Traditional Tet in three regions

In the first days of December, every family is busy cleaning the house, preparing offerings, and picking mai leaves so that the tree can bloom in time.

Tet in three regions by author Le Rin depicts the traditional festival atmosphere of the North, Central and South with a series of watercolor illustrations. The publication is about the customs and typical activities of each region, from the scene of wrapping banh tet by the red fire, making paper flowers in Thanh Tien village (Hue), the art of making lion heads in Cho Lon (HCMC), Sa Dec flower market (Dong Thap). From there, the book evokes old memories of Tet, contributing to helping young people understand more about the values of origin, the intersection between tradition and modernity.

The book "Tet in three regions" is written in both English and Vietnamese. Photo: Thai Ha Books

Through the series of paintings, the author incorporates cultural spaces and humanitarian lessons about love and sharing. Customs such as Dong Ho painting, making coconut jam, and playing Tam Cuc cards are also depicted in a rich visual style.

The book spends most of its time telling about the Vietnamese people's preparation for spring from the 15th of December to the third day of Tet. One of the signs that Tet has arrived is when people erect a pole with the belief of warding off evil spirits, worship the Kitchen Gods, and make Chung cakes and Tet cakes to offer to their ancestors. After that, relatives gather to display the five-fruit tray, shop for Tet at the flower market, and prepare familiar dishes such as pickled onions, fried spring rolls, and pork pies.

The book comes with a card box. Tet in three regions, with 30 pieces on the theme of spring. The card set is shortened from the content in the publication, conveying each small story to bring readers a new reading experience. It is the moment when the whole family prepares the New Year's Eve offering tray with traditional dishes and Tet jam, or the scene of the family going to the market together to choose apricot and peach branches. The card set is used to organize folk quiz games, or simply to tell stories about Tet together.

Illustration of Chung cake and pickled onions on Tet holiday. Photo: Thai Ha Books

Le Rin, 35 years old, from Ninh Thuan, is a culinary illustrator. Graduated from Industrial design (Saigon University of Technology), he worked as a graphic designer in the fashion industry for four years. After a motorbike trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Ngai, he came up with the idea of drawing regional specialties, such as sour soup with snakehead fish, braised snakehead fish, and bread. He has published several artbooks such as Vietnam delicious land, Vietnam along the land travelogue .

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