By Long Nguyen and Thuy Nguyen

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – “Be good, or you won't receive any presents,” Christian parents warn their excited children as Christmas nears. But before stepping into a new year in Vietnam, this advice is given to everyone, kids and adults.

According to legend, a woman and two men who were in a painful threesome affair leaped into a flaming cooking fire. They became the genies known in Vietnamese as Táo; their statues, displayed prominently in every household’s kitchen, are believed to guard the kitchen and the happiness of every family. From that position, the genies also observe the family's behavior. Seven days before the Lunar New Year, they venture skyward, reporting to the King of Heaven about the good and bad deeds of each person in the past year. To avoid traffic jams, they ride to heaven on golden carps.

The Vietnamese buy the fish for them, later releasing the carp in lakes or rivers. There’s no escaping the genies' revealing your deeds. You’d better be good.

However, some parents chose to do what they believe is good, heedless of possible moral issues. Many pregnant women chose to induce their babies' births before the Lunar New Year of 2008 arrived, on February 7. "The number of requests of induced births in order to have babies in good years is increasing in the recent year," Dr. Thuy Le, of Hanoi Manternity Hospital, told VNExpress, a Vietnamese news web site. That was because 2007 was a Year of the Golden Pig, known as Dinh Hoi, and it is believed that children born during Dinh Hoi will lead leisurely and happy lives. Girls born in a Year of The Rat, such as 2008, are not so lucky; they are expected to have an unfortunate life.

In Vietnam and other Asian countries, the years in the lunar calendar are named for 12 Chinese zodiac signs. The 12-year cycle starts with the rat and ends with the pig. Like the genies, the order of zodiac signs comes from legend, in this case a footrace among 12 animals. The rat, according to the legend, finished first because it was cunning, hanging on to the buffalo's tail and then leaping forward just as the buffalo approached the finish line. Chinese astrology also involves ten  Celestial Stems, which could be understood as the numbers one through ten; 60 is a multiple of 12, the number of animals, and of 10, the number of stems, thus there are 60 possible combinations of animals and years before the entire cycle begins again. As a result, Dinh Hoi happens just once every 60 years.

A day before the Lunar New Year, known as Tet in Vietnamese, families invite their ancestors to enjoy the holiday with them. They extend the invitation on the first day of the new year in rituals held either at an altar in the home or at their ancestors’ cemetery. They burn colorful things made of paper -- clothing, hats, and even fake dollars or a latest car model -- as to give their ancestors what they might not have enjoyed in life. This year, the paper artists are receiving many orders for helmets, which are required by a new law to be worn when riding a bike. 

A beautiful ritual of this day is Xong dat, when an honored guest is invited to be the first one to visit the house. Honored guests are often elderly, successful, respected acquaintances, or close friends who are believed to bring good luck. It is taboo for anyone other than an honored guest to be the first one to visit some other family's home. "I'd rather stay home for the first day of the new year than go out and accidentally be the first one to visit the house," said Van Cat, 70. This is perhaps why cities in the early morning of the first day look as though they are abandoned. But, on the first morning of Tet in 2008, even the honored guests were loathe to venture outside. The holiday this year was marred by extremely cold weather.

The unfavorable weather led to a rise in prices for ornamental plants and flowers, important features of the holiday. The Vietnamese counterparts of Christmas trees are apricot and peach blossoms. Other flowers, particularly yellow and red ones, are also loved, as the colors are thought to bring luck to the family. As flowers play an indispensable role in the holiday decorations of every household, the high prices did not hinder sales. "Tet happens only once a year," pointed out Quang Tung, 50, at a flower market of Hue City.

This year, pet mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs -- stand-ins for the symbolic rat of 2008 -- were popular purchases. The tiny, munching creatures went for about $10 U.S. each, and shops quickly sold out, especially at the Tet fair. Children with lucky money given by their relatives were clammering to adopt one of the furry creatures, which until this year were rarely seen in Vietnam. "They are just so lovely I can't believe I didn't love them before," said Tran Long, 7, of Ho Chi Minh City.

Is it still true that all girls are scared to death of rodents? Not this year, when Valentine's Day fell just a week after Tet. A tip for male lovers: Don't think roses. Think rats.