Source: The Buddhist Channel/Memphis Commercial Appeal
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=61,7693,0,0,1,0
Led by the hollow beat of a drum, people knelt on cushions the size of throw pillows Sunday morning, chanting a rhythmic prayer in Vietnamese to welcome the spirits of the dead.
At Pho Da Temple, a tiny, red-roofed Buddhist prayer hall in Raleigh, nearly 50 people came to make offerings to their ancestors and to kindle a year of good luck.
Nha Huynh takes a moment to pray after a formal service celebrating the Vietnamese New Year at Pho Da Temple, a Buddhist temple in Raleigh, Sunday morning.
The Vietnamese New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and was celebrated this weekend by Memphis' estimated 6,000 Vietnamese.