Recapturing Saigon Tet atmosphere of 100 years ago
A group of young culture aficionados in Saigon have displayed their century-old collection of traditional Tet items.
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On January 30, two weeks before Tet (Lunar New Year), people were drawn to an event organized by a group of young people to showcase Saigon’s heritage.
‘Dau An Saigon’ (Impression of Saigon) at the National Archives Center 2 on Le Duan Street, District 1 had a display of items traditionally used during the festival, lion dancing, traditional calligraphy, and discussions about Tet in southern Vietnam.
Candy Nguyen, the group leader, said: "We have collected more than 100 antiques from Vietnamese and people of Chinese descent to recreate old-style Tet in Saigon. Group members are present to provide explanations so that visitors can get a clear idea of how things used to be in the old days."
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An altar with incense holders, a flower vase, table and lamps all more than a century old.
Nearly half the space is taken up by an exhibition of Tet decorations at the dawn of the 20th century.
A Vietnamese history and culture geek might notice the subtle differences between northern and southern style altars. A typical Saigon altar consists of two incense holders in the middle and two lamps on either side. A flower vase is in the left corner and fruit offerings are put on a three-legged plate called ‘cho’ on the opposite side.
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The house owner welcomes guests to a space near the altar. Yellow flowers such as daisy and apricot are displayed in the living room. Guests are offered sweets, tea and ‘trau cau’ (betel leaf and areca nut).
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A mother of pearl inlay box used for sweets. The nearly 100-year-old box is an inheritance of a member’s family.
Once-popular sweets during Tet like candied ginger, ‘banh in’ (molded rice cakes), lotus seeds and licorice were made by the group.
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A lion head used for dancing at Tet. In Vietnam, the lion head dance symbolizes peace and prosperity.
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Dong Ho woodblock printed paintings, ‘tranh kieng Nam Bo’ (reverse glass paintings of the south) and spring music sheets were popular in Saigon at Tet over 50 years ago.
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Jewelry used when going out in the first days of the Lunar New Year.
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Tran Phuong Thao, 25, tries on an 'ao tac' (a loose-fitting traditional dress). The dress, which originated in feudal times, was worn on special occasions such as Tet and weddings.
"The dress I am wearing used to be very popular in Saigon at the beginning of the 20th century," Thao said. "It’s really interesting to wear clothes in the style of our ancestors."
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A living room with furniture from the 1960s and an old tape recorder and radio on the table.
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A collection of music sheets with songs about spring carefully preserved in a plastic-wrapped album.
Collecting music sheets was a hobby of Saigonese in the 1950s. Artworks on the cover and song lyrics and music notes inside was a format that appealed to Saigonese then.
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A calligrapher (in black dress) writes beautiful characters for a guest which are believed to bring about good lucks in the New Year.
The event also featured a reenactment of fortune telling that used to be popular during Tet by reading straws or quoting sentences in the renowned poem ‘The Tale of Kieu’ by Nguyen Du.
Nguyen Du, a Vietnamese poet in the 19th century, was recognized by UNESCO as a "Great Poet".
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