One of the few Vietnamese traditions I enjoyed celebrating growing up was Chinese New Year, called “Tet” in Vietnamese. It was such a marvel getting red envelopes filled with money from family members – especially since I didn’t have an allowance or much money growing up. That money was to last me the entire year, and I would have to sparingly use it in order to be able to be self sufficient since we were poor. Not like I had much a social life growing up anyway, so it was mostly a non-issue.
As an adult, Chinese New Year is a little less exciting, mostly because the adrenaline of getting money isn’t so great anymore. As you get older, it become more about giving, and seeing as the amount of nieces and nephews I’ve had over the year continues to grow, that amount of giving will continue to grow.
If I ever have students again in the future, I wouldn’t mind giving them some red envelopes with $2 bill inside in the future as well.
I hope I can continue to spread the joy of “Tet” in the future to my parents, my nieces, and my loved ones. Happy New Year to the believers and non-believers.
