What is the tree stating Tet holiday? The legend and the meaning of the tree on Tet holiday

Every New Year comes, the image of the tree becomes a very beautiful image in the first days of the year of the Vietnamese people. Families, especially those in rural areas, set up a tree in front of their house, and above the tree hang some typical symbolic items of each locality.

So, have you ever wondered why on New Year’s Day people build a tree, what does it mean? If you have such a question, then continue reading this article that will answer your question.

The legend of the tree mentioned Tet

Once upon a time, when demons were still rampant, the land, fields and gardens were all taken by them, people had to rent land to cultivate and then give most of the produce to them on the condition that the devil would take the tops and humans would take the body. and root . The main food at that time was rice, so almost people had no food to live on.

The legend of the tree mentioned Tet

Seeing the people having many difficulties, a fairy in the form of an old man appeared and told the farmers to plant potatoes because the roots are at the root and can be eaten . Then when the demons knew, the demons switched to the method of “eating the root for the top” . The fairy told people to switch to rice farming. As a result, the devil enjoys all the straw, and eats it again.

The devil was angry, so the next season the devil claimed to eat both the root and the top . The fairies gave farmers seeds of corn, the kind of food that had fruit on the stem, top, and root with nothing. In the end, the demons got angry and forced the humans to return all the land and not allow any more crops .

At this time, the fairies and the people discussed with the devil to ask for a piece of land the size of a shirt hanging on the top of a bamboo tree . The shadow of the shirt was small, and the demons agreed. However, when the shirt was raised, the fairy immediately allowed the shirt to grow larger and larger , the shadow of the shirt also gradually grew larger to scare away the demons who had to run to the sea.

Losing the living land, the demons mobilized their forces to rob them. At this time, the fairy told the people to attack with dog blood, pandan leaves, garlic, … because ropes are the things demons are afraid of. The Devil lost and returned to the East Sea. Before going, the devil asked the fairy to allow the first days of the year to return to the mainland to visit their grandparents and ancestors . Fairy pity should agree.

Since then, every year, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year , when the demons come to visit the mainland, people follow the old custom to erect a tree in front of the house , on the tree hang a wind chimes, there is a sound made when the wind vibrates to remind them. The devil remembers the old promise and avoids it .

Watch a video of the story of a tree stating Tet:

The meaning of the tree stating Tet holiday

From the story about the legend of the tree on Tet holiday, we can see that the tree is a symbol of the struggle between good and evil, to protect the peace of people’s lives from the devil.

Every time Tet comes, this is the time when the gods have to return to the heavens, so they are easily invaded and disturbed by the devil, so they need a “treasure” like a tree to fight them. Besides the meaning of warding off evil spirits, the New Year tree also has the meaning of wishing for a smooth new year, good crops, and national peace.

The meaning of the tree stating Tet holiday

In addition, the objects hanging on the tree also have a certain meaning such as: The bamboo represents the penis, the circular canopy represents the negative object. In particular, the canopy has 5 carp with 5 colors representing 5 colors in the five elements : yellow in the middle, white in the south, black in the north, blue in the east and red in the west .

When was the tree erected and fell?

In the religious custom of the Vietnamese people, the tree is erected in front of the house every Lunar New Year. On the tree are hung wind chimes and many other items depending on the customs of each region.

The tree is usually a bamboo tree about 6 meters long , erected in front of the house. According to Kinh people, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month , the day Tao Quan returns to heaven. At that time, there was no guardian spirit in the house and it was easy for the devil to come and disturb, so people built a tree to ward off evil spirits.

Some other ethnic groups such as the Muong plant this tree on the 28th day of the 12th lunar month . The Hmong build the tree in the blessing festival held from the 3rd to the 5th . The day the tree is erected is called the up-draft ceremony or the upper-level ceremony, the summer-day or the summer-day ceremony is on the 7th .

What hangs on the tree?

Depending on the region and typical customs, the tree will have different hanging items such as small bags of betel nut, large and small pieces of metal …

When the wind blows, they touch each other and make a very pleasant jingle . It is believed that the objects hanging from the tree, plus this noise, are to signal to the devil that this is a home with an owner not to disturb.

Some places even hang lanterns on the tree in the evening so that ancestors know the way home to celebrate Tet with their children and grandchildren. On New Year’s Eve, ancient Vietnamese people also set off firecrackers at the tree to celebrate the new year, ward off evil spirits or bad things.

Tree stating Tet holiday today

Today, the bamboo tree is not only a bamboo tree with traditional items anymore, but it has gradually become a typical symbol for Tet.

The tree is now not necessarily a bamboo but can be any tree as long as it is the right height to use socks. As for the items hanging on the tree, the day becomes more diverse.

If in the past, Vietnamese people used to hang bells, betel nut, pandan leaves, etc. on the tree, now the tree is decorated more beautifully by Vietnamese people like Tet couplets, red coins with the meaning not only Banish evil spirits, but the tree also welcomes good luck to the house.

How to build a tree for Tet

The way to make the tree is also quite simple, the bamboo made is usually old, tall, big, straight, with regular bamboo internodes and leaves a bunch of fresh leaves on the top . On the top can tie a few more pandan leaves to symbolize the sky.

The trunk can be decorated with flags, lanterns, couplets, wind spirits , etc. At the base sprinkle white lime powder to form circles or bows, arrows facing the gate to ward off evil spirits.

Today, the custom of building a tree on Tet holiday is gradually fading in modern life because most of the Vietnamese people only build the tree to beautify the house on Tet, but do not fully understand the spiritual meaning of the tree.

There is a proverb about trees stating the following:
Pineapple multi-leaf branch hanging proudly (high)
Lime powder sprinkled alley, don’t make fun of everyone
Demons come in, Devils come out
Pineapple leaves, I cut my mouth

Through this article, we hope that people will understand more about the tree and keep the traditional customs left by our ancestors.

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