Correct understanding of the custom of "first footer" at the beginning of the year to bring fortune into the house in the new year of the Rat

According to custom, the "first footer" time is calculated from after New Year's Eve onwards, the "first footer"first visitor of the year" is the first guest to enter the house from the moment of New Year's Eve until the morning of the first day of Lunar New Year. Since ancient times, our ancestors have believed that the "first guest" will have an important influence on the luck, happiness, career, and fortune of the whole family in the new year.

According to folk culture researcher Nguyen Hung Vi, each family has its own area, and the first person to come to that area is called "xong dat". "Xong" means to advance, to enter, and "dat" is the area of ​​that family. Therefore, Tet is the opening day of a new year, and the first person to come to that family is "xong dat".

Vietnamese people believe that the first day of the new year is the opening day of the new year. On the first day of the year, people who are compatible with their age to "enter the house" in the new year will be the ones to bring the family wealth, peace, luck and health in the new year.

When talking about choosing the "first person to enter the house", Folklore researcher Nguyen Hung Vi shared with Lao Dong newspaper:

"Homeowners are very picky about who will be the first to enter the house. The most anticipated first-footers are children. Because children are not yet responsible for horoscopes and fate, children bring joy and luck to the homeowner. Innocent children are always happy, so people really want to welcome children.

Besides children, there are meticulous people who look at the age of the person coming this year to see if it is compatible with the homeowner, whether it will be successful in business, whether it will bring luck or not, and invite people with compatible ages to "bring luck" to them.

According to the custom of "xong dat" at the beginning of the year, guests who come to "xong dat" need to prepare neat, tidy, brightly colored clothes so that the homeowner will have a prosperous and full year. If possible, guests should bring a small Tet gift to give to the homeowner such as: a bottle of wine, banh chung, banh tet or a box of Tet jam.

Nowadays, the custom of "xong dat" has been simplified, guests only need to bring red envelopes to give to the homeowner and children in the house. The homeowner also gives the "xong dat" guest a red envelope to wish them good luck.

Another traditional way of “xong dat” is for a family member to be the first to enter the house. The family member will leave the house before New Year’s Eve, and return after New Year’s Eve to bring with them the first branches of spring, bringing good luck for the whole year to the family.

However, over time, old customs have also changed to suit the changes and developments of today's life. The custom of "xong dat" is the same, everyone in the family still goes to visit relatives and friends' houses, but mostly as a joy on Tet holiday.

According to Laodong Electronic Newspaper