International Children's Day June 1st

Brief History of Children's Day in America & the World!

Children’s Day observations in the United States predate both Mother’s and Father’s Day, though Children's Day is not universally celebrated in the United States nor around the world on a single day. The celebration of a special children’s Day in America dates back to the 1860s and earlier.

Starting in 1856, many Americans began calling for the celebration of Children's Day. In 1883, nearly all the state bodies of the United States passed resolutions for the observance of the day.

Massachusetts and numerous churches currently observe the second Sunday in June and Hawaii recognizes the first Sunday in October as Children's Day.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton proclaimed Children's Day to be held in October and President George W. Bush proclaimed National Child's Day on the first Sunday in June. In 2007, Illinois Govenor issued a proclamation naming the second Sunday in June as Children's Day and in May of 2009, International Children's Day was celebrated at the Washington DC.

World Children's Day!

World Children's Day is observed every year on the 20th of November. In 1954 to protect children from having to work long hours in unsafe conditions and allow all children to have access to learning, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children's Day on an "appropriate" day. World Children's Day is celebrated every year in honor of children and also as an annual global fundraiser to benefit branches of Ronald McDonald House Charities around the world. Today, World Children's Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries.

International Children's Day!

International Children's Day is celebrated every year in the second Sunday in December. This is a joint initiative between UNICEF and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It's a day when special programs are broadcast for kids. The occassion is said to have originated in Turkey in 1920 and later in the World Conference for the Well Being of Children held in Switzerland in 1925. After the conference, governments around the world decided to specify a day as Children's Day to draw attention to children's issues. Many countries, including the Soviet Union, chose June 1. And from this time, International children's day is celebrated on the 1st of June each year.

Children's Day in Japan!

In Japan, Children's Day is observed as a national holiday called "Kodomo no Hi" and is celebrated annually on May 5th as a part of the Japanese Golden Week festival held in honor of children and to celebrate their happiness. Originally, two days were set apart to celebrate one for boys and another for girls, but in 1948, the government consoldated the two days into one to celebrate the happiness of all children.

California's Children's Day, April 24th!

In California since 1995, an organization called Children's Day USA has been fighting to establish an official Children's Day. In 2008, a Resolution was issued by a member of the California State Senate declaring the last Saturday in April as Children's Day throuhgout California.

In February of 2010, Clando Browlee, Event Coordinator for the San Diego Children's Coalition, established a partnership with Children's Day USA to bring Children's Day to fruition in San Diego and the Coalition established the County of San Diego's Children's Day Celebration not only to honor children but those individuals and organizations in the service of children. The Children's Coalition is proud and honored to help in this worthy cause!
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Easter Day

Easter is a special holiday in spring. Easter is also an annual festival that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

　Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and marks the date Jesus was crucified and died for the sins of people. Jesus came to life again three days later. It was on Sunday.

　Today, Christians go to church and have a special service on Easter Sunday. Many people sing and pray on Easter Sunday. They think about new life in Heaven after death. It is a very happy day. Flowers, eggs and rabbits are all symbols of Easter. They are all symbols of new life.

Children like the Easter Bunny. The tradition of the Easter Bunny was brought to America by German immigrants in 1700's. The Easter Bunny visit children and hide colored eggs that the children have to find on Easter Sunday morning. On Easter Sunday evening, children eat a big dinner with their families. Read more

History Of Valentine's day

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.

The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago.

It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. Saint ValentineThe history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day.

The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.

It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.

The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.

While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.

Claudius IIWhen Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.

Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.

Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day.

But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related:

"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."

By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved. Valentine's day greeting cardThis tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards
began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.

Today, Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are "valentine"s. The "valentines", as Valentine's Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.
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Tet - The Lunar New Year

In Vietnam, the first day of the Lunar New Year is called Tet. On the days before Tet, people plant an extremely tall bamboo tree in front of their homes.

Bows, arrows, bells and gongs are hung on the treetop with the hope that all the bad luck of the past year will be chased away and everyone will have a happy New Year. The tree is called neu and the story is legend.

The Neu Tree

Once upon a time, the devil ruled the earth. Everybody worked for him from early morning until midnight. A very greedy creature, the devil seized everything made by men for himself. People worked hard all year round but had almost nothing to eat. All the fruits of their labor went into the devil's warehouses.

One year, there was a very big crop. Rice fields stretched out like golden carpets and the devil was so dazzled, he aimed to take everything and imposed a new rule "the root of the rice plant belongs to the farmers, the rest belongs to the devil." At the end of the harvest, the rice went to the devil. The people had nothing left except clusters of roots.

The suffering of the people came to Buddha's notice. He descended to earth and told them to grow sweet potatoes for the next crop. Following Buddha's advice, the farmers grew sweet potatoes with full hopes of an abundant crop. When harvest came, following the rule, the peasants took the potato root and left the rest for the devil.

