Tet in a Hanoi family with more than 300 members

(Dan Tri) - Mr. Ngai is always proud that his family is "the largest family in Hanoi". Up to now, after 5 generations, the number of members in the extended family has reached 310 people.

In a small house on Truong Dinh Street, Hoang Mai, Hanoi , Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai (90 years old) flips through the pages of his family's genealogy book, leisurely reviewing the list of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law in the house. Mr. Ngai's family has more than 300 members, but every year the loving connection between generations is always preserved and becomes stronger.

Over 300 members spanning 5 generations

Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai is the third child and eldest son of Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh (born in 1910) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sam (born in 1914). Mr. Ngai's parents had 15 children, including 10 sons and 5 daughters.

Currently, Mr. Dinh, Mr. Sam and 6 children have passed away, the remaining people are all over 65 years old. Up to now, after 5 generations, the number of members in the extended family has reached 310 people .

The children's generation (F1) has 15 people. The grandchildren's generation (F2) has 89 people. The great-grandchildren's generation (F3) has 129 people, many of whom have married and given birth to the great-great-grandchildren's generation (F4) with 67 people. The great-great-grandchildren's generation (F5) has 8 people, the youngest generation of the family.

The extended family of Mr. Dinh and Mr. Sam in Tuong Mai, Hanoi met to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2025 (Photo: Provided by the character).

Mr. Ngai is always proud that his family is "the largest family in Hanoi". Despite having many children and grandchildren, generations since his parents have made constant efforts to ensure that their children receive a good education and have stable jobs.

Mr. Ngãi said that his parents were farmers but they tried to let their children finish 10th grade, equivalent to high school today. Of the 15 children, 2 became teachers, 3 worked in the railway industry, 1 held the position of deputy director at a seed company, and the rest had stable jobs in other industries.

After many years of farming, his father switched to the cyclo rental business. Thanks to this job, the family's economy was quite good, and his parents had more savings to share with their children, supporting them when they got married.

The children of Mr. Dinh and Mr. Sam (including daughter-in-law and son-in-law) took photos on the occasion of Lunar New Year 2024.

Tet is mother's old shirt, father's small peach blossom branch

Recalling his childhood days, Mr. Ngãi was filled with emotion. Images of evenings when the whole family gathered around a flickering oil lamp, his siblings sitting on an old mat listening to their parents tell stories, came back to him.

"Life was difficult back then, but laughter and mutual support always made us feel warm. Our parents always reminded us of love and solidarity.

Every time there was a conflict between siblings, their parents would gently advise: "Siblings are like arms and legs, even if they are angry, they must know how to advise and help each other. Blood relatives should never turn their backs on each other," Mr. Ngai recalled.

Mr. Ngai (first row, left) and his siblings at the 2024 longevity celebration.

Once, Mr. Ngãi and a younger brother argued over a trivial matter. His mother did not scold him, but instead called the two brothers to sit under a jackfruit tree and whispered: "A poor family with many children is a blessing. Your parents wish for nothing more than for you to love each other. When your parents grow old, you will be the only ones to rely on." Hearing their mother, Mr. Ngãi and his brothers fell silent and then made peace with each other.

At the end of the year, Mr. Ngai remembers the Tet holidays of his childhood. Back then, the family had many siblings and life was poor, so Tet was not too elaborate.

For Mr. Ngãi's brothers, Tet is a shirt that their mother stayed up all night sewing from old pieces of cloth, a small peach branch that their father cut in the garden, a few banh chung cakes that their mother wrapped, and a pot of fragrant meat jelly in the corner of the kitchen.

The siblings eagerly joined their parents in cleaning the altar and preparing the offerings. "We lacked material things, but we clearly felt the joy and excitement because the whole family was always together and close," Mr. Ngai shared with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper.

Every year, the number of members in this big family increases.

Over the years, Mr. Ngai has seen that Tet has gradually changed in many ways. However, he always reminds his children and grandchildren of his parents' advice: " No matter how Tet changes, the most important thing is still reunion and remembering one's roots. Tet is not just for eating and drinking, but for looking back on what has passed in a year and knowing that our family is always together."

For many years, Mr. Ngai's family has always kept the habit of gathering and sharing joy during the Tet holiday. In the house in lane 232 Truong Dinh, Mr. Ngai still keeps a small corner of tradition, always waiting for his children and grandchildren to come to the ancestral altar, tell old stories, and remind each other of the value of family.

The family's special "reference book"

His family members mainly live in Hanoi, some have settled elsewhere. Maintaining the connection between members is therefore a challenge.

As the eldest grandson of the F3 generation of his family, Nguyen Le Tan shared that his family tries to maintain connections through major holidays, especially the grandparents' death anniversary, longevity celebrations, and Lunar New Year.

Mr. Tan shared that his grandparents' death anniversary is held in the 11th lunar month every year. This is the most important occasion for family members to reunite. This day is not only to remember grandparents and ancestors but also an opportunity for generations to meet, share and bond. The death anniversary usually has about 20-30 carefully prepared dishes.

Starting from the birthday celebration of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sam at the age of 80, every year, Mr. Tan's family has maintained the tradition of organizing birthday celebrations for men and women aged 70 and above. The family members consider this a special occasion to honor the elderly in the family, and at the same time an opportunity for children and grandchildren to participate fully.

With a large number of members, remembering the names and relationships between members in Mr. Tan's extended family is not easy.

Tan's family has created a genealogy book that records complete information about their ancestors and descendants through the generations. This is a "reference document" that helps future generations understand their origins and relationships within the family. In addition, a detailed list of each member is also kept and regularly updated so that members can easily track changes in their relatives.

"My family set up Zalo and Facebook groups for members to update news, photos, share stories or announce important events such as death anniversaries, longevity celebrations, or good or bad news. Thanks to technology, communication and connection have become easier even though people live in many places," said Mr. Tan.

In addition to major holidays, the family of more than 300 members also organizes outings, picnics or meetings throughout the year. Tan's extended family often goes on summer vacations together.

In 2018, his family went to Hai Hoa beach (Thanh Hoa), the group consisted of 112 people, in 2019 went to Hai Tien beach (Thanh Hoa) with 136 people, in 2022, went to Ha Long (Quang Ninh) with 148 people...

The family organizes many outings together.

The image of hundreds of members wearing orange shirts getting off 45-seat buses at tourist attractions made many people think that a company was taking its employees on a summer trip.

Although the number of members is over 300, with the consensus and efforts of generations, Mr. Tan's family has always maintained a strong bond. The elders and grandparents (F1 and F2) play the most important role, connecting and reminding their children and grandchildren of their responsibility to preserve family ties. The elders often share family stories and old memories so that the next generation can understand and appreciate the value of family better.

In a message to his children and grandchildren during the Tet reunion, Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai recalled his parents' teachings: " A tree with roots can have green branches, a person with a source can be sustainable . "

Life can change, material things can be abundant or lacking, but family is always the support, the place where children return. I want my children and grandchildren to always cherish the value of family love so that Tet is always a joy of complete reunion."

Photo: Character provided

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/tet-2025/tet-o-gia-dinh-ha-noi-co-hon-300-thanh-vien-20250129161316569.htm