FESTIVAL
1. Từ vựng ngày Tết Nguyên Đán
Lunar New Year: Tết Nguyên Đán
New Year’s Eve: Đêm Giao Thừa
Peach blossom = hoa đào
Apricot blossom = hoa mai
Vietnamese square sticky rice cake = bánh chưng
Vietnamese cylindrical sticky rice cake = bánh tét
Pickled small leeks = củ kiệu
Roasted watermelon seeds = hạt dưa
Dried candied fruits = mứt
Braised pork and eggs = thịt kho trứng
Family union = family gathering = cuộc đoàn tụ gia đình
Five-fruit tray = mâm ngũ quả
Parallel sentences = câu đối
Ritual = lễ nghi
Incense stick = nhang
Altar = bàn thờ
Worship the ancestor = thờ cúng tổ tiên
Lucky money = tiền lì xì
Spring cleaning = dọn dẹp nhà vào năm mới
Get rid of bad spirit = xua đuổi tà ma
Thắp nhang = light incense sticks
in honor of = nhân dịp
sense of belonging = cảm giác thuộc về
drift apart = dần xa cách
tighten the bonds = thắt chặt mối quan hệ
hustle and bustle = sự hối hả, bận rộn
blow off some steam = nghỉ xả hơi
2. Talk about Tet holiday in Viet Nam – IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a national festival in your country
You should say:
when it takes place
why it takes place
what the people do during this festival
and explain why this festival is important to you
ANSWER: (band 8.0+)
– I would like to talk about the Lunar New Year festival, also known as the Tet holiday,
which is the occasion expected the most by Vietnamese people every year. The festival
usually lasts for around 3-4 days, and it takes place when a new year comes according to
the lunar calendar.
– The Lunar New Year festival takes place because it is one of the most well-known
traditions of Vietnam. Our people have been celebrating this occasion for thousands of
years, and although there has been some recent argument about whether we should stop
celebrating this festival, I do not think this activity will come to an end soon, at least not in
the short term.
– There are some common things that people do during this festival. Perhaps the most
important thing is that people who work and study in big cities would go back to their
hometown to celebrate the new year with their families and relatives. The new year festival
is one of very few occasions that families can gather together, so it is easy to understand
why everyone in Vietnam expects this festival so much. Another thing that we usually do
is that we give children some “lucky money” with the hope that it will bring fortune to
those kids. We also have some other activities such as making “chung” cake, visiting
temples and pagodas… and so on.
– The new year festival is so important to me and also to all Vietnamese citizens. The
reason is because we get more days off from work and study, and therefore we have more
time to spend with our families and our loved ones. It is also a great time to think about
what we have done in the previous year, and to make plans for the upcoming year.