Knowing that he had been fooled, the devil gave a new order: " From the next crop onward, both roots and grown plants will belong to the devil, and the rest to the farmers." This time, the devil believed he would get the upper hand. In the next crop cycle, the people grew corn instead where maize cobs grow in the center of the plant. Once again when harvest came, the farmers took all the cobs and left the rest behind for the devil. Again the devil was outsmarted. This time, he made up his mind to take all of the land and the farmers had no more land to farm.

Because of the people's misfortune, Buddha appeared again and they began to complain: "How can we live like this?" "Don't worry" answered Buddha. "Go tell the devil that you want to rent his land for gold. Just rent a small plot of land enough for a single bamboo tree. Make sure that the devil will vow that all land under the bamboo's shadow will belong to you." The people then collected all the gold they had and went to negotiate with the devil. Stunned with the gold and believing that they would certainly be defeated, the devil agreed with the plan at once.

Bamboo trees were planted and they grew straight and luxuriant. Their shadow spread far and wide with every passing year. The longer they lived, the more immense their shadow became. Finally, one day there was no more land for the devil who was driven out to sea. Since then the people have been free to plant any kind of crop they want without giving a portion to the devil.

Being deprived of his land, the devil wanted vengeance at any cost and swore to retrieve his former land. With the support of wild and ferocious beasts, he let his subjects go to the village to plunder and loot the crops. Armed with spears and sticks, the people fought against the hostile forces to guard the rice fields they had gained at the expense of their own lives. At the same time, Buddha appeared and advised them to "Go to the forest and make bows and arrows to kill them and make use of water mingled with garlic and lime to splash on their faces." Following Buddha's advice, they made the weapons and waited for the enemy. When the devil came with his gang, they met tough resistance from the farmers. Leaving their enemies behind, the living survivors ran in every direction.

After that enormous defeat, the devil was put back out to sea and gave up his ambitions to regain the land. His only wish was that every year he be allowed to return to his former native village for a visit to his ancestors' graves.

This is the reason why every year when Tet comes, farmers plant a neu tree in front of their house. The shadow of neu symbolizes the land acquired by the men in the legend. The sounds of small bells and gongs on neu remind us of man's right to own the land and the bows and arrows tell us that they were once the weapons used to fight off the devil.

TET NGUYEN DAN -The Lunar New Year

Tet starts on the first day of the first lunar month and is the first season of the new year (according to the lunar calendar), and therefore it is also known as the Tet Nguyen Dan, literally meaning Fete of the First Day, or the Tet Tam Nguyen, literally meaning Fete of the Three Firsts.

The Vietnamese, wherever they may be, are all thrilled and excited with the advent of Tet, and they feel an immense nostalgia, wishing to come back to their homeland for a family reunion and a taste of the particular flavours of the Vietnamese festivities. Those who have settled down abroad all turn their thoughts to their home country and try to celebrate the festivities in the same traditional way as their family members and relatives to relieve their nostalgia, never forgetting the fine custom handed down from generation to generation.

The Tet of the New Year is, above all, a fete of the family. This is an opportunity for the household genies to meet, those who have helped during the year, namely the Craft Creator, the Land Genie and the Kitchen God. As the legend goes, each year on December 23 of the lunar calendar, the Kitchen God takes a ride on a carp to the Heavenly Palace to make a report on the affairs of the household on earth and then returns on December 30 to welcome the New Spring.

Tet is also an opportunity to welcome deceased ancestors back for a family reunion with their descendants. Finally, Tet is a good opportunity for family members to meet. This custom has become sacred and secular and, therefore, no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances, family members find ways to come back to meet their loved ones

Vietnamese Tet has quite a few original practices with customs and entertainment that have distinct Vietnamese cultural characteristics. In the framework of this article, a few customs and practices are presented so that readers can better understand the traditional Tet of Vietnam.

Preparation

Some days before Tet Ong Tao (on the 23rd of the twelfth moon), people start their preparations for the Kitchen God's journey to the Heaven to make his report to the Jade Emperor. This report includes the year's activities of the household in which he has lived. A farewell and thank-you dinner is given to the Kitchen God at Tet Ong Tao. The Kitchen God will need a week for his mission to Heaven.

After the Kitchen God has gone to the Heaven, preparations for the New Year festivities begin in enthusiasm. The week before New Year's Eve is called a period of "Tat Nien". Tat Nien (literally meaning the end or "to extinguish the year") is the celebration of the last session of a period, such as the last class of school, the last day in the office, even the last bath, all with parties and great ceremonies.

Some families set up a Tet tree outside the house in the week before New Year's Eve. The Tet tree, called cay neu, is a bamboo pole stripped of its leaves except for a tuft on top. It is supposed to ward off the evil spirits during absence of the Spirit of the Kitchen God.

Sweeping and scrubbing must be done during this time as tradition discourages it during the Tet holiday. Two items required for the proper enjoyment of Tet are peach flower branches and kumquat trees. Throughout the country, on bicycles of roving vendors, flowers create great splashes of color. In the north, the soft rose-colored dao peach flowers decorate homes and offices while the bright golden yellow branches of the hoa mai are preferred in the south.

