nhientong

[nhientong]

What is love?

[nhientong]

Tết

If you ask me “What is Tet?”, I will probably say “It is the combination of everything, of reunion and gatherings, of renewing and refreshing. It is the turnover of nature and a new beginning”. To explain in a theoretical way, it’s basically Lunar New Year.  Yes, that explanation is totally correct; but to me, Lunar New Year is a very objective term to describe Tết. Tết and other countries’ Lunar New Year are slightly different and maybe that’s why we call them with different names.

     According to Wikipedia, “Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar, which is mostly based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar and usually has the date in January or February in the Gregorian calendar”. In another way, our traditional holiday is quite similar to Christmas. We usually go back to our hometown to celebrate it with our family; and instead of buying Christmas pine trees, we buy flowers that represent spring. To us, flowers, such as peach blossom (in the North) or apricot blossom (in the South), symbolize the turnover of a new year. When all flowers start to show off their beautiful colors, it means something good is coming. There aren’t any ornaments, mistletoes, or Santa Claus figures, we decorate our houses with rituals written on red papers or fruit trays; and instead of receiving presents, kids usually receive red envelopes for luck.

     On Tết, the buzzing and busy cities turn into forlorn houses. People leave those big cities to return to their small and true house-to where they call home. And that’s the reason why Tết is so special and important to every Vietnamese. Tết allows you to eat every traditional food, which may be unhealthy, without thinking about your weight and help you resolve conflicts. It’s when you leave your phones alone when your playlist is full of Tết music instead of Taylor Swift or Shawn Mendes. To me, Tết is not only a holiday, but it is also an occasion for you to realize the importance of family and to reconnect with your relatives. It is the time when you truly live for yourself and be yourself, a time to rest and a time to think about a new start.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to return back to my hometown in Tết. I’m in Canada and repairing for my finals. Yes, I was desperately sad and missing my home and my family in Vietnam, but at some point, I realize that Tet is not a permanent place, it likes a wind that will follow you wherever you go. Finally, to all the people who live far from home, Tết is family and family will always be with you.

  If you have a chance, come to Vietnam and experience it. I guarantee you, Tết only needs one try to win your heart.

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