My Tet holiday continues
01/24/2009
It was sprinkling this morning, just enough that I couldn't hang my clothes out to dry. While waiting for my host's sister to drive me to another pre-Tet dinner, I decided it would be wise to put on a poncho, but even though the sky is uncommonly gray for this time of year, it wasn't necessary.
A household of people welcomed me warmly and the spread before us was amazing to behold. It obviously had taken hours to prepare. Today we had seafood--some very nice Japanese fish, shrimp (so fresh, I understand, that they were still squirming when they went into the boiling pot of salt water), a beef salad, fried spring rolls, sticky rice, some pickled veggies, chicken, and probably something else I've forgotten. At the end of the meal, just before the fruit, we had a very special cake, made just for Tet. It was square, wrapped in a leaf and tied with thin strips of bamboo. Inside is the cake of sticky rice, beans, and pork that takes 24 hours to prepare. I missed some of the explanation, but the way it was tied up reminded me of the plum pudding my Mother makes for Thanksgiving and Christmas back in the States. It's pictured below, in its green wrapping. In the background, directly above the plate of shrimp, is another cake, already opened.
After the meal people rushed off to do many last-minute things before the big day arrives. The head of the household and his son went to his father's grave, which is tidied up at this time of year. Some of the women headed out to do more shopping for food and flowers. It seems equivalent to our shopping on Christmas eve back home.
Sunday at midnight is the special moment when people welcome in the new year. Then, on the first day of the new year the elders go to the pagodas to pray for good fortune and happiness. Families spend the rest of the day together, and among other things will light joss sticks (a type of incense) at the alters for the ancestors, happiness, and good fortune. If I have this correct, on the second day people visit one another, and on the third, they call upon teachers, people in their places of employment, and friends. One of the pieces I read about Tet referred to it as a time of universal renewal, a time to start anew with a pure and beautiful outlook. It is such a conscious beginning of the new year, not just a marking of the passage of time.
After everyone left, my host and I set out on motorbike to return to the dormitory, but sensing my enjoyment of the scenery, she drove further north until I saw a field of cattle. It was still overcast, and the waves were lapping rhythmically against the shore. One of these days I look forward to going even further into the countryside. I saw a surprising amount of development along the way--hotels, new homes, and some subsidized housing for lower-income people.
After I returned to my dorm room (laden with leftovers, fruit, and a package from home), there was a knock on my door. One of the graduate students has invited me to celebrate with his family tomorrow morning. I'm not sure where we're going or what we'll be doing, but he wants to share some traditional Vietnamese ways with me, and I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I have the evening to read articles about the credit-based education system, which Vietnamese universities are in the process of adopting, and to prepare material for some workshops related to pedagogy, curriculum design, and syllabus construction. Once again, the day ends with me feeling very fortunate, with two little exceptions--my laundry still isn't dry and there are ants crawing on my computer screen!
