Buy luck at the beginning of the year

Every year on the first morning of Tet, after offering tea and cakes to the ancestral altar, the family gathers to wish each other a happy new year. I go to the market to buy lucky money to pray for a happy and peaceful new year for my family.

Colorful balloons in the new sunshine - Photo: TU LINH

When I was a child, I often heard my grandmother say that according to the customs of our ancestors, on the morning of the first day of Tet, buying delicious areca nuts, beautiful betel leaves, a bag of rice, a can of white salt... means bringing good luck to the house. These items, according to the concept, will bring the homeowner a new year of good health and prosperity. Going to the Tet market to buy good luck at the beginning of the year is a beautiful cultural feature of Vietnamese people.

According to the concept, worship is for men, but women are the deciding factor for the prosperity, well-being, and strong bond between family members. Therefore, my grandmother reminded my mother to continue buying lucky money at the beginning of the year, both to preserve the custom and to create optimism for a peaceful new year.

Like my mother, I often buy areca nuts and betel leaves for good luck at the beginning of the year. The familiar old woman selling groceries sits at the corner of the market all year round and is the place I often visit. The tray of areca nuts and betel leaves is neatly arranged by her. Because it is good luck, she has to carefully choose young areca nuts and betel leaves with their stems still intact and fresh to please customers.

The old lady chewed betel nut, handed the betel nut to the customer, and wished him a happy new year. The customer bought the item with the belief that he would bring good luck home, so he did not bargain or haggle, but was very open and happy to receive the good luck with both hands.

Although he sells all year round, he still tries to go to the market on Tet holiday because he believes both the sellers and buyers are happy. With just 100 young areca nuts and 100 betel leaves, he brings joy and hope for a bright new year to countless visitors.

On the morning of the first day of Tet, my family has a habit of walking around the city before returning to our hometown to pay respect to our ancestors. When my children were young, every time on this occasion, they wondered why many people did not take a break during Tet but continued to sell goods as usual.

There was a woman from Nam Dinh province who came to Quang Tri to sell toys for children all year round, but during Tet she did not return home but instead took advantage of the opportunity to sell her goods to serve spring tourists. On the morning of the first day of Tet, she was at the street corner next to the provincial Cultural and Cinema Center to sell toys and balloons to children.

Colorful balloons in the spring sunshine, attractive toys for children make the street corners more bustling. A student returning home for Tet holiday also goes out on the bright morning of the new year with a stall of piggy banks of all sizes, shapes and eye-catching colors. The chubby-faced piggy banks that seem to smile are often bought by parents as gifts for their children on the first day of the new year. And countless other people making a living at the beginning of the new year make the Tet picture more cheerful and bustling.

Thanks to the first market of the year, I fully understand the uniqueness of the traditional Tet and the beauty of the nation's culture. Although we don't buy or sell much, this is a habit that has been maintained through many generations, to make the spring warmer and more peaceful.

Tue Linh

Source