HA NOI (VNS)  — As the clock begins ticking for the Lunar New Year which falls on January 31, the Museum of Ethnology today will organise a variety of festive activities reflecting traditional Vietnamese customs.

To open the day, a swing pole will be set up at 8.30am, followed by a raising ceremony for a tall decorated bamboo tree. Traditionally, Vietnamese families plant a bamboo pole in front of their homes adorned with bows, arrows, bells and gongs to chase away bad luck and welcome in the New Year.

Next, a ceremony dedicated to the Kitchen God will be held to protect the family throughout the year.

A demonstration of how to make traditional banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and a talk by cultural researcher Pham Xuan Nguyen on the theme Tet with Ha Tinh people will also be on the agenda.

The day will also feature several traditional folk games as well as calligraphy writing, origami and folk painting.

To register for the event, contact Roman at fvh.beliefsandreligions@gmail.com.— VNS