Westminster Losing Out on Tet

The annual Tet festival in Westminster again has sparked unfortunate divisiveness rather than the harmony that is supposed to be a central theme of the celebrations.

Tet is the most important religious and cultural holiday of the year for the Vietnamese community. Last year, the city of Westminster was a sponsor of the festival for the first time. That increased the prestige of the event in the eyes of the community groups and business people organizing the celebration. For the city, it was a chance to raise Westminster’s profile and, it was hoped, increase its attractiveness to tourists.

But this year the city has bowed out. Some city officials said there was not enough time to host a proper celebration of Tet, which falls on Feb. 7. That is a difficult explanation to swallow, considering that the festival occurs at approximately the same time each year. More likely is the contention by those who wanted the city to continue its sponsorship that feuding among elected city officials was the problem.

Fortunately, there will be two Tet festivals this year, though both will be held outside Westminster, one in Garden Grove, the other in Huntington Beach. Unlike last year, the two festivals will be held on different weekends, giving a double dose of enjoyment to devotees of dragon dancing, Vietnamese music and food.

A group of Vietnamese community and business leaders organized the first Tet festival in 1980 in the Little Saigon section of Westminster. It was a good idea. Held only five years after the Communist conquest of South Vietnam, the events offered refugees a chance to celebrate their culture and Americans an opportunity to glimpse their new neighbors.

Both those reasons are still valid. A newer and equally good benefit of the festival is its demonstration to the increasing number of Americans of Vietnamese descent of the ceremonies and culture of their parents.

The city’s lack of sponsorship should not be allowed to detract from the festivals. Perhaps next year officials will realize the benefits of celebrations that can be a magnet for visitors from Southern California and beyond.