‘A very sacred time’: Orange County’s Vietnamese Catholic community celebrates Lunar New Year
Parishioners trickled into the Vietnamese Catholic Center in Santa Ana on the morning of Feb. 1, some wearing the traditional Vietnamese “Ao Dai” and even more wearing red, the color associated with luck and prosperity, for a mass celebrating the Tết Lunar New Year.
The Most Rev. Thanh Thai Nguyen, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Orange, presided over the mass that included a large firecracker display to ward off evil spirits and an offering to the ancestors.
The mass was the first of two the Diocese of Orange is hosting to honor the Lunar New Year.
Bishop Nguyen will also preside over Mass and provide a special New Year’s blessing at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine on the Christ Cathedral campus in Garden Grove on Feb. 5 at 8:30 a.m.
“The Lunar New Year is a very sacred time for the Vietnamese community,” said Bishop Nguyen, who is the second Vietnamese American in U.S. history to hold the position of bishop. “It has a lot of corresponding themes similar to what we celebrate here in the United States.”
Tết is an abbreviation for Tết Nguyên Đán, which means the first morning of the first day of the first period. The celebration typically last three days.
“On the first day we pray for peace,” said Bishop Nguyen. “On the second day of Tết we pray for our ancestors, to remind us to show respect and take care of our parents and grandparents. On the third day of Tết we pray for good jobs.”
The Tết festival not only marks the New Year but celebrates the symbiotic relationship between all things and honors the peaceful relationship between the creator and human beings. Bishop Nguyen said Tết is also a time to give thanks and a time to correct mistakes.
“But I think the most important thing for our Christian faith is Tết is a time to renew our trust in the Lord,” said Bishop Nguyen.
The mass celebrated those themes in a number of ways.
“You will see today proceeding the mass what we call the traditional offering to the ancestors,” said Bishop Nguyen.
Trays of fruits symbolizing prosperity were set out for the ancestors as an act of gratitude. The importance of family was demonstrated by the groups of parents, grandparents and young children gathered in the outdoor pavilion of the Vietnamese Catholic Center.
Parishioners also prayed for peace and relief from the suffering brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, a theme Bishop Nguyen said he planned to make the focus of his homily.
“The past year we were confronted with COVID and the worries and anxieties and so on and so forth, so we need peace,” said Bishop Nguyen. “That is what we need for the whole year, and that is what I would pray for the Vietnamese community and for all people. To have peace throughout the year. ”
On the first morning of Tết, adults celebrate the New Year by presenting children with red envelopes that contain “lucky money,” or lì xì. Red envelopes hung from the branches of cherry trees at the center, which also hold special meaning for the holiday. Since the Tết festival takes place during Vietnam’s spring season, flower displays are used to symbolize a new beginning. Cherry blossoms, yellow Mai flower trees and orchids are popular for the holiday.
The rows of red firecrackers sent smoke billowing into the air as parishioners gathered around to see the display, some plugging their ears. The loud bang is said to not only ward off negative energy but meant as a celebratory sound to spark joy.
“This is a festive celebration that comes from the heart,” Bishop Nguyen said. “Very festive and very joyful.”
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