Top 10 Most Interesting and Joyful Things When Coming Home for Tet

Every person born has their own home - that is the family. The two words 'family' for those living far from home, whenever mentioned, bring such warmth and excitement. Despite the distance and hardships, just hearing those two words is enough to make one's heart feel light, warm, and strangely comforted.

Anyone far from home longs for the day to return because there is family. Tet, the Lunar New Year, is an occasion for those living far away to return to the beloved family home. The scene of loved ones meeting in warm embraces and tears of happiness. Then, the family gatherings with friends, full of emotions and laughter.

For each person, Tet is more sacred because it is a family reunion, a time for us to return to our roots. Every Tet, regardless of our professions or locations, the desire to return to our families is the yearning of many children to wear new clothes, enjoy Tet treats, and receive lucky money. It is also an opportunity to strengthen family bonds.

After being away from the hometown for a long time, returning home is an opportunity to visit relatives and neighbors. Some people remember, while others may not, but it's always interesting to meet again. Some are wide-eyed with surprise, some are bewildered, not remembering whose child or grandchild, and there are those who remember and enthusiastically call out names, shaking hands inquiringly.

Visiting each house, the warm reception is always filled with emotions. This experience is a beautiful aspect that never fades in the hearts of those who live far away. While the hometown may be financially modest, the emotional richness is always abundant. Every time returning to the hometown during Tet, visiting and wishing a Happy New Year to everyone, indeed, these are the most wonderful moments.

Tet not only symbolizes the intersection of heaven, earth, and humanity with the divine in the belief of the East but is also a sacred, solemn moment to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one.

When returning along the beloved village road, gazing at the swaying bamboo clusters, vast lush green fields, simple alleys, the river intertwined with childhood memories, the heart feels happiness, jubilation, an indescribable joy. Only those who have experienced that feeling can truly understand the boundless joy encapsulated in the two words 'homeland.'

The verse 'Green square cake next to red watermelon, yellow apricot blossoms next to fresh peach branches' has long been an invisible yardstick symbolizing the harmony of earth and sky and the lucky and peaceful year ahead. As Tet approaches, wherever Vietnamese people go, Tet is never complete without square cakes. In the traditional Tet feast, every household has several pairs of cakes to offer to the ancestors.

It can be said that square cakes in the Vietnamese consciousness are a 'drink remembering the source' tradition, a distinctive dish of our people. Therefore, the Tet atmosphere is when every family gathers to wrap and boil cakes. What could be happier than the whole family gathering to wrap cakes and cook them over the stove, an enjoyable scene. If away from the homeland for too long, surely when returning home, everyone wants to rediscover this small but meaningful joy.

Those who grew up in the countryside without following their mother to the Tet market at least once. It's an indelible memory in everyone's mind. In the past, I was the same, just looking forward to Tet to go with my mother to the market, she would buy me new clothes to wear, and for three days of spring, we would proudly stroll around the village.

The bustling and vibrant scene of the Tet market in the hometown is unforgettable for those far away. That's why when returning to the hometown for Tet, everyone wants to relive the moments of those unforgettable memories.

When Tet arrives, every family, whether rich or poor, prepares a traditional Tet feast with delicious and special dishes that are not available on ordinary days. This is done to pay tribute to the ancestors, hoping that the ancestors will bless the descendants with a warm, happy new year, and also to bring joy and unity to the whole family.

The traditional Tet dishes are not only diverse in terms of variety but also emphasize the presentation with various types of plates, heights, fullness, and colors of the dishes. There is nothing happier than enjoying traditional dishes with family when returning to the hometown for Tet.

Alongside the New Year's Eve feast is the fragrance of incense on the ancestral altar. The scene is indescribable. Something with a sacred and venerable meaning is always preserved and passed down.

The moment of transition between the old and the new year is a sacred time. Families often prepare the New Year's Eve feast, light incense (fragrance) to pray for peace and prosperity. Each incense stick carries respect and sanctity that the person lighting it wants to convey. The practice of lighting incense has become part of the cultural and religious life of the Vietnamese people, representing a traditional beauty. The moment of lighting incense on the ancestral altar reminds you of ancestors and those who have passed away. This is undoubtedly an act that brings indescribable happiness.

Visiting the graves of ancestors is an expression of gratitude and respect from each descendant. Like a natural law, every time Tet comes, and spring arrives, those who are far from home think about their homeland, family, and village... like leaves returning to their roots. Those who are far away desire to come home during this occasion to be with family, to return for heartfelt conversations, and to find the most peaceful corner in the world.

Coming home to reminisce about the past, to nostalgically recall childhood...; coming home for siblings and descendants to gather, to admire the old garden, to visit relatives in the neighborhood; especially coming home to light incense, visit the graves of ancestors, to remember the souls of grandparents, parents... It is an extremely sacred but also fascinating and joyful thing to return to the countryside with loved ones to visit the graves of ancestors on Tet.

Compared to other occasions, traditional folk games on Tet have a special charm with a lively atmosphere, spirited competition, and abundant laughter. These games have deeply ingrained in the childhood memories of many generations of Vietnamese people in different villages across the beloved 'S'-shaped land. Among them, some games still hold their appeal every Tet season, such as seesawing, tug of war, cockfighting, and more.

The childhood of the 80s and 90s generation must have witnessed older brothers and sisters dressed beautifully, participating together in seesawing, human chess, catching ducks in a circle... These are the traditional folk games of the Vietnamese people on every Tet occasion, and nowadays, these amusing games are gradually being forgotten. Therefore, coming home for Tet and participating in traditional folk games is truly fascinating.

As Tet approaches and Spring arrives, we see the excitement of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and every family member coming together to clean and decorate the house to welcome Tet. This simple act has become a tradition in every Vietnamese family.

Tet is a time for relaxation and family, the focal point of the year, especially when many have been busy working or away from home for business. Cleaning and decorating the house for Tet is a meaningful action, expressing love and appreciation for the family nest. It is an opportunity for the whole family to join hands in tidying up the house, sharing joys and sorrows of the past year, and strengthening the bond of love after a long period of separation.