Anna Mei was the first one of us brave enough to try the Tet cake!
A Tet food vendor at the market--from the left, some kind of small bird eggs, beef, hot dogs, vegetables and fish. The corn kernels underneath are stir fried.
Flowers, flowers and more flowers for sale!
The Tet Cake: Sticky rice on the outside, a peanut paste on the inside. The green color is from the leaves that the cake is wrapped in for storage.
Here are the girls with their balloons.Hello, all--
The rainy season has ended (sigh of relief), and the days are much warmer and sunny, for the most part. We are getting ready for the biggest holiday in Vietnam, called Tet. The schools dismiss for 2 weeks, all the stores will close for 2 days--even ballet is cancelled for 3 weeks. The whole town is decorated, there are gifts, special foods, many traditions, lots of visiting to family and friends. Most of the foreigners we know leave the country because it is crowded, prices are raised, and most stores, restaurants, theaters, etc. are closed. The main Tet celebration is this Monday through Wednesday. It kicks off with fireworks at midnight on Sunday night. Duc says we should be able to see them from our 3rd floor balcony, so I think we will not even try to get down close to the river, even though the girls want to try to stay up late and go.
A local television station contacted our family about filming us for a story about foreigners in Danang for their first experience of Tet. So, yesterday, a cameraman and reporter met us at Big C and followed us through the store as we bought some Tet traditions: a special "cake" made of sticky rice and a peanut filling, fresh pickles, and pickled onions, and some sweets. Also, Tet is a time of beautifying your home, so there are flowers everywhere. We went to a market and bought some flowers, and I bought an arrangement of bamboo--I love it! The girls also got big helium balloons. The news story will air next week; we will probably watch it with Mr. and Mrs. Bo.Tet is the lunar new year. There are many superstitions and beliefs about many things. Mostly, though, people talk about the holiday as a time for family--it is the time when everyone returns home. Children receive "lucky money" gifts in small red envelopes. Tomorrow or Saturday, I will do a big shopping with Bee--getting enough food in the house for 3 or 4 days, since the stores may not be open. Bee will be visiting her family, so she will not return to our house until Thursday.
Personally, I think the excitement that comes with a new year is a God-given desire for all things to be made new. What a wonderful witness to the kingdom of God that the old can pass away and there is hope for the future! In so many of the Tet traditions that have been explained to us, at the root is the desire for blessing in the lives of the people you love, and for yourself. It is a time of leaving the past behind and moving on to something new, something better. It has given us a chance to share a little about our faith, and the God who gives new life.
May His love touch your life in a new way today.
Grace and peace!
