“…This spring is better than the past springs.
Good fortune comes to every home…”
I don’t remember where I read the above two verses and which Tet season, but every time Spring comes, they resound in daily life, in gossips at coffee shops or become “deep deep” captions on social networks. It evokes nostalgia for the warm Tets of the past but also somewhat burdened by traditional rituals.
Over time, this spring is of course better than previous springs. Social life is changing day by day, trends are changing and of course the way people enjoy Tet - considered the longest holiday of the year - is also different than before.
Tet in the past brought each other to every home
When talking about Tet, the first image that comes to my mind is the sound of firecrackers and the remains of firecrackers on the doorstep. I belong to the Millennial generation, born in the transition period between the subsidy period and the renovation period, so I was lucky to witness the changes in social life since I was a child. I don't know if it was because I was born and raised in such a special period that people of my generation have adapted very well to changes. We have memories of the last Tet when we were allowed to set off firecrackers in 1994. The burnt smell and the sound of firecrackers exploding after the New Year's Eve moment are what I always remember about the old Tet.
After the sacred New Year's Eve, the first days of the year often begin with the custom of "xong dat" and going to wish a happy new year. The image of families preparing beautiful clothes, candies, and trays of food to welcome guests or vice versa, groups of people following each other to wish a happy new year to relatives, friends, and colleagues has become an unforgettable memory in the minds of many generations. When I was a child, Vietnamese people had to wait until Tet to dare to "eat well, dress well", but when life was still difficult, all year round many people just tried to "eat well, dress warmly".
In the bustling atmosphere of Tet, adults exchange wishes for health and success; children happily receive bright red envelopes. The act of “bringing each other to every home” is not only a custom but also a way to strengthen family ties and maintain contact with family and relatives near and far.
I remember that Tet used to last for more than a week and the whole Tet holiday I followed my parents to New Year's parties at every house. On the first day was my paternal family, on the second day was my maternal family, on the third day was my father's colleagues, on the fourth day was my mother's colleagues and from the fifth day onwards, any house that hadn't been to yet had to go.
In the old days, the beauty lay in that simple connection.
When I was a child, I was very excited to go to each house because I knew for sure that I would receive a lot of lucky money. But it cannot be denied that with the slow pace of life in previous decades, Tet sometimes became a heavy "obligation". There were families who spent a whole week just to visit each other, from the city to the countryside, from the countryside to the city, with almost no time to actually sit together. However, my memories of those trips still left a deep impression of reunion and funny stories when meeting relatives after a long year of not visiting each other's houses.
The beauty of Tet in the past lay in that simple connection. But as society gradually changes, customs also need to be transformed to be more suitable for modern life.
This Tet, let's meet on the roads
If Tet in the past was an occasion to visit each house, then Tet today opens up a different concept: "going to meet each other". Instead of wrapping up wishes in the narrow space of living rooms, kitchens with cluttered dishes, hundreds of fried spring rolls, banh chung, boiled chicken... many modern families choose long trips to welcome spring. No longer sitting around counting the schedule of Tet greetings, I see many families reward themselves with a real Tet holiday, enjoying the first days of the new year in places they really want to experience.
Traveling during Tet has become a trend and I am sure it will be a habit for many people going through the modern Tet in the future. Family car trips to the beaches, groups of young people going to the mountains to hunt clouds or flying abroad to enjoy the festive atmosphere of Tet. The roads have become new meeting places, where Tet is not only about going home, but also about exploring, experiencing and connecting through the journeys.
Celebrating New Year's Eve in a strange place, watching fireworks by the beach or in the middle of a windy plateau, brings a new and different feeling. But the most precious thing is that, no matter where, with whom, people still maintain the spirit of reunion and the family atmosphere of Tet. Because after all, I think that the meaning of Tet does not lie in where you are, but in who you are with.
Traveling during Tet has now become a trend and I am sure it will be a habit of many people going through the modern Tet in the future.
Tet trips are also a way to recharge your batteries, starting the new year with a refreshing spirit. No one wants to eat Tet feasts continuously for a whole week, or have to laugh and talk fake from house to house with the same stories over and over again. The whole family together explores a new land, shares funny stories along the way, enjoys different dishes - all of these things create a very different, but also very meaningful Tet.
Tet is a holiday
I don’t like having to choose between staying home or going somewhere during Tet, but why can’t I have both? The days before Tet, when preparing for New Year’s Eve, are often the happiest and most atmospheric days. I like the feeling of the 30th afternoon when the house is clean, cycling into town to sit in a coffee shop and watch the streets approaching spring.
On the first day, the family lights incense for the ancestors and enjoys the feeling of gathering together over a warm meal. But on the second day, when the Tet holiday still lasts a few more days, I think it will be enough for a trip depending on interests and conditions. Going to the beach, going to the mountains, going abroad or simply camping in the suburbs are also ways to create positive energy and excitement for the new year.
Whether it is Tet in the past or Tet today, the most important thing is still the value of reunion. Trips, meetings, New Year wishes – all aim to connect people with people. And no matter how society changes, I believe Tet is always an occasion for everyone to remember their roots and spend time with their loved ones.
This Tet, we are no longer bound by the old framework, but the good values of the old Tet are always retained, transformed to be more suitable to the times. On new roads, we still carry the Tet spirit, so that each journey is a meaningful start to the new year.
Whether it is Tet in the past or Tet today, the most important thing is still the value of reunion.
Tet is not only a time to stop and look back, but also a time to open new journeys throughout the long year ahead. From the first trips of the year filled with laughter to the good luck wishes sent from all over the world, Tet is the beginning for each of us to move forward with an optimistic and hopeful mindset.
On every journey, whether it is a journey to explore the world or to search for deeper values in life, Tet gives us the motivation to go further, to live more fully. And then, when we return, when another year has passed, everyone will realize that those steps have helped us to appreciate more the simple but meaningful moments of reunion, where family is always the starting and ending point of every journey.
