Christmas - the season of love

(VHQN) - Since the beginning of December, on many streets I passed, many shops have been hung with Santa Claus costumes, pine trees, tinsel, lanterns, items to make nativity scenes... Christmas has long been not only a solemn holiday for Christians but has become a common festival for everyone.

Children participate in creative art experiences during the Christmas season. Photo: Khieu Thi Hoai

In that way, to me, Christmas becomes more and more familiar and warm. Winter comes with a bit of cold and I can feel the taste of Christmas, here and there churches and shops are bustling with decorations of nativity scenes and Christmas trees.

The most profound and complete was that Christmas night long ago, when we were in the cold of Dalat, cracking our skin. The Saigon - Dalat bus in the difficult times slowly brought me and my friend who studied geology at Ho Chi Minh City University back to Dalat when it was already dusk.

At the end of the year, Da Lat is cold and bitter. I was stunned when the car passed by the Rooster Church, a beautiful church built in the classical French architectural style. Bells rang out in the mist, in the magical shimmer of green pine trees, fog, caves, lanterns and the silhouettes of people going to church and strolling along the streets.

Children enjoy the colorful Christmas atmosphere. Photo: TAM DAN

It seemed that all the sounds, colors, and breaths of heaven and earth had blended into the mystical atmosphere of the afternoon mass. My friend hurriedly greeted me and quickly pulled his lover's hand to join the crowd pouring toward the church.

I was stunned for a moment, then joined the crowd with my friend's wink and the appointment: Meet at my friend's house in Da Lat, exactly at midnight! I wandered around Da Lat all night, the first time I came here, in the ecstasy and mystery of Christmas Eve in a strange land.

My friend's family in Cho Phuong is Catholic, so the Christmas celebrations are very thoughtful. And, that night, for the only time in my life, I got to celebrate Christmas in full with a Réveillion (midnight party) including roast goose, full of the flavors of Western Christmas Eve!

Once again, when I had just graduated, I and a colleague attended Christmas at Tra Kieu Church. We happily cycled together from Trung Phuoc down Phuong Ranh Pass to Tra Kieu Church yard in the late afternoon, just enough to get into the ideal area for the ceremony. This area was mostly Catholic, so many houses had decorated Christmas trees and nativity scenes in front. And flowers and lanterns were everywhere.

On Christmas Eve, many people come here to attend mass and hang out. Every year, Christmas Eve is always crowded with people. That night, because the road was too far, we had to leave early and did not attend the “Vigil”.

And so, the two of us lifted our two bicycles high above our heads to go against the crowd, looking for a way home. Our friend had passed away many years ago, but the atmosphere of that Christmas Eve was forever remembered. Every time Christmas comes, we miss our friend with so much love.

It seems that the holy land of Tra Kieu and the peaceful atmosphere of many Christmas seasons have created emotions and are expressed pervasively in the works of the writer from Duy Xuyen: Nguyen Mot. It is easy to recognize that atmosphere in the short story "The sound of sparrows in the cathedral" or the novel "From the sixth hour to the ninth hour" recently published along with many other works of the writer.

When I was in high school, although I was not a religious person, Christmas always fascinated us students. It was the time of changing seasons, about to say goodbye to the cold of winter to prepare to welcome spring.

After Christmas comes New Year's Eve. Welcoming the cold, everyone, especially young girls, have the opportunity to show off their beauty and fragrance, so even though the weather is freezing, it is not surprising that they still wear a beautiful short dress to welcome Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve, in a metropolitan place like Hoi An, the atmosphere was extremely jubilant. Many houses set up parties on the porch next to the grotto and pine tree. Music and singing were played to welcome the moment of the birth of Christ. He drifted around the streets seemingly never ending. The main direction was still the city church, the most sparkling and bustling place in Hoi An.

The church bells, hymns, and murmuring prayers create a warm atmosphere for a late winter day. There is no longer a distinction between believers and non-believers, Vietnamese and foreign tourists. Everything blends together from the streets, the church yard, deep inside the cathedral. Each part of the mass, then the vigil… until midnight.

Not only in Da Lat, Tra Kieu or Hoi An, during Christmas season, no matter where in the world , people always wish each other the same thing: Merry Christmas!

Christmas season, the season of love!

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