Choosing how to celebrate Tet depends on each person, each family, each situation. Everyone celebrates Tet, eats Tet, plays Tet, don't let 'Tet eat'.
Children love Tet. Everyone thinks so because of all kinds of reasons that children always look forward to Tet more than adults. For example, Tet means having a day off from school, going out, receiving lucky money and wearing new clothes... However, the essay titled "Hate Tet" by the online community expressing the feelings of a student is being shared on social networks as Tet At Ty is approaching, making many adults ponder.
The boy wrote: "Surely everyone likes Tet. Since I was little, I've heard that Tet is fun. But that's somewhere else, not at my house. Because when Tet comes, I see my mother and the whole family tired. Before, I really liked Tet, but if my mother is tired during Tet, I don't like it anymore...".
The article is quite long with many reasons why the boy feels that Tet is not as fun as people often say. From a child's perspective, Tet is only truly fun when he sees his mother smiling and the family together. The boy does not want to see his father running around to wish everyone a happy New Year, while his mother is exhausted from cleaning and serving during the Tet holidays, only to turn that fatigue into irritability with the children...
I used to be afraid of Tet, and was "eaten by Tet" as many people jokingly say. Because I was caught up in the whirlwind of things like: shopping, going to the market, preparing food, cleaning... and found Tet really expensive.
My friend said that after the ceremony of worshiping the Kitchen Gods, there are parties and rituals of Tet. Your father-in-law is the head of the family, so starting from the first day of Tet, every day he has to rotate through three meals. Breakfast is the offering tray for the ancestors and the family meal for the new year. Then comes lunch and dinner. Not to mention that whenever guests come to the house, the grandparents invite him to eat... You said that's just the eating, and Tet gifts also have to be provided for both the paternal and maternal sides, so every year you and your husband have to be frugal and save. Until this year, my friend said that he still hasn't escaped that cycle.
As for me, now I'm no longer afraid of Tet, because for the past 2 years my whole family has decided to fulfill the goal of "eating Tet" and playing Tet, but definitely not letting "Tet eat".
How to achieve that goal? First, we simplify shopping and cooking for Tet.
In the past, I always considered the Tet holiday meal to be important, an occasion for family reunion, so I tried to carefully prepare delicious, elaborate and different dishes compared to normal days. Therefore, the meal created pressure, taking away the leisure time of the days off.
Now, I only buy enough food. Spend time preparing simple dishes for family and guests. In particular, instead of having to cook alone, my whole family takes on a task. Thanks to that, cooking for Tet becomes a joy, a place where my children have new experiences, connecting family members together.
I spent 2 days visiting and wishing my paternal and maternal families a happy new year, and the rest of the day I would be with my family. I had time to play with my children. The whole family watched movies, went to the temple, went on a spring outing... to celebrate and enjoy the real New Year.
Tet is an occasion to preserve the traditional values and beauty of Vietnamese people, but it does not mean "torturing oneself" or wasting money. Do not put unnecessary pressure, responsibility or worries on each other's shoulders.
Tet is not at fault, but the fault lies in each person's choice. Tet does not have to be a lavish feast, but it is also a time to enjoy the atmosphere of reunion, the joy of having loved ones healthy, happy, peaceful, and successful. This is also a precious time for us to temporarily put aside all the worries and fatigue, and together enjoy the atmosphere of spring, of the new year.
Choosing how to celebrate Tet depends on each person, each family, each situation.
BAO ANH