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News & Events
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Tet Festival Coming to Clinton Park Posted in the Oakland Tribune on Friday, January 30, 2004 Written by Laura Casey, Staff Writer Vietnamese New Year Party Could Bring Out 15,000 Oakland ~ To many in the Vietnamese community, the Tet Festival is a holiday season so precious, its importance could be compared to Christmas, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day combined. This weekend, the last of the Bay Area Tet festivals will be held at Clinton Park, located on the southeastern side of Lake Merritt, at East 14th Street and 7th Avenue. Organizers expect up to 15,000 people to attend the free East Bay Vietnamese Tet Festival, which runs 11:00 am ~ 6:00 pm. Tet, an abbreviation for Tet Nguyen Dan which means the first morning of the first new day of the new period, is a celebration that lasts three days starting on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which fell on January 22 this year. Philip Nguyen, the festival's vice chair, said Oakland's Tet festival is the third largest in the Bay Area. It was scheduled for this weekend so people could attend the San Francisco and San Jose festivals held over the past two weekends. "We want people from the whole Bay Area to enjoy the Tet festival," Nguyen said. "Even twice or three times." The Vietnamese New Year's customs are similar to those of the Chinese New Year. Red is worn and displayed prominently in Vietnamese homes and businesses to symbolize good luck. Adults congratulate youth by handing them red envelopes filed with "lucky money." Families prepare large meals to celebrate the season, which many consider to be a very big event. "It is the biggest holiday for the Vietnamese here and the Vietnamese at home," Nguyen said. According to 2000 U.S. Census records, the Oakland's Eastlake district has the city's second largest population of Asian residents, many of them Vietnamese. Colorful unicorn and dragon dancing performances will mark the opening ceremonies at 11:00 am. Live musicians from all over the country will entertain the crowd. Local youth talent contests, martial arts demonstrations and karaoke singing contests will also be held. The event will relay a political message as well, Nguyen said. "We would like to send the message back to Vietnam that people in the near future can enjoy the wonderful life there like we do here in this country," he said. The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Oakland Tribune: General Contact Information
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Related links: - Oakland Commerce - Oakland Tribune - US Census 2000 |
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