Tết 2025 means it’s time for the snake to shine. Tết Nguyên Đán, the first day of the Lunar New Year festival in Vietnam takes place on January 29th. It’s a major festival and a time for families to gather. It also marks the 4th Tết article for Bitter Grounds. It’s a stamp I impatiently await every year. 

Tết Ất Ty Year of the Snake – celebrating intelligence, wisdom, longevity and rebirth

This year’s stamp title is Tết Ất Ty, and I apologise to my readers for not supply a translation, but the translator threw a few cyber brain cells recently. It’s spitting up nonsense like: Deep frying in Vietnamese folklore and beliefs.  So, I’d rather omit details rather than risk a gross mistranslation. I make enough errors on my own. 

“In Vietnamese belief, snakes are often seen as mischievous and cunning creatures, sometimes associated with malevolent traits. Yet, these very characteristics have led to their deification, with snakes revered as water gods. The duality of their nature evokes both fear and reverence, linking them to themes of power and protection.” Snakes in Vietnamese culture – The Saigon Times

Twelve animals were assigned a place in the Zodiac calendar by the Jade Emperor. He picked each animals to represent different attributes, but, to decide where they what order they would appear, the Emperor decreed they would race for their positions. The snake placed sixth in the race, just ahead of the horse. The snake used intelligence and cunning to cross the finish line by wrapping himself around the horse’s hoof, and letting the horse do all the work. As they approached the finish line, the snake unwrapped himself and in doing so frightened the horse so badly it reared up and fell. The snake crossed the line before the horse, thus giving himself the 6th position in the zodiac.

Next galloped in the horse, who was rushing through the race so quickly that it failed to notice the snake curled around its hoof! Just before crossing the finish line, the clever snake unfurled itself over the finish line and became zodiac animal number six. The horse was also taken aback by this surprise and made it into seventh place. The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac — Anjie Cho

Tết Ất Tỵ also means the return of Nguyễn Quang Vinh with his 6th Tet design.

It’s interesting seeing all of  Nguyễn’s designs laid out together. It’s easier to pick out common design like the spring flowers and vibrant colours.  

The 2022 Tigers broke with the design pattern with Nguyễn’s use of the Ðông Hồ woodcut folk art style. He returned to the common pattern with the Year of the Cat and has carried on with the flowered coated animals since. I have to confess, the Tiger is still my favourite set, both for the Tiger and the use of a traditional folk art style that nearly vanished with the march of modernisation. And yes, the cat is in second place. 

This year’s set comes with the expected 2 stamps – smiling mother and father snakes facing each other. Both are essential because Tết is all about family. Also included is the souvenir sheet that shows the snakes happily intertwined. The flowers in place of scales adds a warmth to the image. Also included are the traditional spring flowers, usually peach, apricot or kumquat blossoms. Each flower represents a different hope: Hoa Dao – Peach blossom – peaceful and elegant; Hoa Mai – Ochna integerrima (Yellow apricot flower) – bright and shinning; Quat tree – Kumquat tree – lucky and fruitful. (Vietnamese Tet Flowers, Lucky Plants & Tree Markets – Vietnam Is Awesome)

 Two FDCs and two maxi cards finish the story by bringing the family together. Both show parent snakes with a child. 

More art from Nguyễn Quang Vinh

For fans of Nguyễn Quang Vinh (and snakes in general), don’t forget to seek out his impressive set of Year of the Snake postcards and the cover of this year’s Tạp Chí Tem Việt Nam – Vietnam stamp magazine.  The postcards explore myths about Vietnamese snake gods and would be a great album companion to his stamps. If you’d like to see the full set and details about getting them, go to the link above. 

Hope you have a peaceful and prosperous Tết Ất Tỵ. 

Cheers, 
Catpaw

  Read about the race [Illustrations] The Mythological Race That Created Vietnam’s Zodiac, Retold in Watercolor – Saigoneer