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Father Thuan Hoang, pastor of Church of the Visitacion in San Francisco, hands out lucky money, or “lì xì,” to children Jan. 26 during the parish’s celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday. (Nicholas Wolfram Smith/Catholic San Francisco)
Jan. 27, 2020
Nicholas Wolfram Smith
A banging drum and snapping firecrackers announced the start of Church of the Visitacion’s celebration of the second day of Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday that marks the traditional start of spring. Lion dancers and their grinning handler, traditional elements of Vietnamese celebrations, led the procession into the church as symbols of good luck and blessings for the coming new year.
“Today is so special because it reminds us of the special things in our lives,” Church of the Visitacion pastor Father Thuan Hoang said in his homily at Mass. “The Gospel reminds us we need to be grateful to our families and pay respect to our parents. And if they’re gone, pray for them and if they’re still alive, show our respect to them. That’s what the church wants to remind us on the second day of Tet.”
The Vietnamese celebration of Lunar New Year, which began this year on Jan. 25, is traditionally a multi-day celebration. In rural Vietnam, Father Hoang explained, Tet can be celebrated for nearly a month, while cities more often celebrate it for a week. In the United States, Vietnamese New Year is typically celebrated for three days and each day has a customary intention.
The first day, he said, is for “thanking God, who created, saved and sanctified us.” The second day is devoted to appreciating one’s ancestors by thanking them, praying for them and learning from their example. On the third day, people ask God to bless the work each person does in the upcoming year.
In addition to starting their year with gratitude for what God has given and praying for his blessings on their new year, Father Hoang encouraged parishioners to renew their faith as well. God had saved humanity so it could become like him and each person should use his or her intelligence and free will as an “offering to God,” he said.
“We can share the Gospel with our words, but through acts of love and forgiveness we will penetrate people's hearts. So we must give thanks to God because God has given us the opportunity to come here and participate in the sacrifice of the altar.”