10:01, 21/01/2021

Taking opportunity to help kids learn more about traditional Tet

Whenever Lunar New Year approaches, schools always have their own ways to help students enjoy, learn and feel about traditional Tet ...
 

Whenever Lunar New Year approaches, schools always have their own ways to help students enjoy, learn and feel about traditional Tet.
 
Many memories of traditional Tet  
 
When Tet comes, everyone is excited to return home for family reunion. The atmosphere during days before Tet becomes so exciting. All people are eager and busy tidying up homes and going shopping for Tet. In many people’s memories, the most favorite thing about Tet is helping their grandparents cleaning banana leaves for wrapping chung cakes while listening to legends. All the families get together around the warm fire, cooking, talking and laughing in a cozy atmosphere filled with the smell of smoke and cakes. That is Tet in the old days.
 

 

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Many schools  organize Lunar New Year festivals to help students learn more about Tet in the old days.
 
 
 
Today the modern life is keeping people so busy that values of the traditional Tet celebration seem to be fading. Nguyen Thi Hoa, 42, born in Nghe An Province, has been working in Nha Trang City for more than 10 years. She recalled, “We used to be so happy and excited looking forward to the advent of Tet.  Our great memories about the traditional Tet are making and cooking chung cakes, peanut candies, and ginger jam; eagerly cleaning and decorating homes. Now, my children do not seem to care much about those things. Helping our children to experience traditional Tet values are the responsibility of both families and schools.”
 
49-year-old Vo Hong Duc, Dien Khanh District said, ‘We used to look forward to Tet when adults can have much to eat and children can get new clothes to wear. These days, life has much improved and many people seem to be less excited about the Tet celebration. However, it’s not a good reason for forgetting to educate children about the meaning of traditional Tet and give them a chance to experience something truly unique and memorable at New Year.”
 
Educating children about traditional Tet
 
Phuoc Tien Primary School, Nha Trang City organizes spring festival every year with many meaningful traditional activities such as teaching how to wrap chung cakes, writing calligraphy, arranging fruit trays, organizing folk games, etc. The special activities become so appealing to children.
 
For parents and teachers, happiness is sometimes just seeing joy and excitement in children’s eyes or feeling children getting mature with their thoughts.
 
Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, a fifth-grader of Phuoc Tien Primary School said, “I have taken part in such school activities for three times every New Year. I learn how to wrap chung cakes and write parallel sentences for Tet. I am also taught about the tradition of Tet as well as gift-receiving etiquette. I find it so interesting to learn more about Tet in the old days."
 
Although very busy during Tet, Tran Van Hau (Nui Mot Street, Nha Trang City) still thinks it is important to educate traditional values of Tet to his 3 children. Tet is the busiest time when the children are off school while the family is so busy with the business. He and his wife will try to spend much time with their children during the New Year holiday so that they can have beautiful memories of Tet. The man will also take the children to their maternal grandparents to enjoy the traditional Tet atmosphere.
 
Giving children a chance to help their parents celebrate Tet is the best way to educate about traditional Vietnamese Tet values. When grandparents, parents and children are together sharing the great moments, children will understand more about genuine family love and care and thus the family sentiment will grow; that is what families and schools always long for, according to Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, Principal of Phuoc Tien Primary School.
 
Thanh Truc
Translated by N.T