Primary Unit 1: CELEBRATING CULTURE: TET

Major Themes
Culture
Introduce students to an understanding of how important celebrations are in a culture.

Outomes

• describe beliefs and activities associated with Tet;
• recognise that Tet is celebrated in Australia as well as in Vietnam;
• identify why this 'cultural migration' is important to a community;
• explain the symbolic meanings of items, events and activities associated with Tet;
• descibe and explain the importance and value of such celebrations in people's lives, in the identity of a society, and in maintaining cohesion in a community.

To explore additional ideas and resources for using this unit from Vietnam - Young People, Old Country: Primary, click on the following:

Teaching Ideas | WWW Links | Annotated Bibliography

Teaching Ideas

The date for Tet changes each year. A Tet calendar for 1998 which can be used with Resource Sheet 3, Gregorian and Lunar Calendar, is included on this site.

Students' copy: Gregorian and Lunar Calendar

Teachers' copy: Gregorian and Lunar Calendar

A story of the origins of the Household or Kitchen Gods, so important at Tet, is available on the internet at: http://www.saigonline.com/articles/vacets03.html

Students could read this story, and answer these questions.

1	When did this story take place?
2	Who are the three people involved in the story?
3	Why did the woodcutter and his wife have to separate?
4	Why did the wife marry the hunter?
5	How did she discover the woodcutter was still alive?
6	Why didn't the hunter know the stranger was in his house?
7	Why did he burn the stranger?
8	What did the wife and the hunter do?
9	What do you think is the moral or lesson of the story?
10	Why might Vietnamese still tell this old story?
11	Name some old stories which you still know about. Why do you think parents still pass on these stories to their children?

Another document on Tet can be found at: http://www.thingsasian.com/article/tranthong/tranthong_01.htm
This is a record of a Tet ceremony which took place in South Vietnam in the early 1970s. Ask students to draw some aspects of the scene to decorate the classroom at Tet.

WWW Links

http://www.saigon.com/~nguyent/tet.html
A good description of many of the elements of Tet, the Lunar New Year celebration, can be accessed on this site.

http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/MCC/mcc0026.html
A young student has written of the way Tet is celebrated in his Vietnamese community in the United States.
Australian students could construct a similar report, and swap their experiences of Tet with other students in different countries. Consider contacting them through global classroom projects listing on the internet.

Bibliography

Behrens, June 1982, Gung Hat Fat Choy, Children's Press, Chicago
This book details all traditions of the Chinese New Year. It is well written, with bright colour photographs. An excellent children's resource to use for gathering information.

Festivals Around The World 1988, Ashton Scholastic, Gosford
An excellent teacher resource that is out of print. It contains factual information and activities.

Kalman, Bobbie 1989, The Land, People and Culture (series) Crabtree Publishing, New York
This series covers the land, culture and people of Japan, Vietnam, Canada, India, Mexico and Peru. A set of 3 books covers each country. Well indexed, with a glossary of activities, easy to read information, and beautiful colour photographs.

Stepanchuk, Carol 1994, Red Eggs and Dragon Boats - Celebrating Chinese Festivals, Pacific View Press, Berkeley CA
This book contains stories related to Chinese festivals, information on traditions, recipes, copies of original artwork and calligraphy. It is clearly written, and an excellent resource.

Tran, Kim-Lam, Tet: The New Year, Simon and Schuster, New York
Set in America, Tet tells the story of a teacher who involves her students in preparing for a traditional Tet celebration. The book contains all relevant information on the traditions of a Vietnamese New Year.