Today is the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday on the Vietnamese calendar.
In Vietnam people have spent the weeks leading up today in a frenzy of activity - cleaning their house and doing necessary repairs, settling outstanding debts and, in many cases, arranging to go home for the holidays. People go to th impromptu flower markets that spring up in every town and city and buy cherry blossom blooms, little potted cumquat trees, pots of flowering chrysanthemums and even little chili bushes thick with colourful fruit. All are symbolic decorations for the period of Tet.
People also decorate their homes with calligraphy of special poems, sayings and couplets expressing seasonal wishes.
In Vietnam the main time of celebration is the New Year's Eve, when most people will go to temple to make an offering of money and incense in order to smooth their karma out for the year ahead.
These pics were taken at the little temple just up the road from my house in Cabramatta, Chua Minh Giac. It was particularly beautifully decorated this year.
Looking foreward to hearing your presentation at the Swedenborg Centre next friday!! I'm sure Ethan will love it too. He was reading through the atlas this week, telling me endless statistics about the various countries. He loves learning about different countries and the way people live there. Interesting that it is the Lunar New Year in Vietnam and Valentine's day in the west.
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