Longevity custom features Vietnamese native culture

Longevity wishing ceremony is to wish an elderly person longevity. That is a Vietnamese custom, when their grandparents or parents reach the old age, children show their profound gratitude to them by celebrating a ceremony to wish them good health and long life.

Longevity custom features Vietnamese native culture

During the Tran Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, the 40 year old emperor gave up his throne to his son to become a Buddhist monk. According to village customs, a man of 50 is to be honored as an old man. Old men stop working and are no longer village officials; however, they are still invited to festivals and to sears in the communal house. Here, they are seated honorably on red-bordered mats.

Showing respect and esteem for the elderly is a tradition that remains today. Nowadays, when grandparents or parents reach the ages of 70, 80 or 90, their children and grandchild organize ceremonies for longevity which are generally held on birthdays or during the spring days during Tet. The celebration day depends on each local: on the first lunar January or on 15 lunar January, commonly happens in early spring festival. Longevity ceremony is considered to be a traditional formal ceremony, featuring cultural background based on the fathers’ customs.

Such celebrations are occasions to show devotion and respect to grandparents and parents. Celebrations for longevity, either large or small, manifest the family’s joy in having a relative who has been able to lead a long life. Today, in almost every village or urban district, there is an association of longevity for the elderly. When reaching the ages of 70 or 80, the old are offered red dresses and other gifts and are invited to be photographed.

Related Posts

“Danh du” (Swings)

Danh du” (Swings) have been traditional game at Vietnamese village festivals for centuries. The game is most...

Mam Ngu Qua – sends Tet traditional flavours

For a long time, together with horizontal lacquered boards engraved with Chinese characters, parallel sentences written...

Traditional Women Hairstyles in Northern Vietnam

The “khan dong” is a black piece of fabric wrapped around a girl’s long hair so that it forms a tube around...

Vietnamese Lunar Calendar

Though today, people in Vietnam use the western calendar for most practical matters of daily life, the old system still...

A traditional craft village in Thai Binh

Throughout centuries, traditional crafts and craft villages have been existed and developed as an integral part of Thai...

Parallels and Fireworks in Tet

Composing, challenging and displaying parallels represents an elegant cultural activity of the Vietnamese people. On...

Tò he, traditional toys in Vietnam

In the old days, when comics and illustrated books had yet come into existence in Vietnam, “tò he” was made to...

Diều sáo, so interesting!

“Diều sáo” (kite flying) are Vietnamese kites that make music, so interesting! If you are in Vietnam, you will...