Don't let "temple be crowded, office be deserted."
Spring is the season of festivals. It's also a time of leisure for farmers, allowing them to rest and enjoy the fruits of their labor after a year of hard work. They gather to participate in festivals, games, and visit temples and pagodas, hence the folk proverb, "January is the month for feasting and merrymaking..." This is an old belief and a custom of the inhabitants of rice-farming agricultural regions.
(Baonghean)Spring is the season of festivals. It's also a time of leisure for farmers, allowing them to rest and enjoy the fruits of their labor after a year of hard work. They gather to participate in festivals, games, and visit temples and pagodas, hence the folk proverb, "January is the month for feasting and merrymaking..." This is an old belief and a custom of the inhabitants of rice-farming agricultural regions.
Today, as we enter the era of "industrialization and modernization," January marks the beginning of a new year, and every government agency, industrial park, factory, and unit has a mountain of plans, projects, and tasks ahead, racing against time to complete them. Therefore, despite the long Tet holiday, this year, starting from the first day of Tet, the Construction Corporation No. 4 simultaneously launched its work; on the third day of Tet, Big C supermarket opened its doors; and on the fifth day, the Quy Chau District People's Committee organized a traditional rice planting festival…
However, there are still quite a few people who cling to the leisurely mindset of the past. Even after Tet (Lunar New Year) is over, some are still indulging in festivities, others are traveling from one temple to another, from within the district and province to the North and South... some are involved in gambling and excessive drinking, others are caught up in superstitious practices, losing money and suffering harm. Meanwhile, offices and factories are deserted, with work piling up, while temples and pagodas are crowded with people praying and making noise, gambling dens and cockfighting arenas are filled with fierce competition. Some even use official vehicles to travel from Ba Temple to Ong Temple, from village festivals to the Lim Festival – wherever there's a festival, they go. If anyone criticizes or rebukes them, they rationalize, "January is the month for feasting and revelry!"
After the long Tet holiday, many people have urgent matters to attend to, and many projects need to be expedited. We hope that agencies and units will tighten discipline from the very first day, so that officials and employees can immediately get back to work, and avoid the situation where "in January, temples are crowded, but offices are empty."
Duc Dung
