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As Vietnamese New Year celebration was just a few days ago and the holiday spirit is still in the air, I want to introduce everyone to some features that you will see everywhere in Vietnam if you happen to be in the country during the holiday
There are two flowers that represent spring and New Year in Vietnam. Vietnameses see them as an obvious indication of Spring because they only bloom once a year, which is always during New Year Holiday period. They are often purchased to display during the New Year holiday. You can also see them in the New Year cards.
The flower above is Ochna integerrima and is often seen in the Southern region. The most significance about this flower is its color, yellow, which is very noticeable and very pretty.
The second flower is Prunus persica often seen the Northen area of Vietnam.
The reason for the regional popularity of the two flowers is because of the difference in weather between Northern and Southern Vietnam. The length of the country creates a major different between the temperature of the North and the South. It’s hard to grow Prunus persica in the warm weather of the South and vice versa.
Next, there’re also two traditional, indispensable food for Tet in Vietnam, banh chung and banh tet.They are made by the same ingredients under similar procedure. The only difference is their shape. Banh chung is square, which symbolizes the ground, and banh tet is round, which symbolizes the sky.
Banh chung
It’s maybe surprising to some people but the fruit representing for New Year Holiday in Vietnam is watermelon. They are displayed and sold near everywhere in Vietnam, from supermarket to on the streets, near Tet Holiday. They are a common fruit and are often sold during the year in Vietnam. They are also not expensive at all. The main reason for their popularity during the New Year Holiday is because of their color. They are red inside and Vietnamese believe that red is the color of luck. So, don’t be surprise when you see something like this in Vietnam
Here are some other pictures of watermelon during New Year Holiday:
The distinct red
Decoration on the watermelon
You will always see two watermelon in tables arranged for New Year in every family
And these are some other pictures about Tet holiday in Vietnam. I hope you enjoy the post.
Myle Bui has put up a very nice slide show about Vietnamese Culture:
The people of Vietnam have a unique and charming culture that has been shaped by thousands of years of history. Their culture has been influenced by many other civilizations. From all these outside influences, and centuries of war, domination, and adversity, they have molded, and maintained their culture.
For a fun video about how the holiday is celebrated in China, plese click here to go to Yong Huang’s blog
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Hanh Huynh