In the hustle and bustle of modern life, this custom not only exists as a folk belief but also prompts interesting reflections on the science of choice and how people seek spiritual anchors to start a prosperous new year.
For a long time, choosing auspicious days to celebrate the Lunar New Year, start a business, embark on a journey or doing important things has been deeply ingrained in Vietnamese culture. Our ancestors believed that “a good beginning makes a good ending”, meaning a smooth start will bring good fortune later on. Therefore, right after New Year’s Eve, many families carefully check the auspicious day and time, choose the direction for their first outing of the year, hoping to welcome good fortune and ward off the misfortunes of the old year.
Spring outing, participating in cultural festivals at the beginning of the year is a beautiful tradition of the Vietnamese peopleIn modern society, where science and technology strongly influence life, many people believe that consulting auspicious days and directions is now purely a spiritual practice. But if you look deeper, you can see that behind that custom lies a very “scientific” logic about human psychology. Choosing a favorable time can help people feel more secure and confident when starting a new job. That positive mindset is a crucial factor in determining the effectiveness of actions.
According to Dr. Le Phu Thang, Principal of the Nha Trang Central Ethnic Minority Preparatory University (Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs), many young people today approach the custom of choosing the first day of the year in a more flexible way. They don’t rely too heavily on calendars or fortune tellers, but still maintain the habit of choosing an “auspicious” time based on personal feeling: the beginning of the week, an energetic morning, or after a short vacation to relax their minds. Although the form may change, the core remains the desire to create a positive start, which is very close to modern scientific thinking about time and emotional management.
The same applies to choosing the direction for the first outing of the year. In folk beliefs, each direction carries a different symbolic meaning, associated with wealth, health, or peace. In today’s fast-paced world, “choosing direction” is understood in a broader sense: choosing a path that suits one’s abilities, choosing a positive work environment, choosing a balanced lifestyle. By making proactive choices, each person takes an important step in taking control of their own life.
In early spring of the Year of the Horse, the image of many families discussing and choosing an auspicious date for opening a business, launching a new venture or starting a new project remains very common. Notably, in addition to spiritual factors, many people also carefully consider practical conditions: weather, manpower, finances and market conditions. The combination of traditional beliefs and scientific thinking has created a harmonious approach, allowing ancient customs to continue to exist without becoming detached from modern life.
From a behavioral science perspective, choosing an auspicious day at the beginning of the year can be seen as a form of “psychological milestone setting”. When people identify a specific time to start, they tend to be more committed to the goal they have set. This is similar to planning, setting milestones for completing a task. The only difference lies in the way it’s expressed: one uses traditional cultural language, the other modern scientific terminology, but both essentially aim to optimize human behavior, Dr. Le Phu Thang shared more.
At the beginning of a new year, people usually choose an auspicious day and month to start their journeyDr. Pham Xuan Hoang, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy of Ethnic Minorities (Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs), shared: Undeniably, in modern life, there still exist extreme and superstitious beliefs regarding the selection of auspicious days and times. However, the general trend is gradually shifting towards prudence and moderation. Many families consider choosing the first day of the year is a beautiful cultural tradition, to be an opportunity for the whole family to start planning together and fulfill shared wishes for the new year. When placed in the right context, such customs become a glue that binds generations together, rather than a barrier to progress.
In early spring of the Year of the Horse, amidst the fast pace and pressures of the digital age, people increasingly need moments of quiet reflection and choice. Choosing auspicious days and directions, ultimately, isn’t about hoping for a miracle, but rather a way for each person to remind themselves to live a planned life, with faith and to be responsible for their own decisions. When you are mentally prepared, every day can be a good day and every direction can be auspicious.
The customs of the early spring are not separate from modern life. They are being redefined in a new language, the language of science, psychology and proactiveness. In this interplay, the arrival of spring is not only the beginning of a new year, but also a gentle reminder: every good beginning stems from conscious choices, a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, of belief and reason.
