Ong Do Street - Vietnamese Soul amidst the upheavals of the Times

Hi guys,
How are you doing? Only 4 days left until the Lunar New Year in our country. I want to share with you all that jubilant atmosphere.

Ong Do Street ( in Ho Chi Minh City ) has become a purely Vietnamese cultural feature, becoming a cultural space where people are served on the traditional Tet holiday of the nation. Every New Year's Eve comes Spring, the image of an old man sitting next to a row of red ink and paper sharpens every word for word lovers, wishing for a new year of Peace - Happiness, and Prosperity. This custom is still handed down and preserved nowadays. From ancient to present, Ong Do is still considered by Vietnamese people as a symbol of a good personality, high education and understanding, a few lines of a dragon flying phoenix dancing on the red color of paper, the scent of ink also make Tet adds color and flavor.

On New Year's Day, their work is even busier because people come to ask for letters, which is something that both the beggar and the giver are very respectful and cherish. Ong Do usually gets up early to prepare the ink carefully, the person who asks for the word is neatly dressed, buys a few gifts to the teacher's house, the gift depending on the situation of the person asking for the word can be a bottle of wine, a bunch of bananas, a few avocados. Sticky rice, or a happy birthday envelope…
Hanging Tet couplets in the house has long been a beauty in Vietnamese culture.
Symbolizes luck, auspiciousness, and success in the new year. Not only that but playing Tet couplets is also an elegant hobby of many people. Show the wisdom and art of puns of the users of the couplets.

This is considered as the quintessence of the origin, the spiritual food of Tet. Nearly a century ago, the image of old men displaying red ink and paper on the street has become a familiar image in everyone's eyes. The old man often sat at a small street corner, and their people lined up to buy and ask for the New Year's match. It is called a red couplet because red is a symbol of intense vitality, luck, and hope.
Each house hangs a different couplet with a different purpose, but all hope that the new year will bring luck, peace, and success.

Red couplets are also a form of expressing the spirit and living situation of each person, each family. According to the concept of banishing, hanging red couplets in the house will bring more fortune to the house, everything will have a lot of luck, keep away from bad things, bring a feeling of relaxation and peace.
Each handwriting on the red paper exudes the beauty of the buyer and the person asking for a couplet, about morality and life with specific people, it originates from the real life of the ancient Vietnamese people. Each couplet written up has its own good meaning, like a reminder to everyone about morality, lifestyle, how to be human, and deep human meaning.
The ancients used to hang the red one in their homes with Nom characters, so far, hanging red couplets in the house seems to have become a beauty in the religious culture of the Vietnamese people.

People often hang it in their houses, which are not written in Nom but in the national language. However, each handwriting that appears contributes to exuding the aura of the writer and the buyer, and the person asking for the couplet. The custom of hanging that thing nowadays is maintained by people often going to buy red couplets from the Confucian dynasty and hang them up. For each of their wishes, aspirations, and conditions, there are different types.
Some people use it to make meaningful gifts like congratulating each other for a new year filled with luck, success, and auspiciousness. Coupled sentences are also a bridge connecting the souls of people who love literature and poetry, expressing the feelings of the writer. The couplet sentence is also the wish that the writer wants to give to the person asking for the word, making people's spiritual life more poetic. Couplets hanging on Tet holiday often have a good meaning and sometimes remind people of good things, about morality, about lifestyle, about daily behavior, about dreams and wishes for a new year, fun, happy, prosperous business, success.

The custom of buying and asking for couplets on the Tet holiday of the Vietnamese seems to have become an indispensable part of the culture. Hanging it is not only a longstanding tradition, but it is also an expression of the beauty of Vietnamese people. The couplets also represent the image of Vietnamese people, about life, about daily habits because the origin of the couplets comes from the reality of Vietnamese life. Each couplet asked or purchased contains certain meanings, making them profound educational lessons, directing people to the beauty of truth, goodness, and beauty.
The custom of asking and buying couplets on Tet seems to have become an inevitable thing, a habit of Vietnamese people with the hope that all the best things will come to them and their families. Hanging couplets in the house are also the wish and hope that the hanger wants to convey, it is also a cultural beauty that needs to be preserved and promoted.

