The Redemptorist Missionaries opened the doors of their home in Long Beach Feb. 1 to the Vietnamese community of South Los Angeles and Orange County to celebrate the traditional Tet Nguyen Dan, or Vietnamese New Year, the most popular and most important holiday in Vietnam.

About 500 Vietnamese of all ages attended the New Year Mass in the chapel of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Media Center. In his homily, San Pedro Region Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar welcomed the Year of the Water Buffalo by urging the community to place their cares on Jesus just as the farmer relies on the beast --- used for plowing and transportation in many parts of Asia, and known for its patience.

"The water buffalo, as well as the ox, is a beast of burden that carries things for us. In a similar way, as we heard on the passage of Scripture, we should put our cares on Him… and not be anxious for anything, as we heard in the second reading of St. Paul," Bishop Salazar said.

On a hopeful note, the prelate called the water buffalo a good sign in the midst of the current economic downturn.

"Especially during this time, Jesus continues to remind us to till our minds over and over again, the same way the farmer tills the soil with the help of the water buffalo to bring abundance of food for the land," he said. "This is a time of plenty, of reaping the harvest."

During the liturgy, Bishop Salazar welcomed four young novices who will soon join the Redemptorist priesthood.

Acknowledging the importance of all vocations, he called everyone to stay obedient and live as active builders of God's Kingdom.

"To some, the Lord will call to marry; to some, to stay single; and to others, He will call to be of service," he said. "But we must all build up the Kingdom of God."

He congratulated the novices for setting an example for the youth, and urged the people to listen to God, regardless of their call.

Immediately after the Mass, the celebration continued with the explosion of firecrackers --- used by Vietnamese as a symbol to fight demons --- and the dancing of dragons, a symbol of prosperity and strength.

Officially, the national holiday of Tet lasts three days, but in practice it is closer to a week or ten days. Tet is the abbreviation of Tet Nguyen Dan which means the first morning of the first day of the new period.

Tet marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar, and the beginning of spring. The New Year begins on the first night of the first moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which is sometime between January 21 and February 19 on the solar calendar.

The Redemptorist Mission in Long Beach has hosted Tet since 1978, when they established their monastery and chapel on Atlantic Avenue, to serve the Vietnamese population in the surrounding area.

The celebration is viewed by the missionaries as a way to keep their unity with God and the community and to keep the tradition alive for the younger generations.

"With this celebration we help keep the children and youth away from the streets, we help them develop their creativity and their leadership skills through the arts," said Redemptorist Father Michael Luan Nguyen, superior rector of the Long Beach monastery and director of the congregation's OLPH media center, including a radio station and a television broadcast that airs nationwide.

In 2010, the Year of the Tiger, Tet will be celebrated on Feb. 14.

For more information on the Redemptorist Missionaries in Long Beach or Baldwin Park, call 562-988-7997.