This post was originally published on 25 Jan, 2023, and moved here, to my new blog.
Or, Happy New Year!
Tam and I were really excited about the Tet holiday this year. It is the Vietnamese new year, based on the Chinese lunar new year. We were too busy and tired this year at home, and were struggling for motivation to get out for our New Years festivities at home before we left, so we decided to celebrate Tet here instead.They certainly know how to celebrate a new year!
The Holiday turns out to be about eight to ten days long. Everything is shut down, even banks and government for three to four days, and any transportation is full or not running at all during that period of celebration. We had a tough time figuring out which day or night the actual holiday was, but it seems to be on January twenty-third this year. That was the day that everyone surrounded themselves with family and friends, ate giant barbecue meals, and it seemed the most similar to our New Years day.
We tried to do a bunch of reading about Tet before living it. I fell in love with the idea of it right away. For the days or week before, there is the preparation of your space, with bringing in flowers and, traditionally, small potted kumquat trees. The homes, businesses, and streets are decorated with flags and banners, and bright red and vibrant colors everywhere. During this week you see families starting to gather, from all over, even returning home to Vietnam from all over the world.
Then, on the twenty third, it is tradition to celebrate with family and friends, to set intentions for the coming year, and to surround yourself and your family with positive energy. It is full of traditions, like you are not supposed to wear black or white, but red or yellow are good for a healthy, happy new year. You are not supposed to be angry or swear, or have negative or aggressive thoughts on this day. Sharing of gifts, and fake money in gold-embossed red envelopes is very widely practiced.
And, then food.
So much food.
Really, really good food.
These photos were all from a celebration at the kiteboarding resort up the beach. We attended a giant barbecue buffet, with proper merriment and enjoyment of strong drink, followed by this noisy, colorful performance of traditional Chinese drumming and costumes, acrobatics, and a long snaky dragon thing. All in all, it was a really fun night!
And, did I mention… Food!?
For the last week we have been hanging out with a British guy and a French Canadian guy here at our kite place. Good couple of guys to hang out with. Tam always worries that we won’t have people or friends around us when we travel, but this new year is already proving that there is no need for concern. Tam just seems to attract good, fun characters. There will be no shortage of new and old friends on the road this year.
Matt, Ross, Me, and Tam (and performer with a giant Chinese head costume, and 4 furry dragon-like creatures) on the eve of Tet.
Wind, Water, Waves, Wander 