Visiting Hoang Dong Secondary School (Tam Thanh Ward) on January 30th, during the school's "Tet in My Hometown" experiential festival, we clearly felt the spirit of spring spreading throughout the courtyard. The display area for sticky rice cakes was ablaze with red couplets, paper fans, peach blossoms, orchids, and trays of five fruits. Students from various classes gathered around the mortar and pestle, some pounding, some shaping, and others meticulously arranging each cake on bamboo trays. In the adjacent courtyard, cheers and applause echoed with each stilt walk, each round of stick pushing, and each ball-throwing competition. The lively activities, both festive and experiential, allowed students not only to "celebrate Tet" but also to directly create the Tet atmosphere.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, the school's head of the student council, said: "All activities in the festival were planned in advance by the student council, in coordination with homeroom teachers and parents, and meticulously prepared. The goal is not only to create a fun playground but also to help students understand the meaning of Tet customs, develop teamwork skills, dexterity, and solidarity through experiences that are very close to traditional culture."
Leaving Hoang Dong Secondary School while the festive atmosphere was still vibrant, we continued our journey to Tan My Primary School (Hoang Van Thu commune) on January 31st. Here, the "Sharing Spring – Loving Tet" program was taking place amidst lively spring music. The schoolyard was prominently decorated with flags, lanterns, and a red backdrop. Students in their performance costumes confidently presented songs and dances about spring and Tet. Between performances, the school, in coordination with local organizations, presented Tet gifts to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Holding a gift package in his hand, Hoang Bao Nam, a student in class 4A2 at Tan My Primary School, shared: “I am very happy to receive Tet gifts and to listen to and watch my classmates perform. I feel like Tet comes earlier at school, and I will take this joy home to tell my parents.”
Not only in the two schools mentioned, but Tet-themed experiential activities have become a tradition in many schools every year leading up to the Lunar New Year. No longer just theoretical lessons, students directly participate in decorating the Tet space, wrapping banh chung (traditional rice cakes), arranging the five-fruit tray, writing couplets, cutting and pasting peach blossoms, etc. Each school chooses a format suitable for the age group of the students, creating "Spring Festivals" right in the schoolyard. At the preschool and primary school levels, parents work alongside teachers to guide their children through each small step. At the secondary and high school levels, students are more proactive, preparing their own materials, organizing their own display booths, and participating in competitions, cultural activities, and Tet fairs.
Along with cultural experiences, many schools also incorporate charitable activities, giving Tet gifts to poor students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are striving to excel in their studies. These gifts, distributed in a festive atmosphere, become a practical lesson in the spirit of sharing and the moral principle of "mutual support and compassion" of the Vietnamese people.
These flexible and creative approaches vividly recreated the atmosphere, customs, and spirit of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) right within the school environment. Through this experience, students not only understood but also appreciated traditional cultural values, while contributing to the effective implementation of experiential learning activities in the 2018 General Education Program.
Source: https://baolangson.vn/tet-ron-rang-duoi-mai-truong-5075834.html
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