Bishops to Preside Over Lunar New Year and Vietnamese Tết Celebration in Orange County
GARDEN GROVE, Calif., (Jan. 28, 2016) – The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange, and the Most Rev. Dominic M. Luong, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Orange, will preside over a Mass and celebration marking the lunar new year and the traditional Vietnamese Tết holiday.
This Orange County celebration, the largest of its kind in the United States, marks the beginning of the Year of the Monkey and will feature a variety of vibrant cultural traditions.
Event Details
- What: Mass and Celebration for the Lunar New Year (Tết)
- When: Monday, February 8, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.
- Where: Vietnamese Catholic Center (1538 N. Century Blvd., Santa Ana, CA)
- Who: Presided by Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Bishop Dominic M. Luong
Celebration Highlights
The event will be marked by a ceremony and Mass featuring:
- Dragon dancing and ceremonial drumming
- Entertainment from well-known Vietnamese performers
- A Vietnamese Catholic choir contest
- A traditional Áo Dài pageant
- Displays of thousands of varieties of flowers
A Message of Peace for the New Year
“I am honored to celebrate this Mass and traditional holiday at the center of our Vietnamese-American Catholic community,” said Bishop Luong. “As we mark the beginning of the Year of the Monkey we honor the Lord and call for more peaceful relationships between all societies and people.”
Understanding the Traditions of Tết
Tết is an abbreviation for Tết Nguyên Đán, which means the first morning of the first day. The festival is a celebration of the symbiotic and peaceful relationship between the Creator and humans. Key traditions include:
- Symbolic Trees: Families display a Cây Nêu (a cone-shaped kumquat tree) for good luck and hang a branch from a Hoa Mai tree, whose small yellow blossoms signal spring and a new beginning.
- Celebrating Birthdays: In Vietnamese tradition, individual birthdays are not tracked. Instead, everyone turns one year older on Tết, regardless of when they were born.
- Lucky Money (lì xì): On the first morning of Tết, adults celebrate the children’s new age by presenting them with red envelopes that contain “Lucky Money.”