It's spring...

It is spring now. The bright yellow sunlight from the early morning is warm and fragrant, flowing all over the yard and alleys. Mothers and children sit leisurely on the porch in the sun, plucking each other's gray hair, sipping a few slices of warm ginger jam left over from Tet.

Every year, during Tet, my mother makes a lot of extra jam to eat after Tet. The spicy aroma of ginger jam wafts into the wind, bringing a pleasant feeling of comfort.

I like this time the most. Although it is short, I always feel like I am enjoying it to the fullest. That is when I feel my mind is at peace, without any worries.

with my beloved family. I also have more family reunion meals, get to enjoy the Chung cake again that I still crave during Tet.

Every early morning of spring, I always see a clear dawn, the last peach and apricot blossoms blooming brilliantly. They are dug up by my father, replanted, carefully cared for, waiting for them to bloom next Tet. Not only peach and apricot blossoms, but also dahlias, gladiolus, roses, lilies..., each species seems to want to show off their fragrance and color, inviting bees and butterflies to come and play, to collect nectar. And the whole garden seems to be soaked in a sweet spring scent.

Mother took the opportunity to loosen the soil so that “in January she could plant beans and in February she could plant eggplants”. The cool spring scent of the countryside soil urged the seeds to germinate quickly and in no time they would sprout fresh green leaves, flower and bear fruit. The rows of green beans did not need much care, each row had long, dangling fruits that swayed to Mother’s delight.

I remember the simple, frugal meals with a plate of boiled green beans dipped in fish sauce, eating forever without getting bored. Then the tiny eggplants with purple flowers that seemed to open up a poetic sky of January and February. Sometimes happiness for me is just like that, but it was only much later that I realized it. I have been searching for it for so many years of my life, my heart was desolate, restless and bursting with joy during the spring days with my family.

After Tet, my hometown has communal house and village festivals. There, people put aside their worries and sadness and immerse themselves in the bustling sound of drums and gongs. The drizzle flutters, I immerse myself in the faint scent of incense, the singing voices of the ladies, and the cheers of the young men.

My grandmother said that the descendants of the village must know about the village festival, to see the noble humanistic values, rich in national identity. Not only to enjoy the festival but also an opportunity for us to return to our roots, to review the meaningful educational lesson of drinking water, remembering the source, eating fruit, remembering the person who planted the tree. This is also an opportunity for me to show my appreciation for the achievements left by our ancestors. It seems that everyone who goes to the festival is looking towards a magical spiritual world, towards a profound humanistic spirit to release all the old year's inhibitions and towards peaceful new days...

The sky and earth are in spring. The scent of spring is in the air. My heart is also in the air with spring. At these times, a strange, peaceful, warm joy wells up in my heart.