Whenever the Lunar New Year (Tet) comes, normally from the 23rd of thelunar December to the New Year eve, Vietnamese families visit theirancestors’ tombs and clean gravesites.
They light incense at thegraves, sum up the family’s major events during the year for theirancestors and invite the dead to “go home” to enjoy Tet with the alive.
Then family members uproot weeds, tend to the flowers growing on ancestors’ gravesites and clean the grave stones.
Vietnamesepeople believe everything, including the dead’s tombs, should be cleanand bright in celebration of Tet in order to have good luck in the newyear.
Today in busy cities, the tradition seems moresignificant for old people, who are afraid younger generations may grownegligent of the family values in the busy modern life.
Manyconsiders tomb sweeping day not only a chance for family reunion butalso for children and grandchildren to fulfil their duties and showrespect to parents and the ancestors as a whole.
That’s why tombsweeping tradition bears strong family identity with big familiesalways fixing a specific date for all members to gather and go together,thus strengthen the family unity and value.
After the tombsweeping day, Vietnamese families often prepare a six-dish tray of foodon the last day of the lunar December to welcome ancestors back home forTet. A send-off party will be held on the third or fourth day of thelunar January, accordingly the local or family tradition.-VNA