The day I arrived in Hanoi, I noticed dozens of bicycles carrying small orange trees on the back. This I shrugged off, since I also noticed dozens carrying mattresses, boxes, furniture and multiple people. I also kept seeking gold and red balloons, lanterns, trinkets and gadgets for sale everywhere. I thought this possibly was just a popular Vietnamese color combination and that the Vietnamese were into gaudy plastic decorations. I was wrong on both counts. As I soon found out, this was all in preporation for Tet, the Vietnamese name for the Lunar New Year. It's a huge deal here, comparable to (maybe even bigger than) Christmas in the USA.
Unlike New Year's in the US, the Lunar New Year is also a religious event. Buddhists spend the days leading up to the holiday worshiping at miniature shrines set up in their house, and when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, they all head to the nearest pagoda or temple to light incense and worship. Then, they head home and do the same, burning money and brightly colored papers as a tribute to their dead ancestors and placing incense, fruits, snacks and other goodies at small shrines within their household, also as offerings to their ancestors.
This year, Tet fell on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, making it even more of a spectacle. As the day drew nearer, it became impossible to book tickets for buses and trains, which were all full of people traveling home to see their loved ones. The streets became more and more crowded with street hawkers selling gift baskets, balloons, orange trees, flowers, incense, miniature buddhist shrines, and traditional Tet foods.
I was in Hoi An for Tet, and it was a surreal experience. After grabbing a couple of beers at a local bar (fun fact: they call tap beer "fresh beer" here), we walked back out on the street to see it completely packed with motorcyclists and pedestrians. Then, a huge fireworks display began as the clock struck midnight and the city erupted in cheers of "Chuc Mung Nam Moi!" Immediately after the fireworks display, the downtown emptied out as quickly as it had filled, as locals headed home to worship, then out to small gatherings with family and close friends.
As we passed one family burning paper on the street, I stopped to watch and talk to a young boy, who seemed more concerned with the novelty of being allowed to play with fire than with the religious symbolism of the act.
"Here," he said, smiling as he handed me an orange from the shrine they had set up inside the front door. "After we're done (praying), we can eat it."
Later that night, we stopped at a small party where a restauranteur was entertaining a few friends. He told me he'd been very busy that night, but the restaurant will be closed for the next couple of nights, much like many others across the country. On Tet, the celebration is more important than work.
The party will continue for the next three days, with street festivals at night, lots of eating, and lots of incense.
Here are a few photos:
Two weeks before the New Year, streetside vendors are already stocked with Tet decorations.
Lights along the bridge to Cam Nam Island.
Selling flowers along Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An, Vietnam. For days before Tet, the sidewalks are filled with potted orange trees and flowers, which customers load onto the backs of their motos to bring home for Tet.
Selling balloons in the streets of Hoi An.
Entrance to the Tet festival, Hoi An, Vietnam.
Celebrants set paper lanterns afloat on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An.
A paper mache dragon at the Tet festival.
Just after the midnight fireworks. Notice that nearly everyone in the photo is European. The locals have all cleared out to worship at home or in one of the city's shrines.
A Buddhist offering inside a house in Hoi An.
Honoring the dead.
No comments:
Post a Comment