The yearly show highlights Vietnamese culture through food, dance and other cultural activities.
Byline: By Maya Bell
Under blue lights, people once again crowded into Northrop Auditorium this winter to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year with the popular student-run Tết show.
The theme of the Feb. 8 show was “The Colors of Our Homeland.” The theme was shown through bright colors of red, yellow and blue, while the hosts wore áo dàis, a traditional clothing worn during celebrations.
Third-year student Andy Tao, this year’s host, said the show was meant to highlight the unique aspects of Vietnamese culture including villages, style and food.
The show featured Vietnamese culture through a traditional fashion show dance, and an ongoing skit showing the importance of family bonds.
“I think a big part of Tết show is learning about Vietnamese culture is the skit, which always has some moral lesson that it teaches the audience about Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese values,” Minh Tong, the internal vice president of Vietnamese Student Association of Minnesota (VSMA) said.
VSAM and the Tết show board prepared for this event for about five months, Tong said.
“It’s a shared effort,” Tong said. “I think part of the beauty of the show is that VSAM is the organization that kind of oversees that show and the community of VSAM is so intertwined with the community of the show that it’s like all same community, you just see bonds form so much more over, such a big organization and throughout all these committees.”
For Vietnamese students at the university, the Tết show can help them learn more about their culture, like Jonathan Phan, a third-year student at the university. Phan participated in the traditional dance section and said he celebrates Tết at home, but the Tết show has taught him more about its meaning.
“Last year, they had the kitchen gods, which is kind of a cultural significance during that show. I did know some of the more surface level stuff – like Red Devil Loves Lucky Money. I didn’t know about some of the superstitious stuff – like don’t wear black, don’t get your haircut. It does help you learn more about your culture and connect back to it,” Phan said.
Phan said he hopes that people at the show learned about Vietnamese culture and the sense of community built up while preparing for the Tết show.
“This is what the VSAM Tết show is like,” Phan said. “You can build community. especially when you look at the background and the behind-the-scenes footage they show. It kind of encourages you to try to get involved with the community. Even if you are not Viet.”