Blessing the Year of the Horse

STORY and PHOTOS by TAM NGUYEN, Nguoi Viet

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Hundreds of members the Vietnamese Catholic community gathered Friday at the Vietnamese Catholic Center mark the first day of Tet and official ring in the Year of the Horse.

The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann (center) held service at the Vietnamese Catholic Center.

The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, who led the mass, blessed the Catholic community, bestowing on those who had gathered best wishes and hopes for good health and strength. The horse, after all, does represent strength.
“Keep strong like the horse, and may money flow in your home like water,” Rev. Vann said.

He threw in a couple of jokes, too. “I came from Texas and didn’t bring a horse with me but a cold,” the Rev. Vann joked about riding a horse to the Catholic Center.

The service lasted about an hour and represented a peaceful way to start the New Year. The morning air might have been chilly, but a warmth shielded those who came to worship. It felt like home and sharing Tet with many friends.

The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann blessed the altar.

Because of the large crowd, festivities had to be held outdoors in the front quad of the Catholic Center and in the adjacent meeting halls. Still, there weren’t enough seats, and the crowd poured out into the streets.
After the mass, Rev. Vann gave the final blessings and the churchgoers lined up to received li xi ― lucky money ― followed by the traditional dragon dance. Firecrackers went off during the dragon dance, and the sound of drums echoed throughout the halls of the Catholic Center.

The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann gives out lucky red envelopes to the attendees.

Organizers said the Orange County celebration is the largest in the United States.
“I have heard about this service in the prior years but have never been. This is my first time and it was more than what I anticipated,” said Minh Tran, 68, from Garden Grove.

A dragon dance followed the mass at the Vietnamese Catholic Center.

Tran’s grandson was also in attendance. “I liked the dragon dance and the firecrackers,” said Peter Tran, 7, from Garden Grove, with excitement.