Although I'm a 100% Vietnamese and from a very traditional family, I don't feel crazy for Tet like others, especially the religious side of it. For me, Tet is a precious opportunity that family's members gather to their hometown and together they do preparing and celebrating for Tet. Without Tet, people would probably be super busy on their own and tend to forget about their small family back to the faraway hometown. I even strongly believe that it's the core meaning of Tet, which was decided and created by our great-fathers thousand years ago. It means for Family, not for Religion, not for Big meals in 3 days, not even for our ancient ... it's for ourselves- now.
However, Tet in Vietnam and possibly in other Asian countries celebrating it has put too much pressure on the women. The more modern the world is, the more crazy people become to prepare for the Tet. They are willing to buy a small Peach tree with 50 millions, which ironically equals to total income of a working person in a year, just for decoration in 3-5 days of Tet. The women become the slaves themselves in their homes. My mom has been so crazy since the recent 2 weeks by talking too much on what she needs to buy for Tet, what she wants to do but she could not because she is very tired, by feeling so scary of religious things and by being mean to me sometimes when she gets stressful. I love my mom - there is no word can describe that. She is my angel guidance. So I hate Tet for making my mom stressful - I also hate the modern people for making Tet so complicated but missing the original meaning of it.
I can write a forever long essay about Tet and how much I hate it. Nevertheless, since it is the last day of the old year, when people forget and forgive everything and are looking forward to the bright future, I decide to temporarily forgive Tet ;) (It is temporary because I doubtlessly will hate it again next year at the same period of time- :D). Anyways, Tet is forever in my heart as a Vietnamese girl and I will miss it so much if I travel far from home. Maybe when I am at my mom's age, I will start acting crazy for Tet, so my children don't understand why and they begin their blog for Tet just like this one. :).
We don't know about our future but we never stop believing that is why Tet- a signal of the new year, is so important for Vietnamese. So, I believe in the brightness of the Dragon year and wish everyone the best!
Happy Lunar New Year! Cheers !
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