(VOVworld) – Vietnamese people are living in a cheery atmosphere during the spring. Foreigners, including Ambassadors who are living away from their families, share their warm feelings with their Vietnamese friends during the Lunar New Year Festival, Tet.
Foreign Ambassadors to Vietnam have come from many nations and experienced New Year celebrations and festivals in different regions worldwide. They said the Vietnamese Tet was a special experience which they would never forget.
Lunar New Year festival fills with Vietnamese national identities
Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama
Palestinian Ambassador Saadi Salama has celebrated the 12th Lunar New Year festivals with his Vietnamese colleagues this year. His first Tet was 33 years ago when he was a student. The joyful atmosphere of that spring has remained fresh in his mind. Vietnam is developing and the Tet celebrations have also changed to a certain extent.
Mr. Salaman said, however, that the Vietnamese have maintained the beautiful cultural values of Tet such as picking buds or young leaves on the first days of the spring and giving lucky money to old people and children.
With his experience of Tet, Mr. Salaman summarized it in 4 words “Connection, unity, humanity, and tolerance. “The first word is connection. During Tet, Vietnamese people connect with each other. Wherever they are, they want to go back to their native village and family to celebrate Tet. The second word is unity. Vietnamese people across the country celebrate welcoming the New Year and say farewell to the old year. The third word, “humanity”, reminds us that during Tet people visit each other, give lucky money, and wish each other success and happiness. The last word is tolerance. Vietnamese people are generous and they can forget disagreements in personal relations and even Vietnam’s relations with other nations.”
South African Ambassador Kgomostso Ruth Magau is enjoying her first Vietnamese Tet, with its many new features. She especially liked inspiring spring songs played at the meeting for Ambassadors to Vietnam organized by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations. Mrs. Magau said: “The decorations on the streets are beautiful and every body is looking for Tet. Everything is interesting.”
People are close to each other
In many countries, people welcome the New Year by going on holiday or finding somewhere to relax and enjoy some quiet. Tet is different. Families are merrily meeting up, talking and laughing. They have meals together and tell fantastic stories with the hope that the New Year will be filled with laugher and happiness. Indonesian Ambassador, Mayerfas, said: “The most interesting thing is to invite friends to have a meal at our house. It’s very cosy. I like this custom the most.”
Foreigners who live in Vietnam during Tet are excited to experience some new customs. Nigerian Ambassador Mzi Matthias Ojih Okafor says that the people’s friendliness and joyous smiles warm his heart. He likes to give gifts and lucky money to his friends just like Vietnamese people do. “It’s really wonderful. Everybody cares for their families. For me, I love the activities like going out to visit friends and going to places of our interests. I ride bicycle to the church. I enjoy it.”
Aspirations in spring
The successes of the Vietnamese diplomatic sector last year were made by the efforts of the domestic sectors and strong support of foreign Ambassadors. Palestinian Ambassador Saadi Salama said: “I hope the Vietnamese people will continue to build a prosperous nation. I wish the friendly relationship between the Vietnamese and Palestinian peoples would continue to flourish in all fields. I wish for Vietnam’s relations with other nations to further develop in the common interests of peace.”
Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim Chang Il, said: “I wish the Vietnamese government and people a successful year and to obtain the national industrialization target by 2020. I wish the relationship between our two countries to further develop.”
The joyful spring atmosphere and warm Tet celebrations in Vietnam have attracted foreigners to Vietnam. Like Vietnamese families, the Ambassadors buy peach blossom branches and kumquat trees to wish for new vitality and luck in the New Year.