Kumquat trees, about two or three feet tall, are carefully selected and prominently displayed. To carefully choose a kumquat tree, the buyer must pay attention to the symmetrical shape, to the leaves and to the color and shape of the fruit. The bushes have been precisely pruned to display ripe deep orange fruits with smooth clear thin skin shining like little suns or gold coins on the first day. Other fruits must still be green to ripen later. This represents the wish that wealth will come to you now and in the future.

When Tet is approaching, crowds of shoppers at the markets become thicker and more frantic each night, holding up traffic as they jostle each other to reach the counters with the best buys. Prices are a bit higher, but thriftiness is not considered a virtue at Tet.

While shoppers roam the streets, banh chung patties wrapped in leaves are steaming in giant vats. After being boiled until the outside of banh chung has taken on a lovely light green tinge, it is taken out of the vats and cooled. Banh chung will be eaten and used as offerings to worship ancestors during Tet.

Before the New Year's Eve, shops, stalls and restaurants are locked, leaving a notice hung on the door announcing the date of reopening. Special dishes must be completed to serve the family and its guests for the first three days of the new year.

Giao thua -New Year's Eve

Midnight approaches, all eyes maintain a close look on clocks and watches. The Giao Thua ritual occurs at that most sacred moment in time. At midnight on the last day of the year, every Vietnamese family whispers similar fervent prayers. Bells ring and drums beat in temples. The old year gives over its mandate to the New Year. The word Giao means to give and Thua means to receive, so Giao Thua marks the magical transition time from one year to another. Those who practice Buddhism will pray in the pagodas.

In the Gia Tien (family ancestor) ritual or calling of the ancestors, invitations are extended to the deceased relatives to visit for a few days in the world of the living family. They are invited to return home and kept happy until they leave. During this sacred ritual the head of the household lights incense and folds hands at heart level in the position of prayer. The prayer may proceed as follows: "It is the year of ... and the date of ..., we would like to make these offerings and invite all of our ancestors to join in eating Tet with us."

The past generations are invited to share the family's joys and enjoy meals with the living during Tet, to catch up on the family news and to lavish riches and honors on their descendants.

Bowing motions, called Le, are performed at least three times and the ceremony ends when all have prostrated themselves (or in more modern families, folded hands and prayed) before the altar. After the "money for the dead" and other paper gifts are burnt in the courtyard, the family watches the ashes dance away on warm currents of air, a sign that the dead have received their gifts. The spiritual presence of the ancestors will be palpable during the days of Tet.

There is a Vietnamese saying related to ancestor worship: "Trees have roots; water has a source; when drinking water from the spring, one must remember the source." Thanks are offered to those ancestors who labored long ago to dig irrigation channels and remove mountains for this generation to have an easier life. The present is only one link in the cycle of coming back to the past as one looks to the future.

In recent times, a new tradition has evolved to celebrate the important evening of the new year. Those who are not at home praying at this momentous time may be socializing with friends. In the cities, there will be community fireworks displays that will draw the young from their homes into city centres. Although firecrackers are now illegal in Vietnam, some kind of loud noises will be made. It can be the banging of cans, the use of electronic popping firecrackers or human voices whooping it up.

People will break off small branches and twigs that contain newly sprouted leaves to bring a sense of freshness and vitality into their home. This follows a Buddhist tradition of bringing fresh new leaves and "fortune bearing buds" into the home from the pagoda.

Ancestor Worship

Ancestor worship has deep roots in the Vietnamese psyche. It has been playing an important role in the Vietnam's society throughout the history: in feudal times when Vietnam was influenced by Confucianism, in French time and in the present time. Ancestor worship is to express respect to the deceased ancestor. Several well-known sayings illustrate this: "Birds have nests, humans have ancestors" and "A single drop of blood is worth more than all the water in the pond".
The Vietnamese people worship their ancestors by lighting incense and praying for them, and by offering them nourishment, paper money and effigies. A folk song illustrates this:

"The year was at its end; it was the last day of the Twelfth Month, The widow of a spirit was offering him money and paper effigies. She called out: spirit of my dear husband, these are for you She held up in one hand a string of coins And in the other an effigy of the deceased, and threw them into the water. The string of coins sank to the bottom because it was heavy; While the effigy floated on and on, being light. Listen now, good people! Isn't it a rule the world over that money carries more weight than any man?"


The Vietnamese people do the worship for their ancestors in special ceremonies, especially at Tet. There is also a time of the year called "Pure Brightness" which may last three months beyond Tet. This is a time for tidying up the graves, burning gold paper and coins, and the offering to the dead fresh flowers, water and steamed glutinous rice and boiled chicken.
Not every deceased person has his or her descendants to worship them. There are miserable wandering souls who have no one to pray for them. So they are called "hungry souls." In seeking nourishment and relief, these spirits may cause problems for the living. Ceremonies are, therefore, held on the 15th day of the seventh moon to give offerings to these souls. They are presented with paper money and gold, paper models of clothing, and paper houses, servants, motorbikes or cars. These paper models are burnt at the end of the ceremonies as they are believed to serve the souls in their world.