The two striking red and yellow colors brighten up a street corner, the Southern New Year space makes this place always crowded with people to take pictures. The highlight of this year is the Hoi An red lantern rig, creating a strange and beautiful angle.
This year's Ong Do Street is more elaborate and new than previous years, the stalls are beautifully decorated, especially with more than 30 old men and women of a very young age...
A lot of young people participating in Ong Do street is a good sign that the nation's calligraphy tradition is loved and attached by young people. Besides the yellow apricot street, Ong Do street is also a traditional space where many people come to ask for letters. In recent years, people have often asked for words like "health", "peace", "family" more than every year. Besides, there is also a booth displaying too the products of artisans attracting many children.
Flowers and ornamental plants such as apricots, peaches, pomelos, chrysanthemums, raspberries, sunflowers, poinsettias... all have a special meaning, designed to create impressive miniatures, chosen by many people to save Preserve the moments when Tet comes to spring.

For many people, peach blossom is like a beautiful, gentle, loving, and extremely attractive girl.
It symbolizes sophistication, elegance, and loyalty. In addition, peach blossom is also a symbol of renewal, proliferation, strong development, it can bring a new source of vitality, helping everyone in the house stay healthy, peaceful, and all the best in life New Year. Peach blossom in spring also symbolizes luck, happiness, close friendship, and love. Holding a beautiful peach branch in the house or sending a beautiful peach branch to relatives and friends is the best wish you want to send to them in the new year.
The yellow color of apricot flowers has long been considered the color of wealth and prosperity. According to the concept of many people, the house with apricot flowers blooming with more petals, the luckier and more prosperous that house will be in the new year. The apricot tree has roots that go deep into the ground, not falling before the wind or storm. It can also withstand all types of weather, including extremes.
Therefore, the Yellow Apricot Tree also symbolizes the virtue of patience and great sacrifice, the perseverance of Vietnamese people in general. Besides, it is also a symbol of nobility and nobility.
The golden apricot blossoms in the spring season also show joy, jubilation, happiness, love, solidarity, and sticking people together.
Chrysanthemum is one of the flowers that bloom during the Lunar New Year. Its scent is simple but captivating, not only that, this flower stays fresh for a long time. Therefore, on the Tet holiday, every family tries to find a pot of chrysanthemums or a few chrysanthemum branches to decorate the house.

According to feng shui, chrysanthemums bring a symbol of life, increase happiness as well as a joy to the home. Placing small pots of chrysanthemums or arranging chrysanthemums can help stabilize good fortune in the house. However, you should remember to note that chrysanthemums should be placed in a place with lots of light in the house to make the luck stronger and more brilliant.
In addition, chrysanthemums also symbolize longevity, filial piety, nobility... It is also one of the four types of trees that represent the gentleman. Chrysanthemums have many different types and colors: white daisies, yellow daisies, red daisies, purple daisies…
The vibrant colors of chrysanthemums make the spring atmosphere more warm and joyful.

Small scenes of the bamboo bridge, flower boat, the bustling atmosphere on the wharf under the boat... are also recreated, contributing to a joyful and bustling spring. Coming here, people can also experience the folk games that often take place every time the New Year arrives in the spring such as jumping stalls, playing mandarin umbrellas, making "to he"...
In particular, people can wrap and cook Banh Chung by themselves with the support and guidance of skilled artisans. After wrapping, the cake will be cooked and enjoyed on the spot. The pot of Banh Chung will be cooked day and night to serve visitors. This is an interesting difference compared to other spring flower festivals. Spring flower and tree collection. In addition to enjoying the flowers and ornamental plants blooming brilliantly, bringing joy and excitement to spring, the Spring Flower Festival displays unique bonsai apricot trees, superficial trunks, meaning a good new year. Special art and fashion show.
In the atmosphere of the Spring Flower Festival, visitors can also enjoy special art performances such as National art forms, joyful spring songs, or fashion collections of designers. Famous designer hints for fashion trends 2022.

Ong Do Street is a place to visit and experience the Tet atmosphere in Vietnam, if you have the chance, you can also join and enjoy it.
Thank you for looking, have a great day <3

Ong Do Street - Vietnamese Soul amidst the upheavals of the Times

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