A variety of items to celebrate longevity at the beginning of the new year.

Paintings and banners have always been popular choices as gifts for birthday celebrations.

From tradition…

Despite the increasingly developed and modern lifestyle, paintings and banners celebrating longevity remain a popular choice as gifts for many people on occasions like birthdays. These are symbolic gifts, expressing the respect, reverence, and affection of descendants, wishing their elders continued health and long life.

Ms. Ta Thi Hieu, residing in Ngan Son Street ( Hai Duong City), has been selling longevity celebration paintings for many years. Since the end of last year, she has imported approximately 200 longevity celebration paintings from reputable workshops in the northern region. According to Ms. Hieu, longevity celebration paintings have also undergone many changes over time. The materials are increasingly diverse, including lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay, and bronze. The images printed on the paintings are also varied, ranging from family gatherings and children to symbols such as peaches, pine and cypress trees, couplets, and the characters for "Happiness," "Prosperity," and "Longevity."

Prices vary depending on the material, size, and intricacy of the painting. Paintings celebrating longevity are commonly priced between 500,000 VND and 7 million VND. According to reporters, from the morning of the third day of Tet (Lunar New Year), many paintings and banners were already on display in shops on streets such as Ngan Son, Tuy Hoa, and Xuan Dai in Hai Duong City. According to representatives from several shops, the busiest period is from the third and fourth days of Tet until the tenth day of the first lunar month.

...to modern

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long from Tan Binh ward (Hai Duong city) chose a birthday cake design to give to his relatives.

Besides traditional birthday cakes, in the last 2-3 years, many families have chosen cream cakes as gifts for their relatives during birthday celebrations. Recognizing this market trend, many cake shops have opened during the Lunar New Year to serve customer demand. Ms. Ngo Huong Giang, owner of Bi Cake in Tu Ky town, said: “From the second day of Tet, I started receiving orders for birthday cakes. From the third day onwards, I received 10-15 orders a day. The trends in decorating birthday cakes change every year. Cake shops must constantly keep up with and update new trends.”

Birthday cakes are decorated with many symbolic meanings (photo provided by the establishment).

Birthday cakes at some bakeries in Hai Duong City and the districts of Tu Ky and Kim Thanh are commonly priced from 220,000 to 350,000 VND per cake. The accompanying decorations often include details such as peach blossoms, red peach branches, old men and women figures, with the main decorative color being vibrant red.

During this period, Bui Quang Dai's Minti Cake shop on Bach Dang Street (Hai Duong City) receives more than 10 orders for birthday cakes every day. After advising customers on cake designs, Mr. Dai starts making the cakes and delivers them to customers' homes if requested.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long from Tan Binh ward (Hai Duong city) said: “This Tet holiday, my children and grandchildren decided to celebrate my grandmother's longevity. Besides a warm and cozy meal, the children and grandchildren also chose to buy different gifts. I ordered a cake with a couplet wishing my grandmother a long life surrounded by her children and grandchildren. This gift shows the care and filial piety of the grandchildren.”

Not only cakes, but even during Tet (Lunar New Year), many imported fruit shops were busy with orders for fruit baskets as gifts for birthday celebrations. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, owner of Gold Fruit in Hai Duong City, said: "I started taking orders for fruit baskets from the second day of Tet, and I make about 15 baskets for birthday celebrations every day. Usually, we make fruit baskets priced from 500,000 VND to 1 million VND. However, for fruit baskets intended as birthday gifts, customers often order large baskets with many types of fruit, with high value, at prices ranging from 1 million to 2.5 million VND.”

The fruits inside the basket are diverse, including pears, oranges, grapefruits, apples, grapes, tangerines, etc., each carrying its own meaning, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. The fruit basket is beautifully designed with a harmonious combination of fresh, delicious fruits, accompanied by fresh flowers or decorative accessories such as bows, ribbons, and greeting cards.

Many imported fruit shops are busy fulfilling orders for fruit baskets for birthday celebrations.

On online marketplaces, other products such as bird's nest and health supplements like cordyceps are also being offered by many sellers as meaningful gifts for celebrating longevity. Bird's nest is priced from 350,000 to 450,000 VND (10 boxes), and cordyceps from 1.8 million to 3 million VND per 100g.

In addition, many other meaningful and practical gifts such as blood pressure monitors, massage chairs and machines, nutritional supplements, and health-boosting foods are also introduced and offered for sale... The designs, origins, and prices of these items are also very diverse, so consumers need to consider carefully and choose a reliable source.

A longevity celebration is an occasion for generations of children and grandchildren to gather and show filial piety to their grandparents and parents. Meaningful longevity gifts are a great source of encouragement, helping the elderly to have better health and more joy.

HUYEN TRANG

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/da-dang-vat-pham-mung-tho-dau-nam-moi-404397.html