Hạ Nguyên on the full moon of the tenth month: the new-rice festival
The 15th of the tenth lunar month is Tết Hạ nguyên, also called the new-rice festival. Its meaning, the offerings made from new rice, upcoming dates and how regions differ.
When the last rice crop of the year has just been harvested, many Vietnamese families have a special meal: a pot of rice cooked from the new grain and a plate of new sticky rice, first placed on the altar, then shared by the family. That occasion is usually tied to the full moon of the tenth month, known as Tết Hạ nguyên.
When it falls
Tết Hạ nguyên is the 15th day of the tenth lunar month. The next three dates, in Vietnam time:
| Lunar year | Lunar date | Solar date |
|---|---|---|
| Bính Ngọ | 15/10 | Monday, 23 November 2026 |
| Đinh Mùi | 15/10 | Friday, 12 November 2027 |
| Mậu Thân | 15/10 | Thursday, 30 November 2028 |
It is also a full-moon day (rằm), so what the post Rằm and mùng một says about working out the full-moon day applies here too.
Meaning: giving thanks after the harvest
The full moon of the tenth month comes just after the rice harvest. That is why the sources all call it the new-rice festival (Tết cơm mới, tết lúa mới). Rice from the new crop is used to thank heaven, earth and the ancestors for a good harvest.
Common customs
- Families cook rice, steam sticky rice or make cakes from the new rice and glutinous rice to offer to the ancestors.
- After the offering, the family sits down together to the new-rice meal.
Common offerings
The tray centres on the new grain: rice, sticky rice and cakes made from the freshly harvested crop. The sources do not give one fixed tray; each family uses what the season brings.
Different places, different days
The new-rice offering is not held on the same day everywhere:
- Some places hold it on the 15th of the tenth month.
- Some hold it on the 1st of the tenth month.
- Some hold it on the 10th of the tenth month, that is Tết Trùng thập.
No day is “more correct”. If your village or family has its own day, keep to it.
Festivals in Qelunai
The month view in Qelunai shows the lunar date and solar term of every day, worked out in Vietnam time right on your phone. In the next update, the calendar will mark traditional festivals, with a Festival section in Day details and an optional reminder one day before (off by default). To look up the lunar date of any day, use the Lunar calendar page.
Sources
- VietTimes, "Đố bạn: Mỗi năm người Việt có bao nhiêu ngày Tết?" (09/02/2016, theo Tri thức trẻ)
- VOV, "Ý nghĩa những ngày Tết tính theo âm lịch" (21/01/2012)
- VietNamNet, "Tết Hạ nguyên là Tết gì, diễn ra ngày nào và ý nghĩa ra sao?" (03/12/2025)
- Phatgiao.org.vn, "Rằm tháng Mười, rằm Hạ nguyên, Tết lúa mới" (02/12/2017)
- VietNamNet, "Tết Thường tân là ngày gì? Có ý nghĩa gì với người Việt?" (28/11/2025)
Articles are cultural reference, not professional advice. Illustrations drawn by AI.