Vietnamese Tet in the hearts of Ha Tinh people far from home

Traditional Tet is always an important and sacred occasion for Vietnamese people living, working and studying around the world in general and Ha Tinh people living far away from home in particular to turn their hearts to their homeland.

Mr. Tran Van Quy (Tainan province, Taiwan - China): Tet is an occasion to strengthen the bond between fellow countrymen and colleagues.

Like Vietnam and some other Asian countries, Taiwanese people celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is the traditional holiday and the most important holiday of the year. Therefore, agencies and businesses in Taiwan also plan to take a long holiday, so we have time to rest and prepare for the holiday.

I am from Thach Xuan commune (Thach Ha), have worked in the mechanical industry in Taiwan for 7 years and have celebrated Tet here for many years. Every time Tet comes, the atmosphere of welcoming the New Year fills the streets and every family. The streets, shops, and houses are all decorated very splendidly with lanterns, parallel sentences, LED lights... My Taiwanese colleagues prepare their belongings, pack their luggage to go home to celebrate Tet with their families. That scene always makes people far from home like us miss Vietnam so much.

My company has a lot of people from Ha Tinh and Nghe An working, so during Tet, we often organize meetings, parties, and cultural exchanges. That is also an opportunity for us to strengthen our solidarity, bond, and support each other in work and life in a foreign land.

Mr. Trinh Thanh Tung (Huambo province, Angola): Educating children about the good values ​​of national culture.

After more than 10 years of leaving my hometown of Cam Quan (Cam Xuyen) to work in Angola, I have only returned to Vietnam once to celebrate Tet. During Tet, I and members of the Vietnamese community in Huambo province organize a New Year's Eve party with traditional dishes such as banh chung, gio cha, jams, etc. Everyone eats, chats happily, shares the difficulties of the past year and wishes each other good luck in the new year. Despite their busy work, the Vietnamese community here shares the same excitement to celebrate Tet, to turn to their families and homeland.

My daughter was born and raised in Angola, she is almost 2 years old this year but has not been able to return to Vietnam. Therefore, this Tet, my husband and I bought her a traditional ao dai; decorated the house with peach and apricot branches... and took pictures to capture beautiful moments so that she can get used to and gradually feel the traditional Tet of our nation. We have also started teaching our daughter to say her first sentences in her mother tongue, although she is still young, I believe that when she grows up she will never forget her roots.

Ms. Dang Thi Thinh (Dortmund city, Germany): Longing for home.

I have worked as a beautician in the Federal Republic of Germany for 7 years. Since coming here, I have never had the opportunity to visit my hometown - Yen Hoa commune (Cam Xuyen), so every time Tet comes, I miss the bustling atmosphere of Tet preparations in my hometown. I miss the days before Tet when I had a day off from school, woke up early to go to the Tet market with my mother; I miss New Year's Eve when my family gathered to watch the Tao Quan program, chatted happily and waited for the moment when the new year came...

Although it is not as complete as in Vietnam, to celebrate Tet here, we also try to buy food and home decorations as fully as possible, to turn to our homeland, so that the Tet atmosphere can spread to foreign lands....

The main necessities, with the strong flavor of home, can all be found in Vietnamese markets. On the 30th of Tet, I often prepare a tray of food with traditional Vietnamese dishes such as: banh chung, sticky rice with chicken, pickled vegetables... The tray of food is offered, incense is burned to commemorate our ancestors and also to satisfy our nostalgia for the taste of Tet.

During Tet, I often call my relatives and friends to congratulate them and feel the Tet atmosphere in my hometown. No matter how well-prepared and well-prepared I am for Tet, I still feel a sense of loss because I cannot spend sacred moments with my parents and loved ones.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (Chiba province, Japan): Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy new year.

My husband and I are both from Ky Thuong commune (Ky Anh district), and have been working in Japan for nearly 5 years. Although it is an Asian country, there is also a tradition of celebrating Lunar New Year, but nowadays, Japanese people no longer attach as much importance to this holiday as Vietnamese people, so we almost do not have a holiday.

I work as a nurse at a hospital, and my husband works in an electronic components manufacturing company. Our jobs are quite busy, so we have to plan for Tet a few months in advance. We take advantage of our free time and weekends to shop and decorate the house; during Tet, we cook delicious dishes and invite friends over to meet and socialize.

Last year, the economy was in recession, the Japanese yen fell sharply, and successive earthquakes had a significant impact on the lives of most Vietnamese people, so everyone had to tighten their spending. However, everyone wanted to have a full and warm Tet holiday.

One habit that we often maintain on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year is to go to the temple to pray for peace. Many Japanese people still maintain this spiritual cultural practice during the Lunar New Year. In the New Year, everyone prays for good things, luck, and peace for themselves, their families, and everyone else. In those quiet moments, we also calm our hearts, turn to our homeland, our roots, and pray for our family, friends, and our Fatherland for a peaceful and happy new year.

Kieu Minh - Anh Thuy

(take note)

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/xa-que/tet-viet-trong-long-nguoi-ha-tinh-xa-que/261410.htm