On Jan. 25 to 26, the Vietnamese Association in Saitama hosted its first major Tet gathering, an event that brought together tens of thousands of attendees from around the region to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
For Vietnamese people, Tet is the most significant cultural celebration of the year, a time when heaven, earth and humanity are believed to be in harmony. The holiday, thought to sweep away bad luck and usher in good fortune, is marked by festive feasts and the joy and warmth of family reunions.
Since moving to Japan in 2013, I have attended multiple Vietnamese cultural festivals, including the Vietnam Festival held annually in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park, but never a Tet festival. So when I heard this would be the biggest Tet gathering in the Kanto area, I decided I had to go.
