(NB&CL) Every time Tet (Lunar New Year) comes around, my heart is filled with an indescribable feeling. I don't know why, but I keep remembering the Tet days of the past, when I was a little child, toddling along with my mother to the Tet market. Those years were difficult, but the Tet atmosphere was so vibrant, it seemed like nothing could be more lively than that.
Perhaps when people are well-fed and comfortable, their spiritual joy diminishes, and they no longer look forward to the Lunar New Year. That's true; life is different now, and there's hardly any shortage of material things. Delicious food is no longer something to crave, something scarce and precious, because daily meals include meat, fish, sausages, etc. Sometimes, in the city, people crave vegetables more than meat.
Modern life is convenient and comfortable; everything in the house is designed to serve family needs—washing machines, air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators—has become commonplace, not luxuries only found in the wealthy as in the past. With such convenience and modernity, food and clothing have become commonplace. Life has shifted from simply having enough to eat and wear to enjoying delicious food and beautiful clothes. Since eating well and dressing well has become an everyday occurrence, people are no longer as enthusiastic about Tet (Lunar New Year).
It is precisely because of people's indifference that I miss Tet (Vietnamese New Year) of the past even more. My heart is filled with beautiful memories, overflowing with laughter and boundless joy. It's the scene of the whole family gathered in the corner of the yard, each person doing their part wrapping banh chung (traditional rice cakes). We children would compete to help the adults tie the strings. The air was filled with lively laughter, the fragrant aroma of sticky rice and mung beans, the warmth of the hearth, and the rosy cheeks of children flushed with excitement. That scene filled the village, making people forget the biting cold of the year-end.
On the afternoon of the 29th of Tet (Lunar New Year), the squealing of pigs echoed throughout the village, and the bustling sounds of people draining ponds to catch fish filled the air. Despite the cold, the final afternoon of the year felt warm and joyful. On the afternoon of the 30th, families in the village gathered to prepare the year-end offering, the fragrant incense evoking a sacred atmosphere. It brought peace to the heart, allowing people to cast aside worries, resentments, and grudges, and look forward to a new year filled with good things. It was a moment of reunion for loved ones, siblings and children sitting together around the table, enjoying the feeling of kinship and experiencing the happiness of togetherness in their familiar homeland.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, crowds of people, dressed in colorful new clothes, went out to celebrate. They greeted each other with smiles, shaking hands and exchanging good wishes. Oh, what a vibrant and joyful atmosphere of the new spring! Inside the village houses, everyone raised their cups of fragrant tea, infused with the scent of spring, the earth, and the sky. Cups of wine were raised, making rosy cheeks even rosier, lips even more vibrant, and eyes even more sparkling and captivating. Words, already sweet and gentle, became even more warm and affectionate. It seemed as if the earth and sky themselves sang enchanting melodies, the peach blossoms whispering words of love, the sunlight a captivating gaze. Everything was imbued with the essence of spring, its warmth blending into the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
For me, Tet in the past, though lacking in material comforts, was overflowing with joy and emotion. Perhaps I'm a nostalgic person, but try to recall it, and you'll probably feel the same way as me—that Tet in the past had its own unique charm that evokes fond memories.
Le Minh Hai
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bang-khuang-tet-ve-post331236.html
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