Asian traditions and holidays

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

So while i was posting for the "regretting one's asian-ness" thread, i got to thinking about how the Asian heritage must be one of the richest heritages in the world, with so many interesting traditions and holidays that go back ages.

I remember when i was little and living in Hong Kong, the "moon cake festival", as i've heard some of my american chinese friends call it, is one of the most important and festive holidays of the year. My cousins and my brother and I would get so excited whenever that time came around, looking everywhere for the perfect lantern to light up and to play with that night. When we got older, we got to play with candles in the park with all the other kids, lighting up what seems like hundreds and hundreds of candles in empty mooncake lids and boxes to make patterns and mini-bonfires. I remember it being so fun , not only was it the only day of the year that we got to play and mess around with fire, but it was so beautiful and magical... at the peak of the night, the playground would be lighted up with candles and lanterns. Then afterwards, when we got tired, the family would sit together and share mooncakes under the full moon. The next day, the park is left with a carnage of melted wax, reminding everyone of the past nite.

Yah, i think what i miss most since immigrating here are traditions like these...

i kno not everyone in the class are first generation asians, but do you guys have interesting traditions like these within your family? are there any special cultural holidays that you and your families celebrate?

[Anonymous]

Traditionally, my family always celebrate annual Asian/Vietnamese holidays. The two main holidays that we celebrate is "tet" and the "autumn moon festival." During tet, we would ring in the new year according to the lunar calendar with red envolopes and tet treats. Annually in San Jose, a Tet festival is always held for a weekend sometimes even two weekends. During the autumn moon, there are also festivals held at local temples or community centers where people crowd around with lit laterns. A popular treat that my mom always buy during the autumn moon are the popular moon cakes. I have always enjoyed these festive holidays and even when i get older, i will still keep these traditions alive so that my children can experience them as well.

[Anonymous]

The biggest holiday in the Vietnamese tradition, I would say, is Tet, which is New Year's celebration. I remember back in Vietnam, students would get 2 to 3 weeks off for the holiday. In preparation for Tet, every household would clean their homes and wash everything so that they can welcome the new year with everything "fresh." Before the government imposed restrictions on firecrackers, every family would buy and dry firecrackers so that when midnight struck, the whole town would burst into sounds of firecrackers/fireworks. During the first few days of the Tet (we call it mung mot (first day of New Year), mung hai (2nd day of N.Year) and so on), you're not supposed to sweep or mop the floor, or else you would throw or drive away all the good things that the new year might bring. Adults and kids alike visit temples to pray for the goodcomings of the new year, and many visit their relatives as well.
There were many other things that people do during Tet. I truly miss the celebration, mostly, the atmosphere. Although I live in Little Saigon, a Vietnamese community, it's still very different. We still eat certain food and go to temple to pray, but it's the atmosphere that's missing. Here, people have to go to work and school. It's unfortunate that many traditions are beginning to fade out as we all try to accommodate with the fast-paced mainstream society. But all in all, Tet is definitely a big thing in my culture.

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