In the home of every Vietnamese family there is an altar for ancestor worship. This altar is afforded the highest and most important place in the largest room of the house. Some altars can be very elaborately-made ones and take up an entire small room or an entire small house of the family. Above the altar is placed a photograph of the most recently deceased and surrounded by a lacquer board inscribed with the names of earlier ancestors. There are incense burners, candle sticks, and small trays for offerings. There may be a small drum and tiny bell to call back the dead during Tet and death anniversaries.

The lighting of incense (as is the burning of paper gifts of clothes and money) is a form of communication between the real world and the world of the dead, between Heaven and Earth, between Man and the Gods. When incense is burnt into smoke, this transformed substance can be "received" by the spirits and can also be breathed by man, thus it helps them communicate.

Incense comes from a fragrant paste extracted from the sap or bark or sawdust of trees and shrubs. It provides a fragrant smoke when burned to provide a pleasant ambiance and inspire the gods and to put them in a favorable mood to receive the prayers of devout. Incense aids meditation and concentration. According to each particular occasion, one may light one, three, five or seven sticks. Each number has its own symbolic meaning. For example, one stick represents the universe.

It is believed that during the time for a stick of incense to burn out (usually about 15-20 minutes) the spirit can take the invisible aspect of the offerings and they are considered to have been "blessed" by those in the other world. These blessed offerings are called "loc" (this word sounds very much like the English word "luck") which can be shared within the family or among friends or the participants at a pagoda..

First visitor or "first footer" after the New Year

The New Year day (Nguyen Dan) is of great significance to Vietnamese people as all things happening during this 24 hours are believed to affect their work and life in the remaining days of the year. Special attention, therefore, is paid to the first words and the first activity of the day, especially the "first-foot."

The first non-family visitor to the house brings in the year's luck. This figure's karma will charm the household for the entire year and determine the luck of the family. It is customary to invite a respected person to visit at that time, so that this turn of luck is not left to fate. This person, whose aura is believed to be capable of promoting the fortune of the household, is usually someone healthy, successful and prosperous.

Some Vietnamese lock their doors to all chance visitors until after the visit of the chosen "first footer." Visitors might light incense and bow their heads before the ancestor altar of their host.

Prohibition against throwing out trash at Tet

In the time before traditional Tet, the Vietnamese spend much time cleaning and decorating their house. But It seems a strange and different practise for foreigners especially westerners that it's prohibited to sweep their house in the first days of lunar new years, the first and the second. Trash can be seen to be thrown out only after the second day.

The legend goes that. Once upon a time, a traveling merchant came upon a beautiful young woman and loved her right at first sight. Then, she became his wife. She loved him so much and devoted herself to him and her houseworks.

She seemed his good fortune. Since her appearance, he became lucky and more and more wealthy.

Among the treasures, he was able to purchase was a favorite ancient vase. He is very proud of it.

Ss a diligent housewife, his wife spent time dusting his collection, especially the valuable vase. One day, she broke it by accident while cleaning it.

The merchant became angry and hit her cruelly. To escape his wrath, she hid under a pile of trash which she had accumulated in her housecleaning. So angry he is, the merchant ordered his men to throw away the pile of trash which reminded him of her carelessness.

His pitiful wife then disappeared. Her vanish brought away his good fortune. He became poor.

Since then, it's said not to sweep the trash away in the Tet days, lest you will throw your good luck away in the whole year.

The betel and the areca tree

A long time ago, when the legendary Hung kings still ruled the land,there lived two brothers, Tan and Lang, in a small village. Although not twins, they resembled each other like two drops of water. They had the same lofty brows, the same straight noses, and the same intelligent, sparkling eyes. They were both handsome, they loved each other above all else and one was never seen without the other.

The two brother were still young when a fire burned down their home, causing the death of their parents and the loss of all their possessions. The two young men were left in want, and to avoid charity, went out into the world in search of work. By chance they knocked at the door of Mandarin Luu, a intimate friend of their late parents. He received them into his stately mansion with a most cordial welcome. He had no sons of his own, but had a daughter, as fair as a white lotus, and as fresh as a spring rose. Wishing to tighten their bonds of friendship and affection, Mandarin Luu offered to give his daughter in marriage to one of the young men. They were both attracted by the good looks and graceful manners of the pretty maiden; and each secretly loved her. Their hearts were equally generous, however, and each insisted that the other should marry the girl. For her part, the maiden was unable to choose between the two young men, they were so alike. Tan and Lang would never have come to an agreement had the mandarin not used a clever little trick to find out which was the elder. He ordered a special meal prepared for his daughter and the " brothers. Two bowls of rice were brought to the table, but only one pair of chopsticks. Without hesitation, Lang picked up the chopsticks and in a very respectful manner handed them to Tan. Tan accepted them naturally, and Mandarin Luu immediately chose the elder brother to be the husband of his daughter. Although Huong was now Tan's wife, she still found it difficult to distinguish between him and Lang. She could only recognise her husband because he, following the tradition of the elder son, was always the first to enter the house and begin the meal.

