This weekend I took a break from the Four Seasons Project in order to embrace two traditional elements of my upbringing, that being the celebration of Chinese New Year’s and President’s Day.
When I was a kid, I remember being so giddy each and every year for Chinese New Year’s (called TET in Vietnamese). Being that our family was poor, we never had many traditions or customs or things growing up (no birthday gifts or anything), but the one thing that stood out was getting that red envelope each and every year on TET. That money, which ended up being about $60-100 each year, was saved by me to spend for the entire year. Being that I didn’t really go out in middle or high school, it was sufficient enough at the time. Now that I’m an adult, I return the custom back to my parents by giving them money (as well as my nieces and nephews).
Perhaps there’s good luck in my this “Year of the Dog”, as I won $88 in scratchers from just playing three.
In summary, Chinese New Year’s or TET is celebrated mostly by eating, and going out to the Lunar New Year Festival. I hope to continue these traditions long after my legs are no longer able to walk, and long after my stomach is no longer able to process food.
As for President’s Day, it wasn’t necessarily a holiday “celebrated” growing up. I always had the day off from school, and being a teacher, I’ll continue to have that day off for the rest of my life. I never really appreciated our Presidents, and although many of them are very much flawed figures, the United States would not be the way it is today without the legacy of all of them. In loving memory, I took my parents to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in order to honor some of them, taking a picture with none other than Abe Lincoln.
My dad believes America would have won the war in Vietnam had it not been for Richard Nixon’s resignation due to Watergate. And though we’ll never know if that is ultimately true or not, I am thankful for his military service defending Vietnam from Communist forces (even though he and the country failed).
Here’s to hoping future traditions continue in honor of Lunar New Year and in honor of all our Presidents. The Four Seasons Project resumes next week with my Manager’s Retreat for Anime Expo.
