Tet doesn't begin on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. It begins on a December afternoon, when the wind changes direction, the cold is no longer biting, just enough to gently touch the skin, and the sunlight is thin as silk, reminding us that spring is somewhere nearby. Tet arrives when people begin to count time with nostalgia. Tet stretches on, deeply permeating the final days of the old year – a time when heaven and earth, and people's hearts, lean towards reunion.
On the streets, people hurry home for Tet. Everyone has a long list of things to do before the old year ends: cleaning the house, summarizing work, shopping for the family… Shops stay brightly lit until late, adorned with the red of couplets, the yellow of apricot blossoms, and the pink of peach blossoms. The year-end market is busier, noisier, but strangely, warmer. Amidst the bargaining and laughter, there is also the bustling excitement of hearts counting down the days until they can return home.
The buses started to get crowded. The train and bus stations carried within them a longing yet to be named. The luggage contained not only gifts, clothes, and snacks, but also simple wishes: a family meal, a call of "You're home, my child," a handshake from parents who had waited through all four seasons.
That's all it takes to warm the whole spring.
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| Tet, a time for family reunion. Illustration: Contributor. |
Throughout the country, houses begin to get a fresh coat of paint. Brooms sweep away the old dust, cloths wipe away the marks of time on window frames. Adults are busy, children are excited. The whole family gathers to wrap cakes, white sticky rice, mung beans, and fatty pork, placing them on fresh green banana leaves, encapsulating not only the flavors of Tet but also the silent continuation of generations. The clumsy hands of children sit alongside the wrinkled hands of their grandmothers, a transmission that needs no words.
Along those long, winding roads, people walk with their hearts already close to their old home, where a warm meal awaits them, and familiar laughter fills the small kitchen.
On the last day of the year, hearts soften. Resentments are easier to let go of, and weariness is soothed – "It's Tet (Vietnamese New Year) after all." People allow themselves to hope, to believe that the new year will be brighter and more fulfilling. In that anticipation, each morning upon waking feels like opening another small door leading towards the light.
On New Year's Eve, as the old year ends with dazzling fireworks in the sky, people suddenly realize that the most precious thing is not the moment the clock strikes midnight to usher in the new year, but the entire journey taken to reach that moment.
Ultimately, Tet is a season of waiting. Waiting to be loved more, to truly return home, to find that one still has a place to belong in this vast world. If possible, please slow down during these last days of the year, listen to the rhythm of nature, and cherish every small joy blossoming in your heart.
Because right now, the season of family reunion is upon us.
Kim Ai
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/202602/nghieng-minh-ve-phia-doan-vien-51c302f/
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