"April the fragile trumpet
Familiar street corners
(Hanoi Twelve Flower Seasons - Giang Son)
When April comes, Hanoi seems to put on a new coat, pure and gentle, when all the roads and streets are filled with the pure white color of lilies. On old bicycles, street vendors carry loads of pure white flowers, like fluffy clouds floating among the bustling streets. For Hanoians, the appearance of lilies is not only a simple moment of changing seasons, but also a sacred sign, silently "calling summer" back, awakening memories of a brilliant and memorable summer.
Weaving through the hustle and bustle of Hanoi in April, it seems like all senses become more refined than ever. As the car slowly glides through familiar streets such as the tree-lined Thuy Khue, the ancient Phan Dinh Phung, the bustling Lang Ha or the windy Thanh Nien street by West Lake, it is hard for anyone to be indifferent to the heartbreaking pristine beauty and the gentle, pure fragrance of the lilies. That fragrance is not strong and seductive, but gentle and caressing, like a whisper of the coming summer.
Lilies are called “April flowers” because they only bloom once a year in April.
"What are you waiting for in the warm April sun?
The lily season seems to be blooming
Wait for me to come home, we will go down the street
Watching lilies in the vast wind."
Although not as brilliant and fragrant as many other flowers, the simple white color creates a very unique pure beauty for lilies.
Lilies, the flower with the affectionate name "flower of April", because its beauty only blooms once a year, on the chilly days of the changing seasons that still retain the warmth of spring. Although it does not possess the brilliant colors or the fragrant scent of many other flowers, the simple, pure, and clear white color creates an elegant beauty, a unique, unmistakable mark for this flower.
With the pure white color of the flowers and the green color of the leaves and stems, the bouquets of lilies on flower stalls create a highlight on the streets of Hanoi.
On the rustic flower stalls, the lily bouquets appear like a quiet yet vibrant picture. The pure white of the soft petals, contrasting harmoniously with the green of the leaves and stems, creates a gentle, elegant highlight on the already bustling and busy streets of Hanoi. That simplicity is not bland but contains a strange attraction, silently stirring the hearts of passersby, becoming an unforgettable symbol of the very unique emotions of Hanoi every time the sky and earth change.
Lilies are symbolic flowers of purity and innocence.
The lily season is as fleeting as a dream, lasting just over a month from when the first buds bloom until they fade. However, those pure white flowers seem to have a magical power, always evoking in the hearts of Hanoians many overwhelming emotions, an indescribable excitement every time April comes. It is not only the joy before the beauty of nature but also the awakening of memories, nostalgia for a gentle and elegant Hanoi.
Lilies, in the minds of many people, are also a flower symbolizing absolute purity and innocence. The beauty of this flower conquers the viewer not only by its purity but also by the elegance, pride, and nobility hidden in each fragile petal. No one knows since when, but every April, the streets of Hanoi are covered in a pure white color, mixed with a gentle, elegant fragrance, making people's hearts flutter, filled with vague nostalgia.
I don't know since when, but every April, the streets of Hanoi are filled with pure white.
This flower resembles the young Hanoi girls in their twenties, shy and hidden behind the fresh green leaves. The flower buds are still closed, bending down to the street, as if shyly and then bewilderedly watching the hurried flow of people passing by. Suddenly, in the middle of the bustling streets, the image of street vendors dyed white with lilies brings an indescribable feeling of excitement and excitement. It seems that the flower sellers have brought with them the freshest and purest things to spread across every beloved street of Hanoi.
The hurried, stuffy Hanoi of ordinary days suddenly becomes poetic and romantic.
In terms of characteristics, lilies are herbaceous plants, growing to an average height of about 60 to 100cm. The leaves are long, tapered, and green, growing from the underground bulb. What is special is that the flowers often grow at an angle, forming a graceful angle of about 45 to 60 degrees from the ground. Each flower branch usually forms a cluster of two to three flowers, each with petals about 15 to 18cm long, spreading out symmetrically, embracing the bright yellow stamens and the delicate, beautiful pistil inside.
To Hanoians, this is a gentle and pure flower like a Hanoi girl, simple but noble.
In the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, when mentioning lilies, people often think of reunion, happiness and good things. In particular, giving bouquets of lilies also means a good wish for the recipient for a successful career and prosperous business.
Perhaps that is why for a long time, trumpet lilies have been included in poetry, music and painting, and have become a symbol of the first days of summer in the capital.
And when the golden sunlight like honey begins to flow down every corner of the streets, the lilies gently radiate their colors, gently sending their fragrance in the faint silhouettes of graceful Hanoi girls in flowing ao dai walking on the streets. Just a glimpse of that image, those who love the land of Hanoi love the simple yet noble color of the flowers even more. The lingering echoes of the gentle moments of lilies walking on the streets, of their pure white color and light fragrance, seem to linger forever in people's hearts, becoming an indispensable part of Hanoi every April.
