The beauty of "asking for calligraphy" at the beginning of the year

"Every year when peach blossoms bloom/ I see an old scholar/ Displaying Chinese ink and red paper/ On a crowded street..." This is the poem "The Scholar" - Vu Dinh Lien... the students' answers further enlivened the atmosphere of the 2024 Spring Fair organized by Hoa Mac Primary School (Duy Tien town) on the occasion of the recent Lunar New Year.

At the beginning of the year, when going on a spring outing, visiting scenic spots, festivals, spiritual tourist areas, temples, pagodas, etc., you will see the image of a scholar absorbed in meticulously writing and giving calligraphy. On Tet holiday, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam (Hanoi) is a place where many people come to ask for calligraphy, because this is the largesteducational center in our country in ancient times, the first university in Vietnam; in addition, there is Tran Nam Dinh Temple, which is also famous for its culture and love of learning. People who go on spring outings, visit temples, pagodas, etc. and want to "ask for lucky words" at the beginning of the year from the scholars are people who are educated, know calligraphy, Han - Nom calligraphy, write beautifully and, importantly, must deeply understand the meaning of each word they write as well as the personality and wishes of the person "asking for words".

According to traditional customs, the words that are asked to hang at the beginning of the new year are usually the word "Phuc", symbolizing prosperity, happiness and luck; the word "Loc" with the wish for prosperity, wealth and wealth; the word "Tho" meaning long life, longevity, health, hanging the word "Tho" in the house wishes grandparents, parents to live long, healthy, and to be old...

**A scholar sits writing calligraphy at Hoa Mac Primary School (Duy Tien) in the year of the Dragon.** Photo: Ngoc Diep

Ms. Nguyen Mai Phuong in Boi Cau (Binh Luc), went on a spring outing with her family at the beginning of the year and visited Tran Thuong Temple to ask for the word "Hieu". She said: Asking for and giving words used to be reserved for those who were studious and respected words; but today it has become a beautiful custom, expressing the wishes of the writer and the wishes of the recipient for a new year of prosperity, happiness, and luck. Her family asked for the word "Hieu" to remind their children and grandchildren, future generations, to always be grateful for the upbringing of their parents, to live a filial life, and to fulfill their duties as children.

For students of Hoa Mac Primary School (Duy Tien town), through many experiential activities, asking for calligraphy from the calligrapher on Tet holiday helps them better understand the beauty of this culture; at the same time, they express their thoughts to practice perseverance, carefulness, and humanistic philosophies of life through words. At the 2024 Spring Fair exchange, students gathered around the calligrapher to ask for calligraphy, some asked for the word "Khoa" to represent luck in exams; some asked for the word "Do" to represent passing exams, success...

“Asking for calligraphy” is not only at festivals and scenic spots, but associations and organizations also incorporate this humane and meaningful beauty into their activities, such as the Spring Voluntary Blood Donation Program. At the 2024 Spring Blood Donation Program of Duy Tien town, the Organizing Committee arranged a table for volunteers to come and choose their favorite calligraphy letter written by a calligrapher after donating blood. The chosen words are all very meaningful in early spring, such as: Nhan, Phuc, Duyen, Hieu... expressing patience, luck in love, or complete filial piety...

Along with the custom of celebrating longevity at the beginning of the year, writing the first words of the year…, the beauty of “asking for calligraphy” has been passed down in society for a long time, demonstrating the tradition of studiousness of our ancestors and the spirit of diligence, creativity, and respect for words of the Vietnamese people. Thereby, contributing to cultivating, preserving and promoting this good and meaningful tradition for future generations.

Le Tung

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