Hanoi will not ask churches, temples to ring out to mark Tet: official
Hanoi authorities are not intending to ask churches and temples in the city to ring their bells on Lunar New Year’s Eve, a senior official said on January 21.
“The city does not have any rules about ringing bells on Lunar New Year’s Eve,” Vice Chairman of Hanoi Ngo Van Quy said on January 21.
He added that the city should not ask churches and temples to do so. Instead, they should be able to decide by themselves.
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| People gather in front of St. Joseph Cathedral in Hanoi on Christmas Eve, 2016. Photo by VnExpress |
Quy’s statements came after Hanoi's Department of Culture earlier this month asked churches and temples to ring their bells to mark the Lunar New Year as there will be no fireworks shows for the upcoming Tet holiday. All fireworks displays, which used to be a feature of Vietnam's biggest holiday, will be replaced by other cultural events and free performances.
The Year of the Rooster will start on January 28. The country will celebrate with a seven-day break from January 26 to February 1.
Hanoi and other major cities are following the government's call for austerity. The capital city said by scrapping fireworks shows for both New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve, it would save around VND10 billion (US$440,000), which could then be donated to disaster-hit provinces.