But on one ill-fated evening when it was already dark, Lang was the first to enter the hut, for Tan was still busy out in the fields. Before he could warn Huong, she kissed him, convinced it was her husband. Just at that moment, Tan returned. The brothers began to argue. Tan was sure that Lang had deceived him and wanted to take his wife from him. He refused to listen to any explanations. Lang was deeply disturbed by the unjust accusation and fled from the house. He ran and ran and soon he was wandering aimlessly through the thick woods with no sense of direction. Finally he collapsed exhausted on the banks of a river and died. A good spirit who understood his sufferings turned Lang into a white, chalky stone as strong as the bonds that had tied him to his brother.

When Tan learned that Lang had stolen away from the house, he was extremely sorry and ashamed of the misunderstanding. Full of regret and troubled by his conscience, he set out to look for his young brother. He traversed the same route, crossed the same hills, and passed through the same forests, until he too reached the stone standing at the river's edge. Exhausted, he sat down with his back against a white chalky rock, and wept until he died. The spirit transformed Tan into a tall, slender Areka palm with green leaves like fans.

Huong waited many anxious days for the return of the two brothers. When she could bear her anxiety no longer, she set off to search for them. Now she too ran through the wood and and arrived at the site of the white chalky rock and the areca tree. Entirely worn out, she lay down to rest at the foot of the tree. Tears of despair rolled down her cheeks, and she kept on crying sorrowfully and thinking of her husband until she died. Once more, the spirit used its powers and transformed the young woman into a betel plant, which entwined itself around both the stone and the palm.

Enlightened by a dream, the peasants of the vicinity built a temple, in commemoration of the fraternal and conjugal love of the unfortunate brothers and the maiden. On the facade of the temple they inscribed the following motto: "Brothers united, spouses faithful." Years later, during a period of exceptional drought which marked the end of the reign of the fourth King Hung V­¬ng, the areca tree and the creeping betel plant were the only green things remaining amidst the desolation. At the news of this miracle, pilgrims from all parts of the kingdom journeyed to the temple. King Hung V­¬ng himself went there, and learned the story from the village notables. He was impressed by the tale and attempted to learn the divine intentions by asking his counselors the meaning of it all, but no one knew the answer. Finally, the minister of justice, a great and wise old man, said to the king: "Sire, when one wishes to assure himself of the consanguinity of brothers and sisters, or when one wishes to know the paternity of a child, the persons concerned are bled, and their blood is collected in the same bowl. If the blood coagulates the response is positive. We could crush together some leaves of the betel plant, with the fruit of the tree, and a fragment of rock. "

This advice was followed. The rock was heated and reduced to powder and the mixture took on a beautiful red color; the proof was clear. The king meditated and said: "This is the true symbol of fraternal and conjugal love. Let the tree and the plant be grown everywhere in commemoration of this beautiful story. " Brothers and sisters began to chew the quid of betel to demonstrate fraternal love, and newly wedded couples chew it to demonstrate conjugal love. The habit spread very quickly, until in the end it became the custom to offer the quid of betel at all social meetings "to maintain mutual affection". At Tet, it's a common offering to the ancestors and a popular entertainment to visitors. In addition, it's an essential offering to the Mother Godness.

First Morning

First Morning or Head Day is reserved for the nuclear family. Family members get together and celebrate with the husband's parents. A younger brother, if the parents are not alive, will visit his older sibling. Faraway sons and daughters journey to be with their parents on this day. Children anticipate a ritual called Mung Tuoi in which they are given small gifts, usually lucky money wrapped in red envelops. The words on the little red envelope may be "Respectful wishes for the New Year." With both arms folded in front of their chest in respect, they thank their grandparents for their birth and upbringing.

Reciprocally, the grandparents will impart words of advice or wisdom to their grandchildren, encouraging them to study hard, to live in harmony with others. The promises made by the children are similar to New Year's resolutions made during the western New Year. Adults will make silent promises to themselves to improve their lives, habits and relationships in the coming year.The family displays the offerings of food on the altar for the first meal for the ancestors since they have returned to the world of the living. The head of the family, dressed in fresh clothes, steps respectfully in front of the family altar and presents the offerings of food, liquor, cigarettes, betel fixings, flowers and paper gold and silver. He lights three sticks of incense, kneels, joins hands in front of his chest, bows his head and prays. The names of the deceased of the family up to the fifth generation are whispered as they are invited to participate in the feast prepared for them.

After the ceremony, the entire family sits down to enjoy the meal typically consisting of steamed chicken, bamboo shoot soup, banh chung and fresh fruits.

The whole family wait to welcome the visit by "the first-footer", who is believed to bring foretune and good luck to the family throughout the year.

Second Day

The second day of Tet is for visiting the wife's family and close friends. Some shops have opened and a few lottery stands are busy selling chances to people who feel lucky. Everyone is out on the street, parading around in their new clothes.

Third Day

On the third day of Tet, the circle of connections becomes larger and is extended to the broader community outside the family by visits to teachers, bosses or a helpful physician. The Vietnamese visit teachers and physicians although they have been out of school or cured of their illness for a long time. This may be the time to have one's fortune told to see what the coming year will bring. People are also especially interested in the significance of their first dream of the new year.

