My parents are back in the countryside, counting down the days until their children and grandchildren return home for Tet (Lunar New Year). They're cutting down the ripe, round bunches of bananas in the corner of the garden to prune until the fruit turns yellow, then offering them to the ancestral altar. They're counting how many shoots the peonies have sprouted and how many colors of flowers they've bloomed. They're counting how many young shoots the yellow apricot tree in front of the house has, waiting to burst into bloom...
The rows of cabbage and coriander were sown in staggered batches so that the whole family could pick whatever they needed. My mother calculated how many bundles of rice cakes to wrap, some for the children and grandchildren to eat at home during Tet, and some to take with them to the city. In my memory, the twelfth lunar month is still filled with the fragrant scent of banana leaves that my mother blanched in boiling water to wrap the cakes, mingled with the pungent smell of wood smoke clinging to my father's clothes as he tidied up the garden. Those simple smells, without even looking, told me that Tet was just around the corner. And on the morning of the first day of Tet, we counted the tiny yellow blossoms of the apricot tree blooming in the warm spring rain.
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| Spring flowers - Photo: Provided |
Like my parents, I, living in the city, am also counting down the days until my children return from Ho Chi Minh City for Tet. In December, I occasionally see houses displaying warm yellow chrysanthemum pots, and glimpses of early-blooming apricot blossoms in the drizzling rain, making me feel as if Tet is truly near. My children have confided in me that they want to stay in the city for Tet once to experience the first day of the year in the quiet, peaceful city, so different from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Yet, their hearts are filled with the urge to return to their hometown to celebrate Tet with family and relatives. Their youth is a yearning to contribute and reach for success in a new land promising many achievements. They have been taught that, despite their busy lives, they should always carry the image of family and their roots as a guide in life, using it to fuel their motivation whenever they face difficulties.
These days in December, my mother and I are constantly calling each other. We talk about train and bus tickets home, about buying tea and cakes to visit our grandparents in the countryside, about the city decorating for Tet so early, making us feel homesick… What I remember most is my son's question, which he repeats every year: "Mom, after the fireworks, who will wash the sky?" That was his question when he first saw fireworks on New Year's Eve, some year ago. Now that we're grown up and can spread our wings in foreign lands, every time we come home, we feel like a family from a not-so-distant past, filled with the laughter of children.
Amidst the slow yet hurried passage of December in the city's rhythm, I understand that although each person may be in a different place, Tet (Lunar New Year) is the thread that connects the simplest things in life, bringing people back home. December, therefore, is not only a month of endings, but also a month of love, with days counted down to reunion. And then, at the moment of transition, everyone realizes: No matter how far we travel, Tet remains the path leading us back to our family, to our beloved roots.
Tu Linh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202602/dem-nguocyeu-thuong-de-tro-ve-3f315ac/
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