regional customs
Velvet paws everywhere: Vietnam is starting the year of the cat
A statue of a big cat is erected in Hanoi. Countless, sometimes oversized house tigers have found their way into Vietnam. Reason: In the country on the Mekong, the year of the cat begins this weekend. photo
© Chris Humphrey/dpa
Invasion of the house tiger: Whether small, large or oversized – the velvet paws determine the picture in Vietnam nationwide for the year of the cat. The big neighbor China meanwhile relies on a completely different animal.
Whether at the airport, in parks or shopping malls: countless, sometimes oversized house cats have found their way into Vietnam. Reason: In the country on the Mekong, the year of the cat begins this weekend. According to the lunar calendar, Tet, as the Vietnamese New Year is called, begins on Sunday night. Most Vietnamese have several days off as the celebrations last until January 26th.
Tet is considered the most important festival in the country, comparable to Christmas in Germany. Traditions include special foods such as sticky rice cakes, fireworks to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, and giving away red envelopes containing lucky money. In addition, the houses are decorated with kumquat trees and peach blossom branches.
In other Asian countries, too, the new year starts at the weekend, for example in China. However, the year of the rabbit begins there. While Vietnam shares most of the signs of the zodiac with its big neighbor, the rabbit is different. There are various theories as to why Beijing celebrates the long ears and Hanoi the velvet paw at the same time. Some point to mythological differences, others to confusion due to linguistic similarities.
The Vietnamese say that those who are born in the year of the cat have many characteristics of the house tiger: sensitivity and vigilance as well as intelligence, creativity and ambition. A specimen more than two meters tall is currently enthroned at the entrance to Thong Nhat Park in the capital Hanoi.