The evening of the third day marks the departure of the ancestors by burning votive objects such as paper gold and silver, for them to take with them on their journey back to Heaven.

The Traditional Greetings

The traditional greetings are "Chúc mừng năm mới" and "Cung chúc tân xuân" (Happy New Year). People also wish each other prosperity and luck. Common wishes for Tết include:

* Song lau tram tuoi (Live up to 100 years): used by children for elders. Traditionally, everyone is one year older on Tết, so children would wish their grandparents health and longetivity in exchange for mừng tuổi.
* An khang thinh vuong (Security, good health, and prosperity)
* Vạn sự như ý (May a myriad things go according to your will)
* Sức khoẻ dồi dao (Plenty of health)
* Cung hi phat tai from the Cantonese Kung hei fat choi (恭喜发财) (Congratulations and be prosperous)
* Tien vo nhu nuoc (May money flow in like water): used informally

Forbidden Customs

These forbidden customs are not based on any scientific foundations, but they are the traditions passing from generation to generation and have become standard. With the opinion that the beginning impacts on the process and the end, Vietnamese people avoid doing bad things and try to do good things during Tết holiday.
Do's

- Should give people lucky presents to enhance the relationship between you and others: new clothes, Prunus persica branch (for expelling the evils), cocks (wish for good manner), new rice (wish for well-fed), rice wine in gourd (wish for rich and comfortable life), bánh chưng and bánh dày which symbolize sky and earth (for worship the ancestors), red things (red symbolize happiness, luckiness, advantages) like water melon, dog (the bark "bow-wow"

- gâu gâu like the pronunciation of the word giàu- richness in Vietnamese language), medicated oil (dầu in Vietnamese pronunciated like giàu- richness).

- Should give present lucky Dong Ho Painting such as: "Gà đàn" (wish for having many children), "Vinh hoa", but should's give present unlucky Dong Ho Painting like "Đánh ghen" related to legal proceedings.

- Should buy a lot of water on Tết holiday because people wish money flow in stream like water currents (proverb: "Tiền vô như nước").- Should sprinkle lime powder around the house to expel evil.- Should return all things you borrow, pay your debt before Tết

.- Should come back home before New Year's Eve if you don't want to be in difficult working.
Dont's

- Shouldn't say or do bad things during Tết.

- Shouldn't hurt or kill animals or plants but should set free them. That reason origins from Buddhism's causality.

- Shouldn't sweep the house and empty out the rubbish if people don't want to lose luckiness and benefit going away with the rubbish, especially on the first day of the new year.

- Shouldn't let the broom in confusion if people don't want to be stolen.

- Shouldn't give these presents to others: clock or watch (the receiver's time is going to pass), cat (mèo in Vietnamese language pronunciated like nghèo- poverty), drug (the receiver will get ill), cuttle fish (its ink is black, an unlucky colour), writing ink (for the same reason), scissors or knife (they bring incompatibleness).

- Shouldn't have duck meat because it brings unluckiness.

- Shouldn't have shrimp because they're afraid that they would move back like shrimp, in other words, they would not succeed.

- Shouldn't buy or wear white clothes because white is the colour of funeral in Vietnam.- Shouldn't let the rice-hulling mill empty because it sympolizes fail crops.-

- Shouldn't refuse all things other people give or wish you during Tết.
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Chinese New Year

In a Chinese legend, "Nien" was a terrible beast. It ate not only animals but also people. People felt that they had to do something to stop Nien from eating any more people. They found that Nien was scared of three things-anything colored red, loud noises and fire.

　When the next winter came, many people put red couplets on their front doors. People set off firecrackers to make loud noises. People also set bonfires in front of their houses.

　One night, Nien came. The red couplets, the noises and the fire frightened it. So it ran away to the mountains and never came back again.

　People stayed up all night with their families because they were afraid. The next morning, people discovered that Nien had run away! They congratulated each other by saying "Gon Xi."

Now, shortly before Chinese New Year, all Chinese clean up their houses. It is symbolic of sweeping away all bad luck. Many peoople go home to have a big dinner with their family. There are a lot of special foods served, such as fish and dumplings. They are symbolic of good luck. Children have luck money in red envelops from their parents. People also wear new clothes and hats to celebrate Chinese New Year.
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The History of The Mid-Autumn Festival

(Vietnam-Culture) Every year, on the 15th day of the 8th month in lunar calendar, the children throughout the country in Vietnam are given permission by their parents to march in a procession and carry their lanterns, to eat the Mid-Autumn Festival cakes and to perform the dragon (unicorn) dance, oh, how great and uproarious they are! This Festival is called "Mid-Autumn Festival" - or also called Children's Festival. Do you know why we have this special festival?

Actually, this tradition of celebrating the Mid-autumn Festival began since the Duong Minh Hoang era in China, at the beginning of the 8th century (713-755).

According to ancient manuscripts, on the eve of the 15th day in the 8th month, while the Emperor Duong and his mandarins gazed at the moon, the Emperor wished that if only he could visit the Palace on the Moon. A magician named Dieu Phap Thien (also known as La Cong Vien) offered to take the Emperor to the moon by performing a number of magic tricks.

