Five years ago, on the occasion of the Spring of the Year of the Pig (2019), Dong A Cultural Joint Stock Company published a book with a very interesting name - Tet Book. At that time, out of curiosity, we also bought a copy to read. Until now, Tet Book has become a familiar spring publication of the family every New Year.
Through research, it is known that the Tet book series in our country appeared since the early years of the 20th century. Specifically, in 1928 in Hanoi , Tan Dan bookstore (later developed into a publishing house) launched a spring publication called Tet Book of the Year of the Dragon.
Tet book of the year of the Dragon 1928
According to the book (pdf file) that we found on the website of the National Library of France, the book "Tet Reading for the Year of the Dragon" has a modest number of pages, few articles (16 articles), and no illustrations.
Although the number of entries is small, there are all genres. There are essays: Happy Spring, Impressions of Spring Scenery…; poems include: Bewildered by Spring, De Mountain and Water, De Ban…; novels include: Chung Lung, Choi Xuan, Hai Canh Gia Dinh, Doi Ban Di Duong, Bay Vi Con Ba… and also jokes, parallel sentences, singing and speaking, and a short novel writing contest.
In addition to the 78 main pages of text, the book "Sach xem tet nam Mau Thin" also has advertisements introducing new books, pharmacies, photo studios, and various Tet goods such as: tea, cakes, wine, firecrackers, wooden furniture, fabrics, etc. and even Lien Thanh fish sauce (Phan Thiet).
The book "Tet readings of the year of the Dragon 1928" has a simple and monotonous content; however, in the context of the time, it is truly a valuable literary forum for scholars to publish their literary masterpieces, a spring gift that is useful for the spirit and knowledge. As the book's preface says, "although all are just for fun, each article maintains a very serious attitude". Today, reviewing the Tet book written 96 years ago on the occasion of the Dragon year (1928) helps us to know the way of thinking and writing of the senior writers, as well as the spring and Tet enjoyment of our grandparents in the past.
New Year Books for the Year of the Dragon 2024
Following in the footsteps of previous years, this year’s Tet book is also a collection of literature, poetry, music, and painting with the theme of spring and Tet with many interesting emotions. The Giap Thin Spring Anthology has 5 parts: Prelude to Spring, Literature, Poetry, Music, and Painting.
The prelude of spring begins with the article "Who still has the name Xoan" which is the author Trung Sy's nostalgia for the rows of xoan trees in the Northern countryside. Every spring, xoan trees begin to sprout green buds and the xoan flowers have a light purple color and a sweet fragrance. But over time, the rows of xoan trees in the Northern countryside have disappeared. And "Hanoi historian" - writer Nguyen Ngoc Tien with rich documents has helped readers better understand the spring welcoming customs of the people of the old Hanoi. He said: "To have a mature Tet, each family has to buy nearly a hundred things... However, no traditional market in Thang Long - Hanoi has enough goods to satisfy the luxury and sophistication. Therefore, the Tet market in Hang street appeared, which specializes in selling the best products". Specifically, Hang Luoc sells flowers; Hang Buom has all the products of the mountains, seas, and plains as ingredients (along with meat) to make a tray of 4 bowls and 6 plates; Hang Duong drinks, and to buy zodiac paintings or Tet couplets, one cannot miss the "word market" at the intersection of Hang Bo - Hang Thiec today... But since the second half of the 20th century, the Tet market on Hang Street in Hanoi has gradually faded away and completely ended. A glass to wish for good health (Thu Uyen), Endless return (Cao Huy Thuan), Tet in the homeland (Nguyen Trong Chuc), Meeting Thi No on the first day, welcoming the rich on the full moon day (Kieu Bich Huong)... are the feelings of Vietnamese people living far away from home during the New Year.
Occupying the largest space in the 2024 Tet book are the emotional compositions in the Literature and Poetry sections. The Literature section opens with the work Money Falls in the Flower Market (Hoang Cong Danh) which tells the story of "selling with friends" of two old men (60 years old) selling flowers at the Tet market. Author Huu Vi with "Getting married like a joke is the act" of the character Vui in the highlands of the northern border (bordering Laos) on the last afternoon of the year. Here he met Sa, then took her home to be his wife. So, "after Tet, Ke Hin had a wedding. Vui got married". The heroic spirit of the Vietnamese people from war to peacetime is depicted through "The fight of fighting cocks" (Ma Van Khang). Ho Anh Thai with Mr. The Transporter Nem is a funny story in our country's diplomacy in the years before the renovation... And many other stories such as: Lucky Crow (Huynh Trong Khang), Misty Sea (Le Minh Khue), Taking Each Other Away (Van Thanh Le), School Transfer Campaign (Phan Thi Vang Anh)... Reflecting many perspectives of the authors on people and the reality of contemporary life is very interesting.
In the poem, author Van Hien said: "The Tet in the countryside comes later/The cakes are still round and square - the country and mountains of the past" (Tet in the countryside). It is the feeling of missing home, missing parents in the springs far from home: "This year, I definitely don't dare to make an appointment/Afraid of the dew falling, my hair will turn white and my skin will wrinkle/On New Year's Eve, will you sit by the door/Waiting for me to come home first, mom?" (Spring missed appointment - Tu Uyen). Mother goes to the Tet market (Tran Duc Cuong) is the excited feeling of the children in the countryside when they see their mothers going to the market and "bringing the whole spring back with them". Although Spring Rain was written by Nguyen Binh (1918-1966) nearly 90 years ago, it still has endless vitality...
The Music section is 3 comments by author Nguyen Thi Minh Chau on famous songs: Childhood Swallow (Pham Tuyen), Small Path to Life (Pham Minh Tuan) and Lullaby to Your Fingers of Warm Spring (Trinh Cong Son).
This year's Painting section is an article by Nguyen Le Chi introducing painter Nguyen Trung with his tireless journey of "drawing - writing - reading", along with his unique style of painting Vietnamese women. The Tet book concludes with an article about the notebook (Codex Leicester) of the painting genius Leonardo da Vinci.
Author Dang Bay said it was “a rare manuscript, containing many ideas and inventions on many different topics”. The pages are also beautified by colorful illustrations, reflecting the joyful, warm atmosphere of the New Year's Spring from artists: Kim Duẩn, Quyên Thái, Đào Hải Phong, Ngô Xuân Khôi, Đặng Xuân Hòa, Tạ Huy Long, Đỗ Hoàng Tường, Hoàng Phượng Vỹ…
Compared to the Tet book published 96 years ago, this year's Tet book (Giap Thin - 2024) is printed in color with modern technology on good paper, and the publisher has carefully crafted both the content and form, making it very attractive from reading to looking at. It can be said that at any time, the Tet book is truly a beautiful work of art, a spring publication worth sipping on Tet and giving as a gift during the New Year.
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