Top Flowers and Plants at Tet festival

Top Flowers and Plants at Tet festival

Vietnam is full of unique cultural features that any tourist would like to know about on their trip to this S-shape country. Ao Dai – national clothes with its elegant beauty or traditional festivals has been the pride of Vietnamese people for many years. Tet festival is the biggest festival in the country with lots of activities. Decorating houses and buildings by flowers and plants symbolizing luckiness, richness and happiness is a must at the Tet festival. Every family, rich or poor, has at least one daisy pot or one branch of apricot blossom in his house. A few months before Tet, farmers have grown many kinds of flowers that have good meanings. One week before the first day of New Year in the lunar calendar, colorful flowers are sold at flower markets which are crowded with people coming to buy flowers and plants to decorate their houses. People also come to flower markets to take photographs or just walk around. Followings are Top Flowers and Plants at Tet festival and their meanings:

1. Yellow apricot blossom

A tree with countless yellow apricot blossoms

Yellow apricot blossom is a long year tree and only grown in South Vietnam. This kind of flower is not only elegant but simple so that it’s the most favorite flower at Tet festival. Yellow apricot flowers flourish after being defoliated half a month. Some families can grow apricot trees in their gardens so that their flowers flourish each year. Others buy branches of yellow apricot blossom or rent big trees to decorate houses at Tet.

It has been said that if yellow apricot flourishes at Tet festival, especially on New Year’s Eve there will be good fortune all around the new year. The most popular kind of yellow apricot flower has 5 petals. They represent happiness, longevity, richness, luckiness and beauty.

2. Peach blossom

Peach blossom trees with lovely flowers and beautiful twisted branches.

Peach blossom is similar to apricot blossom but it’s only can be grown in North Vietnam. Peach blossom is one of the most favorite flowers at Tet festival in Vietnam. It’s as beautiful and bashful as Northern girls. It is said to be able to protect against devils and ghosts, bring peace and calmness into the host’s life. Representing multiply and new beginnings, peach blossom gives Vietnamese people hope about the best things in the future. It also symbolizes happiness, richness and luckiness.

3. Kumquat tree

Kumquat trees with hundreds of oranges, golden and green fruits.

Kumquat tree fructifies during the whole year but it produces more fruits at Tet festival. Vietnamese people believe that lush a kumquat tree brings them fortune, discernment, abundance of life and health. Kumquat tree should have a lot of green leaves and orange fruits. Kumquat is considered as the symbol of achievement in the new year.

4. Daisy

Chrysanthemum grandiflorum is called Cúc mâm xôi in Vietnamese, it literally means Daisy tray of steamed sticky rice and represents the abandance.

The daisies with high stalks are grown in terracotta pots.

These colorful daisies look so nice and definitely make Vietnamese houses splendid.

Daisy of different colors and sizes are popular flowers used to decorate houses at Tet festival. Daisy is the symbol of life, happiness and wealth. A daisy pot in front of the house help to make it colorful and create a peaceful and happy home environment. This kind of flower can also increase cheerfulness and blessing.

5. Marigold

Beautiful marigolds can be only sold and arranged in Vietnamese houses at Tet festival.

Marigold is one of the most favorite flowers at Tet in Vietnam, especially in South Vietnam for its gentle beauty, meaning of longevity, reasonable price, easy to transfer and staying longer. This kind of flower has two main colors: yellow and orange. Marigold symbolizes longevity, good health and luckiness.

6. Orchid

Different kinds of orchids in yellow, purple, white, pink colors at a flower Tet market.

White and purple moth orchid is one of the most popular flowers in Vietnam.

Orchid is considered as the symbol of gentle, dainty, dignity and beauty. Being diverse and colorful, orchid is a popular flower arranged in houses at the biggest festival in Vietnam.

7. Dracaena fragrans

Cornstalk Dracaena in pots.

Dracaena fragrans represent good fortune in new year, their leaf buds represent new fortune. Putting dracaena fragrans in houses at Tet, Vietnamese people wish good luck and “myriad things go according to their will” (vạn sự như ý).

8. Rosa Canina Buds

Vases of rosa canina buds with bows, ribbons and decorative strings.

Dried rosa canina buds (Nụ tầm xuân) in red, yellow, pink, green colors are one of the most popular flowers at Tet festival thanks to its meaning. The flower is called tầm xuân which literally means “find the spring”. The dried buds are in grey color, they are dyed and turn into red, yellow, pink, or green. The branches with countless tiny buds are usually arranged in elegant high ceramic vases which are decorated with colorful ribbons and wraps are used to decorate around the mouth. They hang decorative strings with Happy New Year, Ten Thousands of Desirable Things phrases or lantern, carp strings on the branches and wish for a lucky, successful and happy new year.

Why do Humans love Flower? People love flowers for their textures, colors, shapes and fragrances. Flowers also contain good meanings and we believe that they bring happiness, luckiness, blessings to us. At the biggest festival of the country, all Vietnamese people arrange flowers and plants to make their houses more colorful and wish a better new year for all family members as well as visitors. Besides Top Flowers and Plants at Tet festival, there is a wide range of species which are grown, sold and used to decorate houses at Tet such as transvaal daisy, marigold, sunflower, lily, rose, lisianthus…