By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Cao Thi Huong from Vietnam
Photos = Cao Thi Huong

In Vietnam, the most important holiday of the year is Tet (Lunar New Year). The holiday period starts from the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until the fifth day.

On the morning of Tet’s first day, many people flock to places like the Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu Quốc Tử Giám) in Hanoi to ask for traditional calligraphy in Chinese or Vietnamese. Traditional Vietnamese calligraphy is a written form of visual art, with words often put on red or yellow paper.

Vietnamese often ask an old scholar (ong do) to write lucky words such as "happiness" (phúc), "prosperity" (lộc) and "longevity" (thọ). These meaningful characters symbolize good luck, health and prosperity in the new year and people hope that these characters can help make their wishes into reality in the coming year.

The calligraphic tradition is even mentioned in the famous Vietnamese poem “The Old Scholar” (Ong Do) by Nguyen Dinh Lien:

“Every spring comes and peach flowers blossom,
The old scholar was seen
Who displays ink and red paper
To give calligraphy to many people passing by”

If you travel to Vietnam during Tet, don’t forget to visit calligraphers at the Temple of Literature and ask for the character you want. Who knows, maybe your wish might come true.

Korea celebrates Seollal (Lunar New Year) but it traditionally lasts just three days, whereas Tet lasts five.

On Seollal, Korean eat tteokguk (rice cake soup) because of the traditional belief that one gets a year older after eating the food. Trying this dish is definitely something you should do during Seollal, and perhaps you'll get a year older. Happy New Year!

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.