Date: February 1, 2025
Venue: Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building
Summary
To welcome the Year of the Wood Snake, Vietnam Society joined the Smithsonian’s early Lunar New Year Night Market, engaging over 15,000 visitors in cultural activities and festive programming. Families explored the Welcome Spring Altar, which symbolizes renewal and the connection between the earthly and spiritual worlds during the first days of Tết.
Visitors created Moon Thread love charms inspired by the First Full Moon Festival, a celebration of creativity and romantic harmony. They also completed ancestral painting sticker kits, which introduced the significance of ancestral appreciation and family continuity within Vietnamese homes.
Educational handouts offered guests a deeper understanding of Tết customs and symbols. Vietnam Society also hosted a children’s Lunar New Year book table, where families discovered Vietnamese stories and cultural titles.
The event captured the joy, color, and community spirit of Lunar New Year and introduced thousands of attendees to the beauty of Vietnamese traditions.
