VI
EN
The most famous is probably Hang Luoc flower market, a place of thousands of colors and shades. No one knows when the market started, only that it has become a part of Hanoi. Only by jostling in there, by being pushed so hard that you have to constantly apologize to the person next to you, can you fully feel the excitement and bustle of spring.
Hanoians come here not only to see and buy flowers but also to relive beautiful memories of a time not so long ago, when they used to follow their mothers and grandmothers to admire bouquets of dahlias, yellow chrysanthemums, violets, gladiolus... wrapped in simple, modest emerald green dong leaves. They remember the time when they followed their grandfathers and fathers to choose peach branches, kumquat trees or small pots of narcissus to respectfully offer to the ancestral altar.
Since the last days of the year, hearing about Tet market makes me feel excited, because of the feeling of waiting and looking forward.
The most notable is the Northern peach blossom branch. Because without peach blossom, how can we call it Tet! Look at the peach blossom, the pale peach blossom blooming, embellishing the drizzly atmosphere, creating the sacred and quiet atmosphere of spring. Nowadays, people also sell colorful artificial flower branches. The small flowers do not grow from the ground but germinate and bloom from the hands of those talented craftsmen.
The flower market is like a symphony of colors. Besides the flowers, there are also colorful patches of people going to the market for spring. The colors of clothes and scarves are also attractive and seductive, blending together to create a vivid picture of beautiful colors in the silver-gray weather.
The flower market is like a symphony of colors. Besides the flowers are also the colors of people going to the market for spring.
Tet market is not only about flowers. People can find here everything for a full Tet, from material to spiritual needs. Dried bamboo shoots, pork skin, cakes, jams, tea, medicine to new flower vases, and even new clothes for children and the elderly...
Humble on the street corner is a stall selling red and green votive offerings made of colored paper and incense. On Tet holiday, smelling the scent and seeing the incense suddenly makes the heart feel warm, strangely at ease and peaceful.
And how can we forget the simple mats, just enough to accommodate the small tables of the old calligraphers. The words like dancing phoenixes and dragons flying on the red paper, conveying so many wishes of the people asking for the words, truly bringing Tet closer than ever.
The Tet market seems to never get old to Hanoians. On the contrary, it is always fresh, attractive and full of mystery waiting for us every spring.
No one knows when the Hang Luoc flower market began. It is only known that it has existed for a long time and has become an indispensable part of Hanoians. The oldest images of this flower market were recorded by the French in the early 20th century. The market only meets once a year, and is busiest for seven days from the 23rd of December until the afternoon of the 30th.
Article: Pham Duc Anh
Photo: Dan Toan, Duc Anh
