COUNTYWIDE : Many Ceremonies, One Celebration
Tet, the celebration of the lunar new year in Vietnam, is Monday, ushering in the Year of the Rat.
Anticipated in much the same way as Christmas is in European cultures, Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam. Religious and cultural events honor the dead and celebrate the future. For many, it is the chance to put differences aside and start anew.
Tet festival ceremonies often include the dragon dance, performed only for royalty in feudal times; the use of firecrackers, which were once thought to drive away evil spirits or haunted souls; and feasts of traditional foods.
Among Tet celebrations coming up are:
* Rancho Santiago College Tet Festival, Santa Ana campus, 1530 W. 17th St., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Features: dragon dancers, fashion shows, other entertainment. Proceeds will go to nonprofit Vietnamese language and tutoring groups, college scholarships and refugee camps in Vietnam.
* Little Saigon Tet Festival, Bolsa Avenue between Moran and Bushard streets, Westminster. Feb. 23, 3 to 10 p.m.; Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Feb. 25, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The 16th annual festival, co-sponsored by the city for the first time, will benefit the long-planned Vietnamese American Heritage Center and tourist bureau.
Features: cultural exhibits, a parade, more than 200 food booths, a carnival and pedicabs brought in from Vietnam.
* Garden Grove Tet Festival, Garden Grove Park, 9301 Westminster Ave., Feb. 23 to 25, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The three-day festival, sponsored by the Vietnamese Community of Southern California, will benefit local charities and organizations.
* Westminster Mall’s Asian Festival, off the San Diego Freeway at Golden West Street and Bolsa Avenue. Continuing Saturday and Sunday during mall hours.
Features: prominent Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese performers in dance, comedy, magic and music presentations.
* Fay Fryberger Elementary School Tet Celebration, 6952 Hood Drive, Westminster. Today, 9:30 and 10:45 a.m.
Features: poetry reading, drama and musical performances.
* Finley Elementary School Tet Celebration, 13521 Edwards St., Westminster, Feb. 23, 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.
Features: fashion shows, dragon dance and a cultural display in the school library.
* Thomas Paine Elementary School Tet celebration, 15792 Ward St., Garden Grove, Friday, 10 a.m. to noon.
Features: Vietnamese foods, native dances and costumes from Southeast Asia.