This morning, January 22, 2025, the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center organized a performance program to reenact the “Farewell to the Old, Welcome to the New” ceremony to recreate unique folk and royal rituals and customs. These are activities that contribute to preserving the good customs and practices of our ancestors, inspiring the quintessence of national culture and educating traditions for the younger generation.

Traditional rituals were reenacted this morning:

1. Incense offering ceremony at Kinh Thien Palace

Comrades from the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; the UNESCO Office in Hanoi; Scientists, the Department of Cultural Heritage, Department leaders and Center leaders offered incense at Kinh Thien Palace to commemorate the 52 former emperors.

2. Calendar Promotion Ceremony

The calendar is not only a sacred ritual that plays a very important role in the royal and folk life of the past, but the “calendar” has become a special object closely associated with the lives of people in the past, present and future. Therefore, this ritual is like a connecting thread between contemporary people and the culture of the past. It is this difference that in the year of At Ty 2025, the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center coordinated with units to perform the calendar ceremony in the form of dramatization with ancient royal court rituals.

3. Carp releasing ceremony to send the Kitchen Gods to heaven

The ritual of releasing carp on the day of Ong Cong Ong Tao is a traditional custom of the Vietnamese people, showing respect to the Kitchen Gods. On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month every year, families perform a ritual to send Ong Cong and Ong Tao to heaven, praying for peace and prosperity for the country and their families in the new year. In Vietnamese folklore, carp is associated with a famous legend about transforming into a dragon. Carp has become a symbol of perseverance, endurance, luck with will, strength and success. After a period of careful study, collection and research, the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center has successfully reproduced this ritual, becoming a unique traditional cultural beauty of the capital during the spring to welcome the new year.

4. Tree raising ceremony

The Tet pole is a traditional custom of the Vietnamese people, usually erected on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. This is a tall, straight bamboo tree, with all branches and leaves trimmed, leaving only a few leaves on the top. On the top of the tree, spiritual objects such as amulets, five-color flags, wind chimes, etc. are often hung, depending on the customs of each locality. The pole erection is meant to ward off evil spirits, protect the family from evil and pray for a peaceful and lucky new year. The pole is erected on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, after the ceremony of sending the Kitchen Gods to heaven, and taken down on the 7th day of the 1st lunar month, ending the Tet holiday. The custom of erecting the pole is not only popular among the Kinh people and the people, but is also maintained in the Thang Long citadel as well as appearing in many other ethnic minorities in Vietnam. This is a custom with its own variations and meanings, demonstrating the diversity and richness of national culture. For many years now, on December 23, the Thang Long Heritage Conservation Center in Hanoi has recreated the custom of Raising and Lowering the Neu pole to preserve one of the traditional cultural features of the Vietnamese people.

5. Changing of the Guard Ceremony

Guarding and protecting the palace was organized very strictly by feudal dynasties. Changing the guard was an important ritual that took place every day in the Thang Long Forbidden City and the Le Dynasty was no exception. Entering and leaving the palace required a royal decree to enter or exit the forbidden gate. If there was an order to summon any mandarin, during the day they used ivory tablets and command flags, at night they used tiger talismans and command flags, then the guards were allowed to open the gate. To ensure the guarding duty, the law stipulated that soldiers must arrive on time, in the right number and fully prepared with support tools.

Tet usually starts on the 23rd of December in the old year and ends on the 7th of January in the new year. Everyone hopes and welcomes a new year with good things, luck, peace and prosperity.