TOUCHING TET - TOUCHING THE HOMELAND

The Lunar New Year (Tet) is calculated according to the Agricultural Calendar (Lunar Calendar), based on the orbital cycle of the Moon around the Earth. The first day of Tet is a moonless day, occurring when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. By this convention, the first three days of Tet typically fall between late January and late February of the Solar Calendar. This is the moment of intersection for heaven and earth, where the old and the new meet, and winter quietly closes as spring gently opens

Perhaps it is for this reason that people become more sensitive during the days of Tet. The senses are awakened, working simultaneously and at full capacity to welcome a new season. People celebrate Spring and welcome Tet; everyone seems to see Tet, hear Tet, smell Tet, taste Tet—and above all, touch Tet. Touch, seemingly the quietest sense, becomes the place that holds the deepest and most enduring emotions for every individual.

The Tet of the past appears fully through every sense, especially for those who are older and carry thick, tightly-knit layers of memory. Eyes see the hazy kitchen smoke at the end of the yard as a mother boils a pot of old coriander water for the whole family to bathe—a ritual to cleanse the body and soul to enter the new year; thin wisps of incense smoke seem to draw a path to Nirvana, a thread connecting the present with ancestors. Ears hear the crackling of firewood under the pot of banh chung simmering all night; the loud explosions of fireworks at the sacred moment of New Year's Eve, an occasion for reunion; and the sputtering pops of firecrackers, reminiscent of childhood in the countryside. While the scent of Tet is difficult to name, country people know immediately it is the scent of memory—fragrant, deep, and very rustic. It is the pungent yet light aroma of ginger jam; the scent of medicinal wine sipped slowly by a window with a soulmate. And the tongue—just a taste of a piece of banh chung—is enough to feel the entire spring spreading and melting on the tip of the tongue.

When filled with these scents and flavors, this intangible gift becomes a bridge of memory, bringing every Vietnamese child back home with a sensation that is light yet profound. Whether young or old, touching a bright red lucky money envelope during Tet makes the eyes sparkle. It seems everyone gains another year to grow and another year of longevity to witness the happiness of family reunions. In the corner of the house, young couples hold hands tightly, unwilling to part, unafraid of being scolded for "jinxing" the whole year.

Today's Tet—the Tet of modern times—has changed, which is an inevitable result of the laws of development. Geographical distances have expanded; the sense of touch no longer resides solely at the fingertips but transforms into the throbbing heartbeats when looking at each other through phone screens, via Zalo or iPhone. There is no physical touch, yet hearts are touched: eyes linger longer, and voices slow down as if trying to pull loved ones closer. Just a trembling smile is enough to warm the heart amidst a season of distance. Today's Tet may lack the warmth of a loved one’s hand, but in return, there are silent vibrations—where love transcends boundaries, allowing people to still "touch" each other very truly and closely during the transition from winter to spring.

Perhaps the sense of touch during Tet is felt differently now. The coolness of a phone screen while scrolling through greetings and the smooth feel of pre-printed red envelopes are modern conveniences, but they mean hands less often touch the ash of the stove or the earth and sky. Today's Tet is more abundant, faster, and more modern, yet it seems to lack the very real warmth of the fingertips touching rustic, simple togetherness. Between the Tet of the past and the Tet of today, people remain the same, still longing for that "touch"—to be touched by love in the close, affectionate way inherent to humans. These sensations do not disappear; they only change the way they are felt. Whether far or near, people find ways to preserve the essence of a reunion Tet, where human hearts are touching Tet.

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Source: Báo Tiền Phong