Why do peach blossoms herald Tet? Peach blossoms in Vietnamese is Hoa Đào. Tet is also called lunar new year on the same day with China new year.
"At the year's end, when we are absent, you should break flowering peach branches and place them in your homes," advised the deities.
Long ago, a hundred-year-old peach tree stood to the east of Soc Son Mountain. Its branches covered a vast area. Two deities named Tra and Uat Luy lived in this giant peach tree and used their powers to protect the locals.
Any demons or ghosts that dared approach were chased away by the deities. Evil spirits were so terrified by their lightning that they avoided the peach tree.
 |
| Peach blossoms herald Tet in Vietnam |
At the year's end, like many other deities, Tra and Uat Luy had to travel to Heaven to attend the Emperor's meeting. During the New Year holidays, demons took advantage of their absence to wreak havoc on the world.
Upon hearing people's complaints, the two deities said: "At the year's end, when we are absent, you should break flowering peach branches and place them in your homes. The demons will think we are still there and cause no trouble."
People followed the deities' advice and decorated their homes with flowering peach boughs. Some placed small trees in their houses to protect their families. Those who had no peach trees drew the two deities on vermilion paper and stuck these papers on their doors to ward off evil spirits.
Each year, during the Tet holidays, people buy peach branches to decorate their houses and ward off evil. Over time, they forgot the origins of this custom. However, the traditions of buying peach trees and making red parallel sentences are still followed every Lunar New Year.
Why do peach blossoms herald Tet?
The painter Vu Dinh Tuan is a lecturer of Graphic Arts at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts said: "This folk tale briefly and meaningfully explains the Vietnamese custom of buying peach trees during the Lunar Tet holidays. Ancient people wanted to find ways to ward off evil, eliminate the bad, promote the good and bring back peace and happiness every New Year. This beautiful sacred ritual should be passed on to later generations. In this illustrated folk tale, peach blossoms and red parallel sentences shine and melt into the miraculous realm of the deities.".
Why do peach blossoms herald Tet.
0 comments:
Post a Comment