Vietnamese Catholics celebrate the holiday season with traditional lights and stars

Intermountain Catholic

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Hieu Le puts together a Christmas tree while decorating Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. IC photo/Christine Young

KEARNS — Salt Lake’s Vietnamese community gathered Dec. 11 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Kearns to decorate the church for the Advent season in anticipation of the coming of Christ on Christmas. The manger scene is an important part of the Vietnamese culture and a manger was placed in front of the church’s altar.

Vietnam used to be part of the French Empire and there are still French influences in the Vietnamese traditions.

"In Vietnam the churches still use the life-size statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds and animals," said Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.

"In Vietnam, they also put a big star on top of the church outside and decorate with a lot of lights in the front yard," said Huong Le, a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, who came to Utah 22 years ago. She also remembers the life size nativities in Vietnam.

"We used to decorate with a lot of stars inside the church," said Mai Bui, from South Vietnam, who also has been in Utah 22 years. "Fr. Thuy is from North Vietnam, where they did more decorating and he brought his traditions to Utah."

Hieu Le added, "We don’t decorate outside in Utah like we did in Vietnam because it’s too cold here." She, too, has been in Utah 22 years.

Also like in France, the special Christmas Eve meal in Vietnam includes a chocolate cake in the shape of a log for desert, said Fr. Thuy. "The Vietnamese people also like to give presents of food and exchange Christmas cards during Advent and Christmas," he said. "We did not have Christmas trees in Vietnam until the Americans came during the Vietnam War."

Most of Fr. Thuy’s memories of Advent are from when he was in the sixth through 12th grade. "My parents sent me to a minor seminary boarding school," he said. "The season would begin with the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8. Every year we would have a project to make star-shaped lanterns or set up the manger."

His memories of Advent are of a spiritual time filled with prayer, altar service, singing Christmas carols and midnight Mass. "We started our formation early and we didn’t go home at Christmas," he said. "We were very excited preparing for Christmas in a spiritual way, living in the community. We did not receive gifts; we were poor."

During Advent, the Vietnamese people traditionally thank God for the new rice crop. "The rice crop is ready to be harvested, so the families go out into the fields to collect the rice," Fr. Thuy said. "Advent is a joyful occasion because the New Year is coming; it is also joyful for the second coming of the Lord."

Fr. Thuy said the Vietnamese congregation in Utah follows the American traditions and incorporates some traditions from Vietnam. They put up Christmas trees, lights and a manger. "We all come together to decorate the church," he said. "Many of the people consider the church their home. Some of them live in apartments and cannot decorate like they did in Vietnam, so they enjoy decorating the church."