January 25, 2006

• Tet and Hoa Dao – New Year and Cherry Flower

   

  
  

  To describe the celebration of Lunar New Year, Vietnamese use a special term “ăn Tết” more often than “mừng Tết” or New Year celebration.  Literally word for word, ăn is to eat and Tết is a special name for New Lunar Year Celebration.  Just the two words ăn Tết the phrase gives me instantly the image of the feast of New Year.  A friend of mine once joked that during Tết he wished that he had cow stomachs so he can stored all the food to enjoy and digest later.

  
  

   

  
  

  On the ancestor’s altar, my mother made sure that certain fruits were displayed.  The fruits she wanted must include măng cầu (custard apples), dừa tươi (coconut) , đu đủ (papaya) , and xoài (mango) .  Once I asked her why it had to be those fruits but not others.  She explained that the names of the fruits “cầu dừa đủ xoài” are in rhymes with the Southern Vietnamese pronunciation cầu vừa đủ xài that means ask for enough (money) to spend.  She also made sure that the flower for the New Year display to be “hoa mai” (plum flower).  Mai was rhymed with may in “may mắn” which means good luck.

  
  

   

  
  

  Most Southern Vietnamese displayed hoa mai    while Northern Vietnamese liked to decorate with hoa đào (cherry).  Perhaps it is because mai is more popular in warmer weather of South Vietnam and đào thrives in colder weather of North Vietnam.  

  
  

   

  
  

  Talk about Tết and hoa đào I remember an old poem from Thôi Hộ.  The name of the poem is Đề Tích Sở Kiến Xứ.  The poem is about a man passing by a town.  He was thirsty so he walked to the nearest house to ask for a drink.  He met a beautiful young woman who stood by the door near a cherry orchard.  The pink shade of flower reflected on the young woman’s face made her even more beautiful.  A year later he returned to the orchard to visit but the woman was gone.  All he saw now just the flowers smiled to the winter wind.

  
  

   

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Khứ niên kim nhật thử môn trung, Nhân diện đào hoa tương ánh hồng. Nhân diện bất tri hà xứ khứ Đào hoa y cựu tiếu xuân phong.

  Last year, during daytime, at the door Her face and the cherry flower share the pink shade Now it is unknown where about the young woman face Only cherry flowers smile in winter wind

  
  

  The poem was translated by many people.  I do not remember all but 2 last verses written by Tản Đà “Trước sau nào thấy bóng người.  Hoa đào năm ngoái c̣n cười gió đông.” 

  
  

  

  
  

  Thơ Đường Thôi Hộ
  Đề Tích Sở Kiến Xứ 

  
  

  

  
  

  Recreate from the poem of Thôi Hộ 

  
  

   

  • 6:15 am
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