Winter in Europe seems to be harsher. Snowflakes cover every roof and tree, in a cold white color. The bitter cold seems to penetrate deeper into the soul of every child far away from home, when in the homeland, the warm and loving spring is knocking on every door.
Lie to make mother happy
Nearly 200,000 overseas Vietnamese study and live scattered throughout Germany. In big cities with a large concentration of Vietnamese people, Vietnamese markets, and abundant goods such as Berlin, Erfurt, Leipzig... When Tet comes, associations often organize for people to meet and exchange, and celebrate the New Year together. But there are still many people in remote areas, far from Asian markets, where few Vietnamese people live. Busy work takes them away. Tet is only a memory in the mind, in the dream of immersing oneself in the reunion atmosphere with beloved family.
Simple decoration to celebrate Lunar New Year of a Vietnamese family in Germany
I have a friend who works as a clothes peddler in Baden-Württemberg. Every day he has to drive more than 100km to get to his sales location. The work is hard and takes a lot of time.
He said, in 20 years away from home, he has returned home 5 times, all of which did not fall on Tet. Many times when the New Year's Eve came, he was standing in line for customers (because the time zone in Germany is 6 hours behind Vietnam and the 30th of Tet rarely falls on Sunday). Snow was falling heavily under his feet, his hands were red and scratched, and he still felt shivers even with a pile of clothes on his body. Trembling because of the cold, because of hunger. Trembling because he felt the sacred moment of welcoming the new spring in his homeland was near. His chest felt tight and nostalgia crept back. His old mother's figure was now as fragile as a ripe banana. The day the wind changed seasons, his joints ached even more. His eyes were cloudy, waiting anxiously. His mother kept asking anxiously about the last meal of the year. She wondered how her son in the West would celebrate Tet, would he have banh chung and xoi gac, or would he still have to work hard waiting in line for customers?
Only when he finished work, called home to wish his mother a happy new year, and told her, "I have everything for Tet, then you can rest assured." That was his lie. On the more than 100 km journey back to his small village. While driving, he slowly chewed on a piece of bread to relieve his hunger. The bread was like a dish from a faraway place to welcome the new year, replacing all the delicious Tet dishes he imagined. To wake up early tomorrow morning, to face a long, busy day. Suddenly forgetting that he had also celebrated New Year's Eve last night.
Symbolic yet heartwarming food
Linh and Hoa, two young girls who went to Germany to study nursing. The place where they live is very remote. There is only one German supermarket, one butcher shop and two bakeries. The bus stop only comes every hour. Back in Vietnam, Tet was not memorable to them, because there was no shortage of anything. The first year celebrating Tet far away, they missed home terribly. Before, they always complained that Tet was boring. Coming here, in a place where there are no Asian markets, they had to learn to eat Western food. After preparing two plates of spaghetti, they sat looking at each other, tears welling up, swallowing the noodles with difficulty. The next year, their aunt who lives in Berlin sent them a pair of banh chung, quickly took a picture and posted it on Facebook to show off to their friends "This year we have Tet". It's that simple, not a big feast. Just a symbolic dish but enough to warm the heart.
Gathering together to enjoy delicious food, constantly praising and wishing each other a happy new year, with enough health and peace to overcome all the difficulties in a foreign land.
When I first arrived in Germany, I had no friends. On the 30th, my husband had to work until late, leaving me alone with four silent walls. The longing for my family and homeland kept swirling in my mind. No banh chung, no peach blossoms, no kumquats. I lit incense on the altar, only a few fruits and a plate of sticky rice with mung beans that I quickly blew. I ate silently, cried silently... The memories of gathering with my beloved family on Tet kept coming back.
Welcome spring in your own way
Until I moved to a small town in Hessen. For the first time, I participated in a Tet celebration organized by the Vietnamese community here. The stage was decorated with the sparkling words "Happy New Year", next to a red peach blossom tree. It brought a joyful and warm spring atmosphere. The songs about Tet resounded, making people's hearts flutter and excited. Each family contributed a little, so the New Year's Eve feast was very rich. The sound of champagne was loud. The invitation to raise glasses and toasts brought everyone closer together. Children were happy to receive lucky money. Everyone was radiant and joyful as if they were celebrating Tet in their hometown. But only two years later, for unknown reasons, the community stopped operating. We celebrated spring in our own way.
Usually, a few sisters living close to each other will plan to celebrate at someone's house. It's a small city, so it's hard to order Tet food. We have to learn online and teach each other how to make it. Everyone is busy, but we still try to take charge of a specialty dish. The hardest part is for the husbands to catch fresh chickens. Because the German supermarket only sells young and old chickens, which are not suitable for Tet. After much begging on the phone, the farm owner finally agreed to sell us some free-range chickens that were just laying eggs. We bought them, discreetly put them in the bathtub, cut their throats, and plucked their feathers, without letting the neighbors know. The boiled chicken, with its golden, soft, sweet skin, and shimmering broth, is used to cook rustic dishes, vermicelli with bamboo shoots, and stir-fried chicken gizzards with fresh chicken gizzards. Everyone loves it.
Banh chung does not have dong leaves, we wrap it in a mold with banana leaves, boil it in a pressure cooker to speed it up. The children are also eager to learn to wrap it with their parents. Looking at the cakes being taken out, hot and steaming hot. Suddenly remembering the image of my father's neatly arranged cakes years ago. Feeling the bustling, bustling scent of Tet.
If you want to have a dish of jellied meat or a dish of crispy fried ham, you have to go to a Russian supermarket and order pig's feet, ears, and tongue. The ham is very laborious because there is no fresh, hot meat to pound like at home. But it doesn't matter. The ground meat is marinated with a little fish sauce for flavor, divided into small portions, and put in the freezer. When you take it out to grind again, always make sure the meat is cold, and grind until it is soft and smooth. The homemade ham, when cut, is peachy pink, both pitted and crispy, and smells strongly of banana leaves, much better than the frozen ham in the supermarket.
Homemade ham, when cut, has a peachy pink color, is both pitted and crispy, and has a strong banana leaf aroma, much better than frozen ham in the supermarket.
On New Year's Eve, the wind was cold and windy. The house was brightly lit with warm lights, the fruit tray was colorful, and the peach blossoms were still shyly nestled next to the green teapot. All the daily hardships were put aside. Everyone was beautiful and pretty. Gathering together to enjoy delicious food, they kept praising each other. Wishing each other a new year of good health and peace to overcome all the difficulties in a foreign land.
Telling each other about memories of celebrating Tet at home, about parents' family, makes us feel warm and full of emotions... There are people who celebrate Tet far away from home like that.
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