Keeping Vietnamese Tet forever in the hearts of future generations
Báo Dân trí•23/01/2025
(Dan Tri) - In the era of globalization, children studying in international schools and being exposed to many Western festivals and customs from an early age also poses a challenge for the previous generation: "How to keep Vietnamese Tet forever in the hearts of future generations?"
Integrating but not dissolving Being born and raised in a digital world, Gen Alpha (children born between 2010 and 2024) has become a lucky generation, having the opportunity to be exposed to many new and interesting things compared to the previous generation. Children's entertainment space has expanded from technology applications to a series of international festivals and extracurricular activities woven into the annual curriculum. The big question is "How can children integrate but not dissolve, still feel precious and connected to traditional Vietnamese festivals and customs?". Having started sending her child to an international school for a year after a long consideration with her husband, Ms. Phuong Trang (33 years old, Hanoi) shared that she decided to send her child to an international school from grade 1 because she wanted her child to have access to a global, multilingual education program, open learning methods, and modern facilities. "After a short period of experience, I saw that my child easily integrated into the international environment thanks to his regular participation in activities such as Christmas, Halloween, Father & Mother day, Pajama day... Seeing my child embrace such extracurricular activities, I was very happy, but also worried that my child would gradually lose interest in Vietnamese festivals. If he goes to study abroad in the future, he might not remember Vietnamese culture anymore," said Ms. Trang. Children are exposed to Western culture in school (Photo: Shutterstock). Ms. Trang's concern is also a common problem of many Vietnamese parents, when they see their children have a vague understanding of the concept of "Traditional Tet". For many children today, Tet is also one of the holidays when children have a longer holiday and receive lucky money, and are taken out by their parents. The closer it gets to Tet, the more the lament and sadness "Children nowadays..." appears in conversations between parents and grandparents. Along with that is the comparison of how children in the past eagerly waited for Tet, how they eagerly prepared for Tet and decorated their houses with their parents. Children's distance from Tet probably comes from the modern multicultural environment, and also from the fact that they do not have the opportunity and the right way to approach Tet. It is time for parents to seriously find ways to bring "wonderful Tet" back to today's children. Parents - The keepers of the wonderful Vietnamese Tet for the next generation It is not that children do not love Tet, it is just that they do not have many opportunities to see the interesting things about Tet. If parents proactively create conditions for their children to participate in Tet activities, they will understand and be more excited about Tet. And when children see their role in the bustling Tet picture, they will feel that Tet is more meaningful. The colorful flower-filled streets, the diligently polished incense burners, the small-looking fruit trays that contain many wishes for the beginning of spring... everything will become more magical when children follow their parents to explore, choose and display with the whole family. Only by participating in preparing for Tet can children fully understand what Tet is. As a content creator, vlogger and also a mother of a Gen Alpha child, "Giang Oi" (Tran Le Thu Giang) has realized the importance of bringing the traditional Tet closer to her young daughter. "May was able to study in an open and experiential educational environment that her parents did not have in the past. But an equally important thing is giving her the conditions that her parents did not have, which is giving her the things that her parents had. That is a simple, happy childhood, a familiar attachment to the traditional Tet holiday," Giang Oi shared. That is the reason Giang Oi said she chose to accompany her child to do small tasks that are within her ability, even though she knows that if her parents do it themselves, it will be faster, but that is not the most important thing. Because according to Giang Oi, the special thing about Tet lies in the most simple and familiar things, in the folk stories told by her mother, the moments when her family gathers together to talk and cook. "Memories in the old kitchen have created a love for Tet in my parents' hearts and my parents hope to pass on that love to their children. In my childhood, there will be a Tet kitchen and from now on, Tet will always have a place in my heart," Giang Oi emphasized. Mother Giang Oi accompanies her child to do small tasks that are within her child's capacity. Like many other parents, vlogger Giang Oi shared that she wanted to tell her child: "Tomorrow you will fly high and far, I don't know where you will go. But I hope your heart will always have the warmth of a rich and pure Vietnamese Tet. Because that is where you were born, and that will always be the place waiting for you to return." "In my childhood, there will be a Tet kitchen and from now on, Tet will always have a place in my heart," vlogger Giang Oi hopes. Ten years from now, twenty years from now, no matter where you are, how many cultures you come into contact with, Tet will always be there, still carrying traditional values, the magical emotions of a carefree, innocent childhood. So, parents, let's nurture and preserve the warm moments of Tet with your children, so that Tet is not only a memory but also a place to return to family love. Only then will your Tet become magical and never "lost".
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