Dear Jay Jin,
I hope this letter finds you well. How were your first days of the new year? Last time you were very excited to tell me about the New Year in your country, now let me tell you about the biggest holiday of the year for us: Tet holiday. This is a cultural traditional occasion for people in Vietnam to make family gatherings and do activities together.
Truly, there is a lot of preparation for this big celebration. We start by buying new clothes for the kids and getting beautiful blossom flowers and trees to decorate our homes. A few traditional foods that need to be served in the meals shown are Banh Chung and meat stew with eggs. On New Year’s Eve, we always watch fireworks and partake in the year-end party with our family members. On the first day of Tet, the older people give lucky money to children and take back best wishes about health, work, and prosperity. We also go to the pagoda to worship ancestors or church depending on you. After a few days, I go out to visit relatives, friends, and some people who I want to give thankful words to.
I really love this celebration because it’s not easy to reunite after very long and hard-working months living far from home. I can unwind after a mountain of work in a year.
Hope you have the opportunity to experience and feel the great atmosphere here.
See you soon when I come back from work,
Jun