Peach, apricot, and kumquat bring spring to the city
In the last days of the year, when the weather starts to get chilly and the monsoon winds blow, the streets seem to take on a new look. The roads and street corners become more brilliant with the red and yellow of lanterns, banners, and potted plants for sale everywhere.
In that bustling atmosphere, people went to the streets to enjoy their own Tet. Some people wore Ao Dai to take pictures, capturing beautiful moments before the New Year, some people wandered around the streets, admiring the scenery of life that seemed to be a few beats faster and indispensable were the graceful young women in traditional Ao Dai.
In bustling places like Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake or Saigon's Notre Dame Cathedral, crowds of people flock to pose for photos next to rows of peach and kumquat trees that are brightly displayed. Vendors are busy rearranging potted plants, while passersby leisurely stroll, admiring and considering their choices. Some people come to choose plants to decorate their homes with spring colors, but others simply want to immerse themselves in the Tet atmosphere that is filling the streets.
Choose a corner of Spring to bring home
Northerners have long devoted their affection to peach blossoms or peach blossoms every Tet holiday. The gentle pink color of peach blossoms brings a pure, fresh beauty, symbolizing luck and well-being, like a wish for peace in the first days of spring. However, this year, Nhat Tan peach village - considered the "capital" of peach blossoms in the North - is facing unprecedented difficulties.
The impact of the historic typhoon Yagi has caused a significant drop in peach production here. The precious peach gardens, which have been carefully tended for many years, could not avoid losses. This has caused peach prices to increase compared to previous years, creating a Tet season where each peach branch becomes a precious commodity, sought after very early.
Traders and consumers, worried about supply shortages, have begun to buy peaches since the first days of winter. However, thanks to the efforts of peach growers to "save the trees", gardeners are still confident that the market will not lack peach blossoms to beautify the Tet holiday. However, the price is slightly higher than in previous years, as a trade-off to keep the spring color on each branch.
Northerners have long devoted all their affection to peach blossoms or peach blossoms every Tet holiday.
In the South, the yellow apricot tree is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Carefully tended apricot pots with green leaves and buds promise to bloom in time for New Year’s Eve. This is a popular choice in many families, as a wish for a new year filled with happiness and success.
Kumquat trees, with their bright yellow fruits and lush green foliage, have long been an indispensable image of Vietnamese people during Tet. Small bonsai kumquat trees are also more popular nowadays, suitable for modern living spaces. Each kumquat on the tree is like a blessing, symbolizing fulfillment and fullness.
People are busy shopping
In addition, many people also look for unique pomelo bonsai pots, elaborately shaped, with shiny golden pomelos hanging down. Pomelos are not only beautiful but also symbolize reunion and prosperity. That is the reason why, although the price of these pomelo trees is not cheap, many people still do not hesitate to invest to bring spring home.
Love in the bustling atmosphere
In the last days of the year, the streets suddenly become more crowded and bustling. From early morning, buyers and sellers have been bustling on the streets, where spring flower markets are set up with all kinds of colorful ornamental plants. Each pot of peach, apricot, and kumquat trees seems to be wearing its most beautiful outfit, waiting for its lover to bring home to celebrate Tet.
These days, everyone is trying to sell their wares.
The buying and selling stories, therefore, became more interesting than ever. In one corner, people saw meticulous customers, going from one stall to another, carefully selecting each peach branch. They examined each flower, each bud, looking for a peach branch that bloomed just right, not too big, not too small, then smiled with satisfaction when they found a satisfactory branch. In another corner, farmers from famous flower villages such as Nhat Tan, Sa Dec, stood proudly next to their bonsai pots.
When the peach, apricot and kumquat pots are brought home, the Tet atmosphere seems to be truly present in every family. Mothers skillfully place the tree in the corner of the living room, decorate it with some glittering tinsel or hang red parallel sentences, to make the space more brilliant. Children run around the kumquat tree, playfully touching the plump yellow fruits or admiring the pure white flowers without hiding their joy. And fathers, despite being busy, do not forget to take time to take care of the peach branches, meticulously watering and cherishing each flower bud as if cherishing a new spring that is waiting.
The days before Tet are the most beautiful time of the year. It is the time when people finish their final tasks, prepare for a full new year, and it is an opportunity for them to slow down and feel the deep meaning of family and tradition. Among the crowded people rushing on the street, there are leisurely steps walking through the stalls, admiring the beauty of spring bonsai and quietly feeling the Tet atmosphere permeating every breath.
Pink peach blossoms, yellow apricot blossoms, green kumquat trees – each type of tree has its own beauty and meaning, but they all share the same purpose: to add freshness to spring and bring hope for a peaceful new year. Peach blossoms symbolize luck and well-being; yellow apricot blossoms convey wishes for prosperity and fortune; and kumquats laden with yellow fruit on lush green foliage are the image of abundance and fulfillment.
When every street corner is full of colors, when the Ao Dai flutters in the wind, spring seems to have truly arrived on the street. It is not simply a change of time, spring is also present in the sparkling eyes of mothers, in the laughter of children and in the excitement of each family preparing to welcome the new year. And so, each peach, apricot and kumquat tree brought home for decoration also carries the breath of spring, of hope and new beliefs in a brighter future.