Upon arriving at the Moon Palace, the Emperor Minh Hoang was welcomed by a Fairy God who prepared a banquet and entertained the Emperor Duong. There were hundreds of beautiful fairies wearing the thin silk gaudy clothes, each of them held a long white silk piece in hand, threw it into the air, danced, and sang in the court, this dance and song is called the Nghe Thuong Vu Y (Nghe Thuong Cloth Dance).

The Emperor enjoyed this dance very much. Since the Emperor had an aptitude for music, he showed a keen interest and admiration for the dance, while at the same time trying to memorize the fairy song and dance by heart. The Emperor wanted to bring this song and dance back to the Imperial Palace for entertainment.

At the end of that year, a Governor ruling over the Tay Luong Country brought with him a group of female dancers who performed the Ba-la-mon dance.

The Emperor discovered that this Ba-la-mon dancing style shared a lot of similarities to Nghe Thuong Vu Y dance and song. He combined the two songs and dances styles into one, and called it the Nghe Thuong Dance and Cloth Style.

Later, the mandarins adopted the Nghe Thuong Dance and Cloth style from their Emperor, took this song and dance style and gradually introduced it to everyone in their far ruling countries. The tradition of gazing at the moon, and watching the dance and song later became a traditional event on eve of the Mid-Autumn celebration.

The Mid-Autumn Festival spread throughout the neighboring countries and vassal kingdoms of China. The Vietnamese Annals did not reveal from what precise time the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition was introduced in the country. They only know that, for centuries, their ancestors have followed this tradition.

Starting from the beginning of August in lunar calendar, the markets are filling of nuances of Mid-Autumn Festival. Lanterns, moon cakes, white coconut cakes are sold everywhere in the splendidly lighted shops. The streets are full of people buying and those who wander at leisure all crowding and pushing one another in these festival-like days.

Besides the assorted paper lanterns, cakes, candies, there are toy animals made of rice dough, the dragon (unicorn) heads and faces of the Earth God made of paper are displayed everywhere in the markets. In the rich families, the mid-autumn banquet is made in order to show up their nubile girls' cooking abilities.

On the precisely 15th day of August, in the great cities, such as Hanoi, Hue, Saigon, there are the lion, dragon (unicorn) dances. This is a truly animated sight.

At the time when Vietnam was still under the French domination, the protectorate government did not want people gathering in crowds for fear of a revolt. The French government did not allow adults to organize the dragon and lion dances during the Mid-Autumn Festival, only children were allowed to participate. Since then, the Mid-Autumn Festival became the Children's Festival.

However, the adults meet their friends in small groups, sing songs, and recite poetry.

In many Western countries where the Vietnamese refugee children are living, there is a special festival day for children called Halloween. On this day, the children dress themselves up as sorcerers, supermen, monsters; they swarm in many bands, and scare people while asking for candies. What a fun sight!

However, Halloween seems very similar to the Vu-Lan day in Vietnam. According to ancient’s superstition, on the Vu Lan day, the spirits are released from Hell to the Land of the Living in order to have a good time. So, every family prepares to feast offering to the spirits. The offerings are then distributed to children and the poor people.

Living far away from our country, does any of you, children, at any time wish to come back one day to our freedom country, so that you can carry the lanterns while making a procession, eating cake and receiving gifts of celebration during the Mid-Autumn Festival together with the children who are still in our country?
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Merry Christmas

Although most historians agree that the Jesus was born in April, "Christmas", or the birthday of Christ, is celebrated on December 25.

People decorate their houses. And people decorate Christmas trees with glittering light bulbs. People make or buy gifts for their family and friends. They send Christmas cards to their family or friends who are far away. Many people bake special cookies for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, Many people go to church. People sing Christmas carols to wish each other well.

　Children hang up stockings on the wall or in front of the fireplace. They hope Santa Claus will fill their stockings with gifts. Some families hold Christmas parties.

　Therefore, Christmas is a wonderful holiday! Read more

Thanksgiving

In 1620, many Englishmen sailed to America on ships. One of those ships was called the Mayflower. These Englishmen were called Pilgrims.

　The Pilgrims settled down in the new continent. They cut down trees to build houses and churches. Soon the winter came. The Pilgrims had a hard time during the first winter. They did not have enough food and clothes. Many of them got sick and died.

　In spring, Indians visited the Pilgrims. They taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn. They also taught the Pilgrims how to hunt for turkeys in the woods.

When fall came, the Pilgrims had enough food for the winter. They were very happy. They invited the Indians to have a big feast to celebrate with them. The Pilgrims were thankful to God for the blessing of help they had received from the Indians.

　That was the first Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States. Now, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year. Read more

Halloween

Thousands of years ago, the Celts held a festival for the Lord of Death. Many monks believed that the Lord of Death ruled the world in winter. They believed that when the Lord of Death came, many evil spirits came with him too. There were different kinds of evil spirits, such as goblins, ghosts, witches and vampires. The Celts did not like evil spirits. They made big fires to drive the evil spirits away.

