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Vietnamese Language and Culture club puts on Tet Festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year

Sunday, 8-10 p.m.
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, FREE

By Jessica McQueen

Jan. 26, 2012 11:53 p.m.

Growing up, fourth-year biology student Linda Ta did not have a strong connection to her Vietnamese culture, an experience that many can probably relate to.

“I came from an area back home with very few Asians or Vietnamese (people) in general, so I was never really in touch with my culture besides from what my parents told me,” Ta said. “When I came (to UCLA), I met people who are more like me and (who) shared the things that my parents taught me.”

She found this connection with her fellow Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC) club members.

VNLC will host its 18th annual Tet Festival on Sunday in Ackerman Grand Ballroom to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Festival coordinator and second-year biochemistry student Christina Nguyen said the Tet Festival is the Vietnamese version of the Lunar New Year. This holiday revolves around the rebirth and renewal of life associated with the arrival of spring.

“The Vietnamese community is represented on the UCLA campus, but not a lot of people know a lot about the Vietnamese culture. We would like to expand on their knowledge, and we realized we could also learn a lot about our culture … by bringing the Tet festival (to UCLA),” Nguyen said.

According to Ta, the Tet festival is usually a weeklong event in Vietnam. She said VNLC wants to recreate the festival on a smaller scale to share the excitement of the celebration beyond the scope of the limited Vietnamese community at UCLA.

According to Nguyen, the VNLC Tet Festival will consist of a celebratory portion with games, including a traditional dice game called Bau Cua Ca Cop, performances and free food. There will also be a cultural show that will focus on the theme of rebirth for a new year.

Bau cua ca cop is a gambling game involving three dice with a gourd, a rooster, a shrimp, a fish, a crab or a stag depicted on each side. The object of the game is to predict the outcome of the dice, and while gambling is not allowed at the event, Nguyen said she just wants people to have fun.

According to Ta, the performances will include traditional dances such as the lion dance, a dance in which two performers wear a colorful lion costume and mimic a lion’s movements to the beat of a drum.

The club will also be putting on a fashion show to display traditional Vietnamese clothes such as the ao dai, a long-sleeved dress worn over traditional pants.

Ta said food is also an important part of the celebration because it brings people together. VNLC will be serving traditional Vietnamese foods, such as banh chung, that are usually consumed during the Tet festival celebration.

Banh chung is a square rice cake filled with meat or banana that is then wrapped in a banana leaf. Families prepare these cakes together before placing them on their ancestors’ altars as offerings.

Justin Tran, a third-year mechanical engineering student, wrote the script for and will perform in the cultural show portion of the celebration. According to Tran, the show will explain the origin of Tet and will provide a back story on the dragon, which is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year symbol for 2012.

Tran said the Tet festival is important to him because it is the one time of year when he gets to see certain members of his family.

“I kind of actually consider (VNLC) as my family now,” Tran said.

Ta, who will also be performing, said she is also close to the club members.

“VNLC is really near and dear to me, especially the Tet Festival because it brings out a childhood I never experienced growing up. It really makes me feel at home,” Ta said.

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Jessica McQueen
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