The start of the year

The two boys smeared their faces jet black and, carrying tools — pliers, scissors, a knife — crawled up to the neighbour's fence. They climbed over the fence and sat quietly on the ground, waiting. Sure enough, two dogs came running, and the boys at once threw them two pieces of fragrant grilled meat laced with a little anaesthetic. The two dogs wagged their tails happily, ate both pieces and slowly fell asleep. The boys had already sprinkled food from the street to the little opening under the fence. Now they went on sprinkling food to lead the way. The two crept right up to the dog cage, which held about 10 dogs with sad faces.

The two quietly cut the lock on the door and opened it. The dogs smelled the food and crawled out, following the trail of sprinkled food, slipped out through the fence and went out onto the street.
The two crept back to the fence, climbed over and ran off.

They washed thoroughly, went to bed, and woke early on the first morning of the new year, dressed neatly to offer New Year greetings to their grandparents and parents.

Their grandfather taught them sternly:

• Since I became aware of things until now, in the first days of the year I have always done good, meritorious deeds to pray for blessings on the family. When we do meritorious deeds, we bring joy to people and creatures. In these days we only release life and never take life. In these days we only give way, and give gifts and lucky money, and never grab or compete. Whoever we meet, we are cheerful, harmonious and respectful. We must bring all the morality of the sages to bear in dealing with everyone and everything. Thanks to that, during the year we know how to restrain our minds and not let what is bad and evil rise up.
  I have only two grandsons, and on the morning of the first day they are not even awake, and don't yet know what meritorious deed to do. They haven't even washed clean; both their ears still have soot on them. Surely I shouldn't scold my grandsons at the start of the year. You must remember my words and be diligent in doing good, especially in this sacred start of the year. Hey, I'm teaching you and the two of you are nudging each other and laughing?
  Their father hissed through his teeth:
• Will you two stand properly and listen to your grandfather's teaching or not?
  The two boys, solemn, said loudly together:
• We will obey what our grandparents and parents teach us and dare not disobey, and will always do good, meritorious deeds to bring joy to everyone and everything at the start of the year.
  Their grandfather smiled, satisfied, and said:
• Very good. This afternoon our family will buy fish to take to the river and release.

Suddenly a screech came from the neighbour's house over there:

• Curse your whole family, at the start of the year, at Tết, you do me harm! I had a few dogs to slaughter and sell for Tết, and you've stolen them. I don't want to swear at your father, but you've provoked me... Curse your whole family... 😜

To pray for merit means to do something that makes other people and creatures happy, not something that makes ourselves happy. What we do to make ourselves happy brings no merit and easily brings wrongdoing.
Especially when we go to temples and shrines at the start of the year, we should pray all the more for peace and prosperity for the country and the world and not pray only for ourselves. If we pray only for ourselves, the prayer is seldom answered.

If we can do meritorious deeds at the start of the year, then during the year we will more easily escape calamity and meet with good fortune. Giving lucky money to make children happy is also doing good. Visiting relatives and acquaintances is also doing good. In general, doing good costs money and effort. As for escaping far away on holiday during Tết days to avoid showing affection to anyone, for the sake of taking it easy, that is very easy; it's just that at the end of life we incur the karmic result of loneliness.
Tết is hard work, because we have to bring out all the morality of the sages in dealing with everyone. But thanks to that our family line is handed down and grows, thanks to that our homeland still has an endearing culture, thanks to that blessings continue.
I don't know who in the past devised the sacred Tết as the deep cultural thread of the nation. I bow my head before that person.