03 March 2010

Year of the Tiger


Most descriptions of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam ("Tết") try to draw parallels to a rolled-up combination of Western holidays. In all truth, it is a frenzy of preparations and a season of renewal that touches all parts of Vietnamese people's lives--home, office, spirit, family, neighborhood. What that means on the ground, is that the 7-14 days preceding the actual new year (Feb. 14 this year) brought a frenzy of shopping, gift-giving, celebrating with friends, family, and colleagues around meals, and, for most Vietnamese, travel to hometown family altars for venerating previous generations. As a guest in Vietnam, I enjoyed seeing the outward displays and preparations. Click here for some pictures from the traditional market areas in Hanoi's Old Quarter, and from a traditional meal set up for some coworkers and I. I also spent some time with some friends joking around in the nurseries where Hanoians buy their Tet trees--kumquat trees or peach-blossom branches.

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