The sight of families bustling around cleaning and decorating their homes is a sign that another spring is approaching. During the Tet holiday, everyone, every family tidies up and decorates their home so that it feels clean, complete, and even more beautiful. The act of decorating for Tet holds significant meaning; besides making the home cleaner, it symbolizes a prosperous new year and a thriving spring.
Common Decorations Used During Tet
Bright and vibrant decorations not only symbolize good fortune but also represent the warmth of family reunions…
Home decoration during the end of the year is something that nearly every Vietnamese family does to prepare for Tet. Besides cleaning or renovating the house, choosing beautiful decorative items is an essential part of bringing spring into every home.
Home decoration during Tet is an essential task for every family
Tet decorations come in various forms, such as lanterns, red couplets, and Tet paintings, but they typically share a common theme of bright red or yellow colors.
This is because, according to Vietnamese beliefs, red symbolizes happiness, while yellow represents wealth and prosperity. Below are common decorative items used in homes to celebrate Tet.
They are suitable for many places in the house such as window sills, or hanging next to couplets.
Lucky Strings
Lucky strings, typically made of red threads connecting coins and gold nuggets, often feature words wishing for luck and wealth. They are a popular decorative item among many families and can be placed on window sills, hung next to couplets, or arranged on fruit trays.
Especially for families using peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, or kumquat trees for Tet display, lucky strings serve as beautiful accessories that enhance the appearance of these plants.
Red Couplets
In the past, red couplets were often handwritten on paper. Nowadays, there are more options available, including printed or embroidered versions on various materials. Red couplets are a traditional decoration during Tet.
They are often hung in prominent places such as on either side of the altar, in the living room, or at the main entrance of the house. With phrases that carry positive meanings, red couplets have become a necessary decoration for any home during Tet.
Moreover, aside from affirming the beauty of national culture, red couplets express the Tet wishes of the homeowner for prosperity throughout the year. Thus, hanging couplets has become increasingly popular, and it is now easy to find them in markets instead of having to request them from calligraphers as in the past.
Tet Paintings
Tet paintings are commonly found in many households.
Images of happiness and abundance in Tet paintings serve as beautiful decorations that make your home warmer and more inviting during the early days of the new year.
You can choose paintings from Dong Ho or Hang Trong, or those featuring vibrant spring colors to brighten up the living room or dining area. Alternatively, wall decals can create a friendly space for welcoming guests during Tet.
Lanterns
Creating a warm and sparkling atmosphere for family gatherings during Tet can be achieved with red lanterns or beautifully crafted lanterns.
Artificial Flowers
Artificial flowers are a simple and effective choice for decorating your home during spring.
Using fresh flowers for decoration is not always feasible, especially in high-temperature areas like kitchens or altars. Therefore, artificial flowers are the perfect choice. Made from materials such as fabric or clay, their vibrant shapes and colors make them a simple yet effective decoration for the spring season.
Additionally, red envelopes can also serve as beautiful decorations around the house. With elaborate designs, red envelopes can easily become charming decorations on your peach or apricot trees.
Window and Wall Decals
Simple yet elegant apricot blossom wall decals.
Another trendy item is wall and window decals featuring spring motifs such as apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, couplets, lanterns, zodiac signs of the year, and New Year wishes.
Whether decorating for homes, companies, or stores, decals are always a top choice for holidays due to their convenience and the increasing variety of designs available.
Ornamental Plants and Flowers
Ornamental plants and flowers are essential decorations for Tet. Beautiful potted plants not only make the home cozier but also bring auspicious meanings. Therefore, to enhance the Tet atmosphere, arranging flowers and plants is extremely important.
Yellow apricot flowers are commonly displayed in homes in the central and southern regions. The bright yellow petals symbolize wealth and good fortune. Displaying a yellow apricot tree in the living room brings a warm family gathering atmosphere.
Peach blossoms are more popular in the northern regions. A peach blossom tree in the corner of the house brings a characteristic joyful feeling of Tet. Moreover, vibrant red peach blossoms symbolize good luck.
In addition to traditional flowers, you may choose exotic varieties like rhododendrons, orchids, or hydrangeas based on personal preferences and economic conditions.
Wealth Plants
Wealth plants have recently become a popular decoration during Tet. Most wealth plants are made from paper money, coins, or colorful decorative paper.
Fairy Lights
To make the space more sparkling during Tet, many people choose to buy various types of fairy lights. You can opt for traditional multicolored lights or star-shaped lights, string lights, or color-changing box lights. Decorating ornamental plants and flowers with these lights is beautiful.
