Cung Chúc Tân Xuân!

[Do Do]

Đầu năm Nhâm Thìn, xin thân chúc các cô, dì chú, bác, anh, chị, em và các bạn một năm mới dồi dào sức khỏe, gặp nhiều may mắn, mọi sự như ý cùng ngập tràn hạnh phúc... :kidra:

Hopefully this new year will also bring more energy and traffic to our forum.

Happy Lunar New Year to all!!!!

Thanks for visiting. :wavey:

[Do Do]

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Happy New Year!

[Do Do]

From left, Ryan Duong, 20 months old, poses with his cousin, Celine Nguyen, age 3. The children are wearing authentic outfits that were gifts from their grandparents who brought them from Vietnam.
COURTESY: VIVIAN KHANH TRAN

By VIVIAN KHANH TRAN / SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER

LADERA RANCH – As third-generation Vietnamese-Americans, it's important for our family to remember where we came from, as well as the traditional values and customs of the Tet holiday.
My parents were "boat people" when they fled Vietnam after the war, and I was a one-month-old preemie baby weighing about 3 pounds. Everyone said I was lucky to have even survived.

Our family was transferred to Orange County in October 1979 when I was 1 1/2 years old, and I've lived here ever since. I met my husband, Patrick Long Duong, 10 years ago.

We celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday each year by going to the Tet Festival in Garden Grove and the parade in Westminster, events that are awash with bright colors – red and gold – and feature dancing dragons, firecrackers and the beautiful flowers of spring. We look forward to the traditional li xi red money envelopes, ao dai outfits, banh cung steamed cakes, temple visits for prayers to our ancestors, and most importantly, being with our families.

Our parents grew up in big families, with many siblings and extended family members that still live in Vietnam. They help us keep the traditions alive by sending the red and gold holiday outfits our children wear. In our culture, red symbolizes luck, and gold is fortune.

This year we dressed up our son, Ryan Duong, 20 months old, and my niece, Celine Nguyen, 3, in traditional ao dai outfits a little bit early to take some photos. My son is still a little young to understand what Tet is all about, but he loves the bright colors of our decorations around the house, the smell of fresh flowers and the displays of fruit, candy and cakes on the altar.

Ryan doesn't know the value of what's in the li xi envelopes; he just knows they are pretty and he can open them. He does know that he gets a lot of attention when he receives them, so he's pretty cooperative about doing what we ask of him.

In order for children to receive li xi's from elders, they must show respect by bowing and greeting elders with a traditional Tet greeting. Although my son's vocabulary consists of only a couple of words like "mum mum," "no," and "cheese," he did manage to say "you," for thank you, after receiving the li xi.

My niece, Celine, knows the value of the envelopes, and especially loves the sparkly and glittery ones. She asked her mom, MacLan Duong, the other day, "When do I get more li xi ... so I can get Pink Power Ranger toys?" We replied to her, "You'll get more on Tet day."
After we took the photos of the kids, we walked over to Founders Park near our house and let them run around and play. We wanted to make it fun for them by hiding the li xi's in the grassy area so they could go look for them. I guess you could call this our Tet version of an Easter egg hunt.

For adults, Tet signifies a fresh new beginning. It is a new start from all the misfortunes of the past year, a promise that troubles and health problems of the last year will improve. And since this year is the Year of the Dragon, it is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac.

The traditions are especially important to us this year. My husband was diagnosed with leukemia about nine months ago, and with the New Year, our hopes and prayers for him becoming healthier are progressing. This past year has been extremely emotional and difficult for all of us, but our family has given us the love and support to move forward and to overcome these obstacles with a fresh New Year start.
So Happy New Year ... or Chuc Mung Nam Moi in Vietnamese.

Vivian Khanh Tran, 33, lives in Ladera Ranch with her husband and son.

[VYF]

Bây giờ [giờ Cali] đã chính thức là Năm Quí Ty.

Thay mặt tất cả các thành viên, mạnh thường quân cũng như ủng hộ viên của Diễn Đàn Tuổi Trẻ, xin thân chúc quí anh chị, cô chú, các bác, các em, các cháu và các bạn một năm mới được thật nhiều may mắn, hạnh phúc, thành công, tràn đầy niềm vui và sức khỏe.

[Do Do]

Đốt Pháo Đầu Năm, at Gala bakery, next to Phước Lộc Thọ:

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=475762562485001" width="226" height="400" frameborder="0"></iframe>

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed...75762562485001