Day of the Shadows

Yen Lao means a party to celebrate the elderly, an occasion for children and grandchildren to celebrate longevity and show their gratitude to their grandparents and parents. According to the elders in the village, in the past, in Thuong Yen village, every year on the 6th of January (lunar calendar), the village held the Yen Lao festival. Initially, the festival took place at the village communal house, then moved to the cooperative warehouse yard and now the cultural house yard. Later, the festival was held once a year at the hamlet level and once every 5 years at the commune level.

This year, January 6 coincides with the founding day of the Communist Party of Vietnam, February 3, so the Yen Lao festival was moved to February 6 (January 9). It is held every 5 years, so after Tet, every family with elderly grandparents and parents eagerly waits for Yen Lao day. It is truly a festival not only for each family but also for the whole commune. Many elderly people have their ao dai carefully selected by their children and grandchildren, kept in their closets, along with a coat to protect them from the early spring cold, even though it is only a little chilly, it can still affect their health.

Early in the afternoon, from the alleys, children and grandchildren excitedly led their grandparents and parents to the communal cultural house yard. Greetings and laughter filled the streets. It seemed easy to recognize the joyful eyes and smiles of the elders walking beside their children and grandchildren on such a special day. The young and old walking side by side created a warm and affectionate image. That image reminded me of when I was a child, I also took my grandmother along like that. Now that my grandmother is no longer here, looking at the excited grandparents coming to attend the Yen Lao festival, I couldn't help but feel moved, as if I suddenly saw my grandmother somewhere.

In the communal cultural house yard, the elderly are arranged to sit in rows of tables, divided by age. In particular, there is a separate table for the oldest elderly, with a sign “Thu chi”, with 2 people holding parasols (also known as umbrellas) on both sides. My mother told me that in feudal times, because of the heavy ideology of “male superiority and female inferiority”, this table was only for the oldest elderly man. Later, that ideology was gradually eliminated, and at that solemn table there were also elderly women. Even so, the title “Thu chi” was still given to the oldest elderly man in the commune. This year, there were more than 700 elderly people participating in the Yen Lao festival, including 3 elderly people over 100 years old, including: Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phon (105 years old, hamlet 6); Mrs. Hoang Thi That (104 years old, hamlet 6) and Mrs. Ho Thi That (102 years old, hamlet 9). The person who received the title "Thu chi" is Mr. Ho Xuan Lan, 95 years old, in hamlet 4.

Mr. Ho Xuan Lan (95 years old) received the title of "Thu chi" at this year's Yen Lao festival.

At the birthday party, the elders listened to their children and grandchildren express their respect through songs and warm wishes expressing their wish for them to live happily and long with their children and grandchildren. The elders chatted while enjoying tea, water, and cakes. Many of them also put some cakes and candies in their bags as gifts when they returned home because they loved their grandchildren. When I was a child, my grandmother also gave me such a gift when the festival ended. And that must have been the sweetest gift of my childhood!

A tree has roots, a river has a source. That seems to be a tradition of the Vietnamese people for generations. The Yen Lao Festival is an opportunity for descendants to express that tradition and send their gratitude to the great figures in their lives.

HO SON