The Tet Festival and Parade, which was held over the weekend in Garden Grove and Westminster, is recognized as the world’s largest Tet Festival outside of Vietnam, which helps to preserve the Vietnamese culture for young and old alike.
People from northern and Southern California as well as many other close-by states say they travel the distance because the Tet Festival happens only once a year and it's important for them to remember their heritage.
The Tet Festival and Parade, which was held over the weekend in Garden Grove and Westminster, is recognized as the world’s largest Tet Festival outside of Vietnam, which helps to preserve the Vietnamese culture for young and old alike.
People from northern and Southern California as well as many other close-by states say they travel the distance because the Tet Festival happens only once a year and it's important for them to remember their heritage.
Under a cloudless canopy of blue sky, Saturday's activities began with a parade at 9 a.m. along Bolsa Avenue in Westminster, followed by an opening ceremony in Garden Grove at the Garden Grove Park.
At the park, guests were treated to a colorful and noisy firecracker opening ceremony on stage at 1:30 p.m. that included a dragon dance.
According to ancient myth, the Vietnamese people are descended from a dragon and it is said that to the Vietnamese people, the dragon brings rain, which is essential for agriculture and represents the emperor, prosperity and power of the nation. The Vietnamese dragon is also the symbol of yang, which represents the universe, life, existence, and growth.
Inside Garden Grove Park, there was a vibrant array of live entertainment, traditional food, festive games and customs celebrating the Vietnamese Lunar New Year or Year of the Horse.
Many local dignitaries attended both the parade and opening ceremonies such as Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater, Mayor Pro tem Dina Nguyen and Council members Steve Jones, Christopher Phan and Kris Beard; Westminster Mayor Tri Ta and Council members Diana Carey, Andy Quach and Sergio Contreras; Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva and Young Kim, who is vying for the 65th Assembly District; state Senator Lou Correa; Assemblyman Tom Daly; and Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen.
Both Garden Grove and Westminster high schools were represented in the parade, each with students riding in a school bus and those walking in the parade.
Others participating in the parade included: the Westminster Chamber of Commerce and the Vietnamese American Scout Group, representing both Boy and Girl Scouts, producing 56 Eagle Scouts and 27 Gold Award recipients.
During the festival, Miss Vietnam of Southern California is chosen, from talented and beautiful young Asian ladies competing for the title through contest categories including poise, beauty, grace and talent.
Part of the beautiful celebration of the Tet Festival is also about the history of the fight and fall of a country and how its people survived, which is evident in the show of military and martial arts in the parade.
Martial arts is said to cultivate a noble spirit, a sense of self discipline and physical fitness.
Many forms of self-defense were on display throughout the parade, showcasing impressive demonstrations of each in front of the main stage. They included Japanese karate and judo jujus along with youth from the Tae Kwon Do Center, a Korean martial art form.
There was also the Thu Duc Cadet Alumni Association of Southern California.
Thu Duc reserve officers were located in the hills near Saigon City, where thousands of reserve officers were trained and from where two-thirds of the Republic of Vietnam's Armed Forces were supplied.
Approximately 30,000 Vietnamese soldiers gave their all during the war against the communistic aggression for nearly 20 years from 1951 to 1975, along with allied forces members.
Many soldiers during that time were brought from Vietnam to America, trained and returned to Vietnam to help their people fight for freedom, along with allies, that included the U.S.
This year's festival was hosted by The Union of the Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, non-partisan, community-based organization founded in 1982.
Organizers say that more than $1 million in festival proceeds have been awarded to nonprofit organizations within the community.
The festival is said to attract approximately100,000 people over the three days, where in the "Cultural Village," within the park, there are activities on stage and on the grounds and guests purchase food and participate in game booths and carnival rides.
In addition, the Asian areas of Garden Grove and Westminster boulevards as well as Bolsa Avenue, offered a wide variety of Asian foods and goods for shoppers, with imported foods, products and clothing representing the Asian culture, where their finest in customs and costumes can also be found all year around.
For information about the Union of the Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California, call 714-890-1418.
