A plate filled with five types of fruit sits on the ancestor’s altar of every Vietnamese home over the Lunar New Year.  The fruits are colourful and meaningful, and they make the Tet celebrations more sacred.  In Asian mythology, the world is made up of five basic elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.  The plate of fruits on the family altar is one of several ways to represent this concept.  The plate also represents the desire for good crops and prosperity.

A plate of fruits

Traditionally, there are five to eight types of fruit chosen: a bunch of bananas, a grapefruit, a “Buddha’s-hand” pomelo, a lemon, oranges, tangerines, apples, or persimmons.  Families choose only the best looking fruit, and they are arranged in a pyramid.

The practice has changed with modern lifestyles.  Other fruits such as sapodilla, watermelons, coconuts, and custard apples may also now be added to the plate.  Some families even use flowers and small coloured electric lights to decorate the plate.

The plate of fruits in northern Viet Nam is usually smaller than in the south.  The three required fruits in the north are bananas, grapefruit and either tangerines or oranges.  The plate in southern Viet Nam must have watermelons, custard apples, coconut, papaya and mangoes.  The names of these fruits in Viet Nam echo words signifying prayers for wealth.

The plate of fruits gives the family altar a cozy and colourful look.  It helps to stress the importance of family traditions and family life.