xông đất
Definition
Verb:
- To be the first visitor of the Lunar New Year: The primary meaning of "xông đất" refers to the traditional Vietnamese custom where a person is the first to enter a home after the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year (Tết). This act is believed to influence the household's luck and fortune for the coming year.
Noun:
- The act or custom of being the first New Year visitor: "Xông đất" can also refer to the tradition itself, or to the specific person who performs this role.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Năm nay, bác tôi sẽ xông đất cho gia đình chúng tôi. (This year, my uncle will be our first New Year visitor.)
- Người ta thường chọn một người hợp tuổi để xông đất. (People often choose a person with a compatible zodiac sign to be the first visitor.)
Noun:
- Việc xông đất là một phong tục quan trọng ngày Tết. (The custom of being the first visitor is an important tradition during Tết.)
- Anh ấy là người xông đất của chúng tôi năm nay. (He is our first-foot this year.)
Advanced Usage
- The person chosen to "xông đất" is often selected based on their zodiac sign, age, and perceived good fortune, with the belief that their positive energy will bring prosperity to the household.
- The verb can be used in the passive voice or as a past participle to describe a house that has received its first visitor.
- Nhà tôi đã được xông đất lúc mồng một. (Our house had its first-foot visit on the first day of the new year.)
Variants and Related Words
- Xông nhà (v): A synonymous, slightly more colloquial term for "xông đất," literally meaning "to charge into the house."
- Ai sẽ xông nhà mình năm nay? (Who will be the first to enter our house this year?)
Synonyms
- To first-foot: A comparable Scottish and Northern English custom of being the first person to cross a home's threshold in the New Year.
- To be the inaugural visitor: A formal description of the act.
Related Cultural Concepts
Lì xì (n): Lucky money given in red envelopes during Tết, often received by the "xông đất" visitor or given by them.
- Người xông đất thường được chủ nhà lì xì. (The first visitor is often given lucky money by the homeowner.)
Hái lộc (v): Another Tết custom of picking a bud or branch from a tree to bring home, symbolizing the gathering of fortune. This is sometimes done by the person who "xông đất."
- Sau khi xông đất, họ đi hái lộc ở đền chùa. (After being the first visitor, they went to pick fortune buds at the temple.)