| Politics affects everything, including public holidays. As | | | | Tet (Tel Nguyen Dan) first to seventh days of the |
| an indication of Vietnam's new openness, Christinas, | | | | first moon - the Vietnamese Lunar New Year is the |
| New Year's Day, Tet (Lunar New Year) and Buddha's | | | | most important festival of the year and falls in late |
| Birthday were re-established as holidays after a | | | | January or early February. This public holiday is |
| 15-year lapse. | | | | officially three days, but many people take an |
| The following is a list of Vietnam's public holidays: | | | | entire week off work and few businesses are |
| New Year's Day (Tet Duong Lich) 1 January | | | | open. |
| Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnamese | | | | Holiday of ihe Deal (Thanh Minh) Fifth day of the third |
| Communist Party (Thanh Lap Dang CSVN) 3 | | | | moon - people pay solemn visits lo graves of |
| February - the Vietnamese Communist Party was | | | | deceased relatives, specially tidied up a few days |
| founded on this date in ] 930. | | | | before, and make offerings of food, flowers, Joss |
| Liberation Day (Saigon Giai Phong) 30 April - the date | | | | stick; and votive papers. |
| on which Saigon surrendered is commemorated | | | | Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Death Eighth day |
| nationwide as Liberation Pay Many cities and | | | | of the fourth moon-this day is celebrated at |
| provinces also commemorate the anniversary of the | | | | pagodas and temples which, like many private homes, |
| date, in March or Aprit 1975, on which they were | | | | are festooned with lanterns. Processions are held in |
| 'liberated' bv the North Vietnamese Army | | | | Ihe evening. This festival has been redesignated a |
| International Workers' Day (Quoc Te Lao Dong) 1 | | | | public holiday. |
| May - also known as May Day, this falls back-lo-back | | | | Summer Solstice Day (Tet Doan Ngo) Fifth day of |
| with Liberation Day, giving everyone a two-day | | | | the fifth moon - offerings are made to spirits, |
| holiday | | | | ghosts and the God of Death to ward of |
| Ho Chi Minh's Birthday (Sinh Nhat Bac Ho) 19 May | | | | Fepidemics. Human effigies are burned to satisfy |
| Buddha's Birthday (Phat Dan) Eighth day of the | | | | the requirements of the Cod of Death for souls to |
| fourth moon (usually June) | | | | staff his army. |
| National Day (Quocc Khanh) 2 September | | | | Wandering Souls Day (Trung Nguyen) Fifteenth day |
| -commemorates the proclamation of the | | | | of the seventh moon - this is the second-largest |
| Declaration of Independence ol the Democratic | | | | Vietnamese festival of the year. Offerings nf food |
| Republic of Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh in 1945. | | | | and gifts arc made in homes and pagodas for the |
| Cliiistmas (Giang Sinh) 25 December | | | | wandering souls of Ihe forgotten dead. |
| Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese | | | | Mid-Autumn Festival (Trung Thu) Fifteenth day of |
| pagodas when the moon is full or just the thinnest | | | | the eighth moon - this festival is celebrated with |
| sliver. Many Buddhists eat only vegetarian food on | | | | moon cakes ot sticky rice filled with lotus seeds, |
| these days, which, according to the Chinese lunar | | | | watermelon seeds, peanuts, the yolks of duck eggs, |
| calendar, fall on the 14th and 15th days of the month | | | | raisins, sugar and other such things. This festival is like |
| and from the last (29th or 30th) day of the month | | | | Christmas Day for children, who cairy colourful |
| to the first daj of the next month. | | | | lanterns in Ihe form of boats, unicorns, dragons, |
| Festivals | | | | lobsters, carp, hares, toads etc in an evening |
| The following major religious festivals include Ihe | | | | procession accompanied by the banging of drums and |
| lunar date (check against any Vietnamese calendar | | | | cymbals. |
| for the Gregorian dates): | | | | |