Preserving family traditions

Mrs. Ngo Thi Lui (80 years old), residing in Tan Phong village, Pho Phong commune (Duc Pho town), is widely known and admired. She is a shining example of a war widow who tirelessly raised her children, ensuring they received a good education. Her husband participated in the resistance war against the US and died, leaving her with four young children. Without the family's breadwinner, this wife and mother remained utterly loyal and selfless, becoming a powerful motivation for her four sons to strive in their studies, build a stable life, and achieve happiness.

Ms. Lui shared, "My life has been filled with bitterness and hardship, but I never gave up. Instead, I always strived to overcome difficulties, simply to set an example for my children. Despite being busy with work, my children come home on weekends to reminisce about those difficult times, to cherish traditional culture and the warmth of family. In my twilight years, I am very content to see my children always loving, united, and filial towards their mother."

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Buong, residing in Thach By 1 residential area, Pho Thanh ward (Duc Pho town), has always been filial to her mother, setting an example for her children and grandchildren to follow.

Four generations live together, yet the home of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Buong (72 years old), in Thach By 1 residential area, Pho Thanh ward (Duc Pho town), is always filled with laughter. Her husband passed away due to a serious illness, and Mrs. Buong currently lives with her son and his wife, her grandchildren, and her 95-year-old mother. Despite her mother's frail health and the difficulties in caring for her, Mrs. Buong remains devoted and loving. For Mrs. Buong, her mother worked hard to raise her, so no matter her age, she remains a filial daughter, always obedient to her mother to make her happy. She respectfully consults her mother on all matters, big or small, within the household. Mrs. Buong's exemplary behavior has contributed to her children and grandchildren always showing respect to their elders and helping each other in their work and lives.

Mrs. Buong said, "I always emphasize sharing, equality in behavior, and educating my children to support each other and cherish family traditions. Therefore, as they grew up, all my children not only continued their father's fishing profession but also pooled their resources to start businesses, leading to increasingly prosperous lives for them. As a mother, seeing my children bonded together makes me very happy."

Despite being 88 years old, Mrs. Ngo Thi Tham, residing in Hoa Vinh village, Hanh Phuoc commune (Nghia Hanh district), still maintains her family traditions, ensuring harmony among her children and grandchildren. Mrs. Tham expressed, "The more modern life becomes, the more I must preserve the family traditions so that my children and grandchildren will always cherish the values of family heritage. I don't force my children to always conform to traditional thinking, but I always encourage them to emphasize their roles and responsibilities in nurturing family happiness. To set a good example for them, I always live a virtuous life, teaching them with fairness and impartiality in all matters. Thanks to this, even though they live in different parts of the country, my children always gather together for family celebrations, holidays, and joyous occasions. This is also the motivation that helps me live happily and healthily."

The family of Ms. Ngo Thi Tham, in Hoa Vinh village, Hanh Phuoc commune (Nghia Hanh district), focuses on preserving family traditions to foster unity and happiness within the family.

For over 50 years of marriage, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung (85 years old) and Mrs. Pham Thi Thu Ba (75 years old), residing in Nghia Lo ward ( Quang Ngai city), have always wholeheartedly preserved their family traditions. Having both participated in the resistance war against the US, upon returning to civilian life, Mr. and Mrs. Trung cherish their happiness and strive to nurture their family home. Currently, they are living peacefully with their son and his wife, and their grandchildren.

Mr. Trung shared that amidst the modern pace of life and the demands of work, family traditions have been affected to some extent. However, these traditions are formed from the family's beautiful heritage and simple things like harmonious interactions and mutual support among family members. Therefore, to preserve these traditions in modern life, he and his wife always cherish each other, live harmoniously and simply so that their children and grandchildren can learn from them. For him, a multi-generational family is only truly happy when there is always sharing and understanding; preserving and promoting traditional values while also continuously selecting and absorbing modern cultural values to suit all members.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Mr. Trung's son, is always proud of his family's tradition of love and harmony. Mr. Phuong shared that the family tradition is always continued as each generation strives to preserve it. Therefore, he both inherits the good and right things from his parents and teaches his children meaningful lessons to uphold the family tradition. Living in a three-generation family, he doesn't see any difference; on the contrary, family is the source of strength that motivates him to constantly strive. Every day, he gathers with his family for meals and always makes time to return to his hometown with his parents for ancestral commemorations. This brings joy to his parents.

Three generations of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung's family, residing in Nghia Lo ward (Quang Ngai city), have always lived in unity and love for one another.

Having established a stable life in Ho Chi Minh City for over 30 years, Mr. Lu Phi, originally from Duc Lan commune (Mo Duc district), still preserves his three-room tiled house in his hometown. Inside, Mr. Phi displays numerous commemorative photos of his family members taken at different points in time. Every Tet (Lunar New Year), Mr. Phi and his children return to their beloved home. For Mr. Phi, this is where he and his wife raised and nurtured their children, and where each family member finds warmth and peace. Preserving the old house is a way for him to maintain family traditions, so that family members always cherish the difficult times they went through, and continue to love and share with each other.

According to Master of Psychology Vo Thi Thieu, lecturer at the Faculty of Social Pedagogy (Pham Van Dong University), in the lives of Vietnamese people from ancient times to the present, the family tradition is a system of cultural norms characteristic of each family, reflecting the identity and traditions of that family. The family tradition of each family is specifically expressed through the "way of life" of each member. It is not only about exemplary lifestyles and daily behavior, but also reflects the spiritual values of each family, helping everyone strengthen family bonds and foster greater love and affection.

Text and photos: HAI CHAU

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/xa-hoi/202503/gin-giu-nep-nha-8da1e1f/