Heartwarming Vietnamese Tet celebration in a foreign land.

These days, the temperature in Europe is around 5-6 degrees Celsius. It's not freezing, but for someone with a flat nose, yellow skin, and sinuses like me, the cold is enough to shatter any travel ideas I've been planning for the Vietnamese New Year.

But all of that pales in comparison to the cold creeping into my heart. Another year has passed, a full ten years since I last went home.

I remember the hustle and bustle of the kitchen from the day we send the Kitchen God to heaven. I love the moment of sweeping up on the last day of the year. The smoky smell of dry grass stings my eyes, but it's strangely warm.

Perhaps, in this faraway land of Germany, there are quite a few people like me. A little lonely in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year). But thankfully, with so many people in the same situation, things are actually a little better.

A scene from the Sapa market in the Czech Republic before the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024. Photo: Quynh Chi

The spring market in a foreign land is also bustling with goods bearing the mark of home - peach blossoms, kumquats, apricot blossoms..., Tet decorations on conical hats, straw hats, paper fans..., auspicious New Year couplets... Nothing is missing! All of this creates a very Vietnamese Tet atmosphere, and people like me feel warm inside.

In online groups for people in Germany, these days are much livelier with the familiar yet lively question: "How are you all preparing for Tet (Vietnamese New Year)?" Then each person shares a secret recipe for making jam or other food.

Everyone hopes that every family can have a truly fulfilling Lunar New Year celebration. While complete family reunions may not be possible, it's certainly important to remember those crucial moments of exchanging wishes for a peaceful new year.

Dong Xuan Market (in Berlin, Germany) and Sapa Market (in the Czech Republic) are bustling with Vietnamese people. They buy and sell goods and chat. Even strangers are connected by shared memories and nostalgia for their homeland.

But perhaps the most special thing that connects all those who are looking forward to Tet in this foreign land is the aspiration to "Bring Tet home for our children." This is not a project, nor is it a campaign. It is simply a desire for children born in foreign lands to experience the atmosphere of the traditional Vietnamese Tet holiday.

Above all, in the most intimate and familiar way, mothers hope their children will understand and further appreciate the beautiful culture of their homeland. No matter where they are on this earth, even in a place completely different from their own culture, preserving Vietnamese culture through organizing and participating in cultural activities such as traditional festivals and holidays is of paramount importance.

A Vietnamese mother teaches her children Tet customs. Photo: Facebook

A traditional Tet (Vietnamese New Year) feast prepared by a Vietnamese family in Germany. Photo: Facebook

Living far from home, everyone surely feels a longing for their homeland, especially during the transition to the new year. I love Tet! And perhaps because I am a traditional woman, I cherish and enjoy everything related to the ancient Tet even more.

I feel more cheerful when I see the women in their colorful ao dai dresses fluttering in the streets of Berlin. The children, dressed in ao dai and wooden clogs, playing at the Brandenburg Gate are so adorable that no words can describe them.

Adults have more or less enjoyed peaceful and beautiful Lunar New Year celebrations in their hometowns, so children living far from home deserve even more to have a beautiful childhood steeped in Vietnamese traditional culture.

Decorating the house with the children, picking peach blossoms and apricot blossoms, wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), making spring rolls, and shaping fish for the Kitchen God's return to heaven... Hopefully, when the children grow up, these moments of preparing for Tet will become a foundation to guide them back to their homeland and roots.

It's not just me; every mother wants to give her child the best things in life. For Vietnamese mothers, that means passing on the beautiful traditions and customs of Vietnam to their children.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thu-tu-duc-am-long-tet-viet-xu-xa-196240204173711133.htm