Red couplets - wishes and sentiments of spring...

In the joyful and bustling atmosphere of preparing for the Lunar New Year, the image of red couplets appears in the hearts of every Vietnamese person as a sacred and enduring link between the past, present, and future. Each stroke of the pen represents the presence of spring, carrying the hopes and dreams of people before a new beginning...

Red couplets, displayed during the bustling spring days, evoke a refined pastime while conveying cultural, educational , and moral messages.

As the cold winter gradually fades away, the warm, vibrant spring arrives, nourishing the young shoots and blossoms, adding color and fragrance to the flowers, and sweetness to the fruits. Spring comes, the Lunar New Year arrives, the cycle of time like a promise of good fortune.

According to Vietnamese tradition, Tet (Lunar New Year) holds special significance. It marks the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one, filled with excitement, joy, and hope. Therefore, depending on their social standing, people have their own unique ways of reflecting on and appreciating this meaningful time of year.

Refined scholars sip tea or wine, admiring the beauty of nature. Intellectuals contemplate the times, pondering human nature and the ways of the world. Merchants only hope for smooth and successful business, with good sales. Farmers, who spend their lives toiling in the fields, have no lofty aspirations beyond a few simple hopes – "hoping for the sky, the earth, the clouds / Hoping for rain, the sun, the day, the night / Hoping for strong legs and a firm foundation," a sentiment immortalized in folk songs and proverbs...

All the hopes and aspirations of the new year are vividly and attractively conveyed through various forms of literature and art. Among them, New Year couplets are perhaps one of the most suitable literary genres for expressing and revealing the feelings and thoughts of people during the transition between seasons. Therefore, from a literary genre imported from China, through a process of adaptation, creativity, and development, New Year couplets have become a spiritual nourishment and a beautiful cultural feature of Vietnam.

In his book "A Concise History of Vietnamese Literature," author Duong Quang Ham states: Parallelism is the practice of pairing two lines so that the meaning and words within them are balanced. Parallelism of meaning is finding two balanced ideas and placing them in two parallel lines. Parallelism of words requires both tonal balance—that is, level tones against rising tones, and rising tones against level tones—and to the type of words used. Parallelism is applied in many poetic forms, but couplets are a literary genre that fully utilizes this principle.

Couplets are the art of wordplay, expressing human talent, intellect, spirit, and emotions. In the past, people often used couplets to test each other's wit. In matters of politics or diplomatic relations between countries, envoys sometimes competed using couplets. Scholars and intellectuals also wrote their own New Year couplets, expressing their feelings on this sacred occasion, reflecting on the renewal of their homeland, the human condition, the joys and sorrows of life, and conveying valuable cultural and educational messages.

Speaking of the optimistic, cheerful, and joyful spirit during Tet (Lunar New Year), many people immediately think of the couplet by Nguyen Cong Tru and chuckle to themselves: "On the thirtieth day of the lunar month, debts pile up, kicking the poor man out the door / On the first day of the new year, drunk and tipsy, welcoming good fortune into the house."

The poet Ho Xuan Huong also contributed a touch of wit and personality to the treasury of Vietnamese New Year couplets: "On the thirtieth night, close the gates of heaven and earth, lock them tightly, lest the demon king bring ghosts / On the first morning, loosen the bolts of creation, open them wide for young women to welcome spring."

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh also composed many beautiful couplets for the Lunar New Year. The Spring of 1946 (Year of the Dog) was a special spring, deeply marked by historical significance for the revolutionary cause, for our country and our people. This was the first Tet, the first spring of an independent Vietnam: "Republican wine, flowers of equality, celebrating the spring of independence / Freedom cakes, fraternal sausages, celebrating the Tet of democracy"...

Admiring the talent and erudition of the ancients, we build bridges to reflect on couplets in general, and Tet couplets in particular, in the context of modern life. Observing contemporary life and the current state of couplets, many feel both joy and concern. Joy because, despite the vicissitudes of time and historical ups and downs, while many traditional cultural values ​​are facing the risk of fading away or have already faded, couplets still maintain their unique position. People still invest time and effort, and are willing to spend money to find beautiful, meaningful, and aesthetically pleasing couplets to hang in prominent and dignified locations in their homes, ancestral temples, or historical sites... Couplets still endure in the flow of national culture. That is something precious.

However, amidst that joy, there were also lingering concerns and anxieties. Mr. Le Van Bai, author of the book "Vietnamese Couplets - Collection and Research," shared: "In society, many people do not fully understand couplets. In many places, beautifully presented couplets, painted in red and gold, purchased at considerable prices, are displayed, but people do not understand what couplets are, or what the couplets they are using convey." Thus, people are leaning more towards form than content; they view couplets simply as decorative objects rather than for their profound meaning.

In the process of cultural exchange, it's inevitable that some concerns and anxieties will arise due to the intertwining and clashing of the new and traditional values. What's important is how we "separate the wheat from the chaff" of these values, upholding the spirit and responsibility of preserving and promoting the beauty of our ancestors' traditional culture. Each couplet written on red or pink paper is just one instance of the beauty and meaning of spring and Tet (Vietnamese New Year) being spread and emphasized within the flow of Vietnamese culture.

Text and photos: Hoang Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cau-doi-do-nbsp-uoc-vong-tam-tinh-xuan-277031.htm