Students said they were amazed by the authenticity of the experience.
“It’s really impressive. All the food, candy and dancing ““ a lot of those are signature Vietnamese New Year,” said Dorothy Le, a fourth-year geography and environmental studies student.
Uyen Lam, Tet festival co-director and third-year psychobiology student, said the event was important to remind people of their heritage.
“A lot of our culture and tradition is centered in these three days. A lot of our members now were born in the U.S., and they never experienced what childhood is like in Vietnam,” Lam said.
Students said they enjoyed returning to their traditions.
“It’s great to see students bringing the culture to life,” said Huy Chung, a graduate student in education.
Quang Le, a second-year civil engineering student, said the events reminded him of his roots.
“It brings back a piece of home, lets you know where you’re coming from,” he said.
The event was enjoyed by students from many backgrounds, not only Vietnamese. Joe Bindel, a material science graduate student, said he was impressed by a culture he didn’t know much about.
“I had no idea what to expect. It’s really cool,” he added.
Organizers were pleased at the diversity of students who were able to experience Vietnamese culture.
“We created this Tet so all (Vietnamese) students can celebrate with other people and within the UCLA community. We want to show people our culture,” Tran said.
VNLC members said that the event was bigger than ever because of the past experience of similar events.
“Many people are intrigued by the language and the culture itself and the welcoming atmosphere you get at events like these,” Lam said.