Little Spring

(Baonghean) - Back when my family lived in a small, one-story house, displaying a single peach blossom branch during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) would fill the whole house. My parents and I had to hold our breath and suck in our stomachs as we went in and out – it was so uncomfortable! Later, when we built a new, more spacious house, the living room still felt cramped every Tet. This is because the size of the peach blossom branch keeps increasing year after year...

For people in Northern Vietnam, peach blossoms are indispensable during Tet (Lunar New Year). That's why, in the subconscious of Vietnamese people living abroad, there's always a longing for that delicate pink hue. In the winter in a foreign land, catching a glimpse of the rosy cheeks of a yellow-skinned, black-haired girl passing by evokes a feeling of nostalgia for the peach blossoms of the past. There are Nhat Tan peach blossoms – a deep pink, Vietnamese peach blossoms – a light pink, and even Laotian peach blossoms – with large trunks and ancient, weathered patterns, instantly recognizable as coming from the remote mountains. Each family has its own way of enjoying peach blossoms, but generally, most people prefer size. That is, the bigger, the more branches, the more space it takes up, the better! Of course, from one perspective, larger branches with wider, more expansive canopies are better than small ones. However, not everything beautiful is good, especially when that beauty doesn't find a place that matches it.

Last year I couldn't go home for Tet (Lunar New Year), I could only call and video chat with family and friends. When I called a friend, for some reason all I could see was... a tuft of hair, the rest was just a peach blossom branch. When I asked him about it, he said, "That huge peach blossom branch takes up the whole living room, it's a bit tiring sitting like this, but oh well, I'll sacrifice a little so you can enjoy the peach blossoms for Tet and ease your longing!" I found out his father searched everywhere to find a branch he liked, which he considered "beautiful, auspicious according to feng shui," and "showcases our family's status." I have no idea if his family prospered last year thanks to that "prestigious" branch, but I do know that this year his mother insisted on not buying peach blossoms, only displaying small, pretty apricot blossom pots because, "with a 'dinosaur' peach blossom branch like that, who would want to come and sit there? What about feng shui?"

Actually, I understand the common sentiment that since Tet only comes once a year, people want to show off their best and most abundant possessions to bring good fortune for the new year. But too much of anything is not good, especially when that "excess" exceeds one's needs and circumstances, even causing inconvenience and trouble. It's not just the display of peach blossoms during Tet; eating, drinking, entertainment, and shopping for the festivities also often lead to waste. Not only is money wasted, but time, health, and sometimes even social relationships and family happiness are lost as a result!

I vaguely remember one year in Hanoi, just before Tet (Lunar New Year), from inside houses to the street vendors, everywhere you looked you saw grafted peach blossom branches. The delicate pink hues touched the air, warming the heart and satisfying the feeling of the gentle, subtle spring air that permeated every corner of the city streets. It showed that the beauty of Tet isn't about quantity or size, but about the essence, the ancient yet very real, very close, very simple atmosphere. It's as if the essence of heaven and earth and the vitality of creation are encapsulated in a single banana leaf, a grain of sticky rice, a bean. A small spring is wrapped in a single peach blossom petal.

Hai Trieu