　It was thought that witches had magic power. It was also believed that witches liked to play tricks on people. Many children like to play tricks on people too.

　Today, children in America have a lot of fun dressing up in costumes and going "Trick or Treating". People celebrate Halloween on October 31. Now, Halloween is a holiday especially fun for children! Read more

Dragon Boat Festival

Along time ago, about 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. It was the Warring States period in China. A famous and patriotic poet and statesman, Chu Yuan, lived during that period.

Chu Yuan was a loyal minister to King Huai, so King Huai liked him very much. Some jesters were jealous of Chu Yuan's close relationship with the king. They started saying bad things about Chu Yuan to the king. Finally, King Huai believed all these lies, stopped listening to Chu Yuan and fired him.

　Chu Yuan was very sad. One day, he was walking along the Milo River. He said: "Everybody in the world is drunk but me. Everybody in the world is sleepy but me. My king doesn't listen to me. My country is falling apart." Then, he picked up a big stone and tied it to his chest. Chu Yuan jumped into the river and disappeared.

Many people came and helped. Some people made rice dumplings and threw them into the river. Then, the fish won't eat Chu Yuan's body. Some people set out in boats to search for Chu Yuan's body. It was May 5 of the lunar calendar when Chu Yuan jumped into the river.

That is why we eat rice dumplings during Dragon Boat Festival. And that is why there are dragon boat races on that day. These activities are in honor of the patriotic poet and statesman, Chu Yuan. Read more

Lantern Festival

Lunar New Year celebrations end each year with the Lantern Festival. It is always the fifteenth day of the New Year.

On that day, there is always a full moon. Many Chinese celebrate by eating rice balls, or "Tang Yuan." They also hang lanterns at their front doors. Many children also carry their lanterns and walk around the streets with their friends.

　Making riddles is a amusing game at the night of the Lantern Festival. There are many ways to make up riddles, such as using Chinese characters, phrases with special meanings, or the names of some Chinese heroes. If someone guesses the answer to a riddle, they will get a gift. This is one of the many things people enjoy diong during the Lantern Festival! Read more

Moon Festival

The Moon Festival is on August 15 of the lunar calendar. On that day, there is always a full moon.

In Chinese custom, a full moon means family reunion. Because of this, the Moon Festival is a time for family reunions.

　On this day, many families enjoy watching the full moon. Some families will bake large cakes, called “moon cakes.” Then, each member of the family will eat a piece of the cake to show their unity.

　Some moon cakes have salted yolks in them. When we slice a moon cake, we can see a salted yolk in the center. It looks just like a full moon! People share moon cakes with their friends and relatives.

　The Moon Festival is also the season of pomelos. The pomelo symbolizes prosperity. (柚=有) On this day, many children use pomelo peels to make hats and they wear them for fun. Read more

Ghost Festival

The West has Halloween for ghosts and ghouls. In Taiwan there is also a holiday to fete the departed spirits of the underworld Ghost Festival, a popular occasion celebrated throughout China on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.

In Taiwan, Ghost Festival is passed by slaughtering a pig and sheep, which together with a prodigious table of wine and meat is offered to one's ancestors and ghosts from the underworld..

　The Chinese believe that the dead become ghosts roaming between Heaven and earth. Spirits without descendants to care for them are prayed to during Ghost Festival so that they may also enjoy the warmth of life among the living. This custom, an extension of the traditional Chinese ethic of "universal love," has been woven together with the didactic legend "Moginlin Saving His Mother From Hades," giving Ghost Festival positive significance as a time for remembering the importance of filial piety.

Today, Ghost Festival is more modest than in the past both in grandeur and scale as the government encourages more frugal forms of prayer in folk customs. This kind of economy is an apt realization of virtuous action that the Festival has always meant to foster. Read more

Chinese Valentine's Day

In a Chinese legend, the Sun God had seven beautiful daughters. All his fairy daughters could weave beautiful clothes.

　One day, the seven fairies came down from heaven and were playing in a river. A cowherd walked by the river. He saw that the fairies had left their beautiful clothes on the shore, so he took one of them. His plan was to stop one of the fairies from flying back to their heaven palace. He reasoned that the fairies needed to wear their beautiful clothes if they wanted to fly.

When it was time to go home, the youngest fairy could not find her clothes. The other fairies put on their clothes and flew away. The youngest fairy was very sad and she started to cry.

　The cowherd saw this and offered to take her to his house. Because the cowherd took care of the fairy so well, she fell in love with him and married him.

The Son God got so angry that he took his youngest daughter away from her husband. From then on, the fairy weaver stayed in heaven, and the cowherd stayed on earth. They could only see each other once a year on July 7th on the lunar calendar.

　The birds felt so sad for this young couple that they made a bridge for the two to walk on. The bridge is known as the ”Milky Way.” Only once a year, the couple could meet on the Milky Way. And they still love each other deeply.

　Now it is a tradition to celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day once a year on July 7th of the lunar calendar. Read more