1. Exhibition space “Old Tet – Tet during the subsidy period”

Go back in time to “Old Tet – Tet during the subsidy period” of the 70s and 80s to relive a special historical period of the country. Although Tet during the subsidy period was lacking in material things, it was full of humanity and sacredness. Tet is a time of waiting, excitement, and hope with so much joy for everyone. Near the days before Tet, the trading stores are always crowded with people standing in line waiting to buy Tet goods with coupons. Tet bags often contain boxes of Hanoi jam, packs of Ba Dinh tea, Thang Long cigarettes (or Dien Bien/Chien Thang/Song Hong), bottles of Thanh Mai lemon wine (or silkworm wine, orange wine, coffee wine), packs of soft candy… Tet foods include sticky rice, green beans, seaweed leaves, skin balls, rice paper, vermicelli, dried bamboo shoots, MSG, pepper, fish sauce, vinegar, eggs, pork, chicken… Besides, the customs of cleaning the house, playing with Tet flowers (peach blossoms, peony flowers, peony, money coins…), hanging Tet paintings (popularly scrolls, parallel sentences, five-fruit trays, water hyacinths…), wrapping Chung cakes, cleaning the altar, preparing offerings for Ong Cong Ong Tao, New Year’s Eve worship, ancestor worship, New Year greetings, spring outings… are still preserved and continued by the people. That shows that, although society has changed a lot, Tet now and Tet in the past still carry common values.

“Tet in the Subsidy Period” is recreated through 3 exhibition spaces: State Trade Pavilion, Painting – Flower – Fireworks Pavilion and Worship Space. Although the exhibition space is not large, it has highlighted the material, spiritual and cultural life of the people of Hanoi capital half a century ago.

– Location: Building 19C

– Exhibition time: From January 20, 2025

2. Exhibition space “Royal New Year’s Eve Rituals”

Through the Ly, Tran, and Le So dynasties, in the royal court of the Le Trung Hung period, a system of spring royal New Year’s Eve rituals was formed: the Tao Quan worship ceremony, the Lich Tien ceremony, the Xuan Nguu ceremony (welcoming the earthen buffalo and the Cau Mang god), the Phat Thuc ceremony (cleaning and sealing the seal), the Cap Huong ceremony (inviting the former emperors to celebrate the New Year), the Thuong Tieu ceremony (raising the Neu tree), the Tru Tich ceremony (New Year’s Eve worship), the ancestor worship ceremony, the Chinh Dan ceremony, the King’s longevity ceremony, the Giao Te ceremony (worshiping the heavens), the Khai Ha ceremony (lowering the Neu tree), the Khai An ceremony (opening the seal)… In which, there are 3 particularly important rituals: the Lich Tien ceremony, the Xuan Nguu ceremony, and the Chinh Dan ceremony.

The calendar ceremony is considered the first ritual of the royal court to signal to the people of the whole country about the time of “New Year’s Eve”. In the feudal dynasties of the East, the king considered himself the Son of Heaven, the one who connects heaven and the people, so he had the responsibility to make a calendar to inform the people of the time and weather so that the people could do farming, perform rituals and stabilize their lives. The Royal Calendar and the Le Dynasty’s Code both stated: Every year in the month of spring, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory conducts research and calculates the following year’s calendar, and compiles a draft of the new year’s calendar. By the sixth week, it is presented to the king for review, and seeing that the content of the draft is complete, the king approves it, orders the Central Secretariat to rewrite it accurately and assigns the Tri Giam to oversee the carving and printing. By the twelfth month, a good date and time are chosen to seal it. On the early morning of December 24 every year, at the dragon yard of Kinh Thien Palace, the royal court solemnly organizes the ceremony of presenting the Royal Calendar to the Emperor and bestowing the calendar on all mandarins and people. The ceremony is held with the regular court ritual presided over by the Ministry of Rites, the specialized department is the Ritual Department, in coordination with the Tu Le Giam, the Le Khoa, the Cap Mon…

The ceremony of presenting the Spring Bull is held on the day of the beginning of spring. The Lich Trieu Hien Chuong Loai Chi records: “Every November, the Tu Thien Giam makes a report stating which day is the beginning of spring and the spring bull model of that year, then hands it over to the Thuong Ban Bureau in the Ministry of Public Works. One day before the beginning of spring, in the afternoon, the Thuong Ban Bureau brings the earthen buffalo to the altar in Dong Ha ward, the prefects of Tho Xuong and Quang Duc districts perform the ceremony, then order the people of the ward to carry it to the altar in Ha Khau ward, the next morning the procession leaves early, the prefects all use mulberry branches to beat the earthen buffalo and then carry it to Kinh Thien Palace to perform the ceremony of presenting the Spring Bull. The civil and military mandarins, dukes, marquises, and baron, obeying the lord’s orders, all wear their official uniforms to the court to perform the ceremony. After the ceremony, the Tu Le Giam official carries the table for the Spring Bull in front of the lord’s house to the lord’s palace. Quan Cong Khoa according to the custom of granting to the mandarins”. According to the concept of the ancients, a year has 12 months, each month symbolizes the image of an animal belonging to the 12 zodiac animals, the last month of the year symbolizes the Buffalo, so it is called the month of Suu. This time is still the cold winter, making the buffalo statue initially means sending off the cold winter; later there is the custom of beating the spring buffalo to suppress and dispel the cold winter air, welcoming spring.

The Chinh Dan ceremony is held in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year with the solemn and dignified Grand Court ceremony, taking place in the Kinh Thien Palace yard. The Chinh Dan ceremony is a court ceremony, an occasion for the king, the royal family and hundreds of mandarins to meet on the first day of the new year, together wishing the king a long life, the people a warm and happy life, and the country a strong and prosperous one. During the Chinh Dan ceremony, 12 regions across the country present a congratulatory letter to the King. On this occasion, the King also holds a banquet and gives spring bonuses to the civil and military mandarins. Banquets and money are a custom that has existed since the Ly – Tran dynasties, showing the concern of the head of the country for his subjects.

All three ceremonies are displayed through the form of introducing documents, explaining with simulated paintings and model artifacts, helping visitors to visualize part of the political, cultural and historical life of the golden past of the ancient royal palace.

– Location: Building N14

– Exhibition time: From January 20, 2025