Which day is the day of "Tết ông Công ông Táo" in 2025 in Vietnam? Is it a public holiday in Vietnam?
Which day is the day of "Tết ông Công ông Táo" in 2025 in Vietnam?
Tết ông Công ông Táo, also known as the Kitchen Gods' worship ceremony, is an important traditional custom in Vietnamese culture, occurring annually on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. On this day, Vietnamese people conduct rituals to send off the Kitchen Gods to heaven to report on the happenings of the family over the past year to the Jade Emperor.
According to folklore, the Kitchen Gods are deities who oversee the kitchen and family life. Worshiping the Kitchen Gods expresses gratitude to these deities for protecting the family throughout the year.
The Kitchen Gods report to the Jade Emperor about the family's good and bad deeds. Therefore, it is also an occasion for families to reflect on the past year and look forward to a better new year.
According to legend, the Kitchen Gods were originally three deities (Thổ Công, Thổ ddịa, Thổ Kỳ) appointed by the Jade Emperor to oversee the kitchen and family life.
Today, Tết ông Công ông Táo is not only an occasion to send off the Kitchen Gods but also a time for families to gather, reflect on the past year, and prepare mentally to welcome the new year.
Thus, Tết ông Công ông Táo in 2025 falls on the 23rd of December in the lunar year 2024, which corresponds to the Gregorian date January 22, 2025.
Which day is the day of "Tết ông Công ông Táo" in 2025 in Vietnam? Is it a public holiday in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)
Do employees in Vietnam receive fully paid day off on "Tết ông Công ông Táo" in 2025?
Based on Article 112 of the Labor Code 2019 on holidays:
Article 112. Holidays
- Employees are entitled to a paid day off for the following holidays:
a) New Year's Day: 01 day (January 1st of the Gregorian calendar);
b) Luna New Year: 05 days;
c) Victory Day: 01 day (April 30th of the Gregorian calendar);
d) International Labor Day: 01 day (May 1st of the Gregorian calendar);
dd) National Day: 02 days (September 2nd of the Gregorian calendar and 01 adjacent day before or after);
e) Hung Kings Commemoration Day: 01 day (10th of March in the lunar calendar).
- Foreign workers in Vietnam, in addition to the days off specified in clause 1 of this Article, are entitled to 01 additional day off for their traditional New Year and 01 day off for their national holiday.
- Annually, based on actual conditions, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam decides the specific days off stipulated at point b and dd, clause 1 of this Article.
According to the above regulation, employees are entitled to a paid day off work on the following days:
- New Year's Day: 01 day (January 1st of the Gregorian calendar)
- Lunar New Year: 05 days
- Victory Day: 01 day (April 30th of the Gregorian calendar)
- International Labor Day: 01 day (May 1st of the Gregorian calendar)
- National Day: 02 days (September 2nd of the Gregorian calendar and 01 adjacent day before or after)
- Hung Kings Commemoration Day: 01 day (10th of March in the lunar calendar)
Additionally, for foreign workers in Vietnam, in addition to the above days off, they are entitled to 01 additional day off for their traditional New Year and 01 day off for their national holiday.
Thus, "Tết ông Công ông Táo" is not a holiday for which employees get a paid day off work.
However, employees can use their annual leave day (Article 113 of the Labor Code 2019) or take unpaid leave after agreeing with their employer (Article 115 of the Labor Code 2019) on "Tết ông Công ông Táo".
Is "Tết ông Công ông Táo" a major holiday in Vietnam?
According to Article 4 of Decree 145/2013/ND-CP on major holidays:
Article 4. Major holidays
The major holidays within the country include:
- Lunar New Year (01 January of the lunar calendar).
- Founding Day of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930).
- Hung Kings Commemoration Day (10th of March in the lunar calendar).
- Liberation day of the South, national reunification (April 30, 1975).
- Victory of Dien Bien Phu (May 7, 1954).
- Birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890).
- August Revolution (August 19, 1945) and National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945).
According to the above regulation, "Tết ông Công ông Táo" is not one of the major holidays officially recognized in Vietnam like Tet Nguyen Dan, National Day, or Hung Kings Commemoration Day.
However, "Tết ông Công ông Táo" is still considered an important and popular traditional festival.
