5 Traditions for Tết / Lunar New Year

With Tết / Lunar New Year just a day away on February 19th, I wanted to share five traditions that the Vietnamese practice in order to prepare for and celebrate the Lunar New Year which marks the beginning of Spring:

1.Clean the home prior to Tết to clear out the bad energy or luck, you don't want to clean on Tết because in doing so could sweep away the good luck

2.Fill the house with symbolic plants and flowers such as the yellow apricot blossoms, hoa mai; reddish, pink peach blossoms, hoa dao; or kumquat trees.

3.Cook three days worth of food since celebrations last three days

4.Pay off all debts so you are debt free by Tết

5.Parents buy their children new clothes to wear on Tết while visiting family to give their elders and family members new years wishes and receive red envelopes filled with money (Li Xi)

I shot the above look wearing a Thai Nguyen Collections 'áo dài' for our style series in which stylist Andrew Philip Nguyen put together a more modern, street-wear look, and I was photographed by Kevin Wong . See all my ao dai looks here.