Spring calligraphy and calligraphy ceremonies at pagodas in Nghe An

In the first days of the new year of the Cat, many pagodas in the province held the first calligraphy and calligraphy ceremonies of the spring, attracting a large number of students to participate. In the photo: The first calligraphy ceremony at Phuc Lac pagoda in Nghi Thach commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Huy Thu

The opening ceremony took place solemnly, monks, Buddhists and students chanted sutras to pray for peace for everyone and every family. The temple discussed and shared the meaning of the opening ceremony, visited and encouraged students to always try hard in their studies to achieve many achievements... Photo: Huy Thu

After the ceremony, the monks distributed pens to students and Buddhists attending the ceremony. Photo: Huy Thu

Immediately after receiving the pens, the students began writing on red cloth with lines expressing their wishes and aspirations. Mr. Hoang Van Bao - a 4th year student at the Cryptography Academy from Nghi Thuan commune (Nghi Loc) said: "I attended the Spring writing ceremony at the pagoda to experience the beauty of traditional culture of the nation and pray for a new year of good study results". Photo: Huy Thu

During the Opening Writing Ceremony, pagodas also gave lucky money envelopes, books, notebooks... to students... Photo: Huy Thu

Along with the Opening Writing Ceremony is the Spring Calligraphy activity. These two activities can take place independently at pagodas or combined in one ceremony. Photo: Huy Thu

The monks are the ones who directly give the words, which can be in Vietnamese or Chinese characters. Giving words at the temple takes place in an emotional atmosphere, truly an elegant hobby, a laborious art that combines virtue, intelligence, heart, and talent, a noble act, conveying many messages. Photo: Huy Thu

When giving the characters to people, the monks also explained in detail about the given characters. The elderly asked for the character "longevity", students asked for the characters "virtue", "filial piety", "talent", "patience"... Photo: Huy Thu

Giving calligraphy at the temple is a true “asking - giving” act, true to the nature of the ancient custom of giving calligraphy. In a space filled with the colors of Spring, monks give calligraphy according to the wishes of the people asking, without any buying or selling, bargaining… Photo: Huy Thu

The ceremony of writing and giving calligraphy at the beginning of spring is solemnly and meaningfully organized by pagodas. This is a beautiful traditional cultural feature of Vietnamese people every time Tet comes, Spring comes, expressing the desire for learning, knowledge, hoping for a successful year in studying and taking exams. Photo: Huy Thu