Tết (Lunar New Year)

Happy New Year!!! It's been 2 weeks since Tết.  I hope everyone had a wonderful time with your family and friends and may the new year bring you an abundance of love, health, and lì xì.

Elk Grove where I live did not quite have the ambience of the Vietnamese New Year. There were no brilliant flowers to line the streets, no children adorn in traditional new year costumes, no rapid explosions of firecrackers. But you will find this bustling festive atmosphere on the street of Bolsa in Little Saigon in Garden Grove, CA should you venture to experience this the next time around.

my mother-in-law's specialty-bánh ú. 

Although the cities nearby lack the festive atmosphere, my excitement for the new year was not diminished and I wanted to enjoy this feeling with my daughters. We strolled through the Asian supermarkets to buy food, fruits, firecracker, snap-n-pops and red lì xì envelopes in preparation for the party that I was going to host at my home. It was our first time celebratingTết in my own home as in years past we would gather at my parents's house in Little Saigon.

Kds picked li xì envelopes from the  flower branches.   They didn't bloom until a few days later.

The lì xì envelopes were hung on the boughs, the house was packed, the children were running all over the house laughing, giggling, and some babies waling;  my friends and family were pigging out. We had a great new year!

* * *

*

 

*