1. Name some festivals in Vietnam and around the world that you know. 2. Tell something about one of the festivals (in Vietnam or around the world) that you know.

Some popular festivals in Vietnam include:

1. Tet Nguyen Dan - Lunar New Year, the most important holiday in Vietnam which usually takes place in late January or early February.
2. Mid-Autumn Festival - a harvest festival often celebrated with parades and lantern lit processions, usually in September or October.
3. Hue Festival - a biennial cultural festival held in the city of Hue, featuring art, music, and traditional Vietnamese performances.
4. Da Nang International Fireworks Festival - held annually in Da Nang, the event attracts international pyrotechnic teams for a competition featuring fireworks and light displays.
5. Hoi An Lantern Festival - held monthly in the ancient town of Hoi An, featuring colorful lanterns and traditional music and dance performances.

Some popular festivals around the world include:

1. Diwali - the festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains, usually in October or November.
2. Carnival - an annual festival celebrated in many countries and cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Venice, Italy, featuring elaborate parades and costumes.
3. Oktoberfest - an annual beer festival held in Munich, Germany, attracting millions of visitors from around the world.

My favorite holiday is Tet – one of the most important national celebrations in Vietnamese culture. We celebrate Tet annually in January or February in the Gregorian calendar and it is considered the biggest occasion for family and friends’ reunions. 

While Lunar New Year can be regarded as quite a cliché event to describe, I think there are still many intriguing facets of it to mention. As Tet is the biggest celebration in Vietnam, schools and shops are often closed and workers would get around 2 weeks of holiday. Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tết.

Some worship at the family altar or visit their ancestors’ graves in their homeland. What I love the most about Tet is Tet food. We get to cook and make very special dishes like banh chung, banh giay or nem ran. Thanks to the exquisite taste of these dishes, after Lunar New Year, I often gain a lot of weight. Other customs and traditions that my family usually practice during Tết are quite exhilarating too.

We often exchange New Year’s greetings, decorate the house with apricot flowers or peach blossoms, give lucky money to children and elderly people, or simply hang out on the streets to immerse myself in the distinctive atmosphere of Tet. 

Tet is my favorite festival because it is one of the rare occasions where I get to reunite with my relatives and visit my grandparents. As we often return to our homeland during Tet holiday, it is a breath of fresh air from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

Tet is a break from work and an opportunity for us to forget our worries and troubles of last year, bask in the warmth from friends and family’s company and enjoy the cheery, festive spirit. Thus, Tet teaches me to appreciate the people around me, as well as the traditional festivals that are indispensable.