Hanoi (VNA) - As the most importantevent of the year in Vietnam, Tet (Lunar New Year) offers many traditional customs, includingcalligraphy.

Calligraphy expresses the Vietnamese people’srespect for knowledge. Before Tet, people receive calligraphic works in Vietnamese, Chinese and Han-Nom(Chinese Han and Vietnamese Nom ideographic) scripts from elderly scholars. Thescripts are written on beautiful do (poohnah) paper and become symbols of good fortune.

“Receiving and giving calligraphic works havebecome a fine tradition of the Vietnamese people,” said Le Xuan Kieu, Directorof the Centre for Scientific andCultural Activities of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, where the Spring CalligraphyFestival is hosted annually.

The centre has cooperated with the HanoiDepartment of Culture and Sports to organise the festival at Van (Literature)Lake beside the Temple of Literature from January 29 to February 17.

There are 60 booths designed as bamboo hutswhere scholars perform the art of writing, and children can come to enjoytraditional games and painting.

A traditional handicrafts fair will also be heldto showcase products made from silk, lacquer, pottery, rattan and ornamentalplants.

During the festival, visitors will enjoytraditional music such as love duets, hat xoan (Phu Tho’s spring singing), cheo (traditional opera) and ca tru (ceremonial singing). At night, people canrelease lotus lanterns to pray for good fortune.

Visitors will also join a culinary experienceand learn how to make banh chung (square sticky rice cake), an integral part of the Tet feast.

To offer foreignvisitors a glimpse of Tet, the Hanoi Daewoo Hotel has turned partof its lobby into a special space featuring chung cakes, peachblossoms, trays of “five natural element” fruits, red parallel sentences andcalligraphy – the images that symbolise the traditional festival. Visiting thecorner, guests will have a chance to talk with calligrapher Thanh Long to leanabout the traditional custom.

Similar events to highlight the immortal valueof calligraphy will take place in HCM City. Residents and visitors are alreadyenjoying shopping and taking photos at calligraphy markets which have openedtwo weeks before Tet.

The colourful calligraphy market at the YouthCultural House is always crowded with visitors taking lots of photos. 

More than 50 calligraphers are taking part inthe event. They are all members of calligraphy clubs in the city andneighbouring provinces.

The calligraphers, dressed in ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress), includemen and women of varying ages selling calligraphy in black and yellow ink onred paper.

They sit on mats arranged in an oval shapesymbolising peace, similar to calligraphy markets in the past.

The market is decorated with mai (ochna) and đào (peach blossom) trees set up along Pham NgocThach street and inside the Youth Cultural House.

Nguyen Thi Huong, a 56-year-old living in BinhThanh district, said: “I often visit to look for calligraphy works at themarket in hopes of bringing happiness, success, wealth and health to myfamily.”

“This year, I came with my daughter andgranddaughter to shop and take photos. We want to keep these nice memories,”she added.

Apart from mai and dao trees,the market has a nostalgic background with old furniture and television sets,bringing back memories of Sai Gon in the 1950s.

Vo Minh Tram, a student at the HCM City Universityof Architecture, said: “As our tradition, my friends and I wear ao dai to take photos at the calligraphy market.This year, with a new background, we hope to have more nice photos for Tet.”

Another calligraphy market located at the LabourCultural House in district 1 features nearly 30 artists. Most of them aremembers of the cultural house’s Vietnamese Calligraphy Club and some arestudents from the city’s universities.

Duong Hai Au, a member of the club, said:“Thanks to the good response, we organise a calligraphy market every yearduring Tet. I’m happy to introduce my calligraphy works to people to wish thema happy New Year.”

Each calligraphy piece is priced from 20,000 to 200,000VND (0.8-8.6 USD), depending on the craftsmanship, size and materials. Largerworks cost 500,000 VND (21.5 USD) or more.

The calligraphers are also taking requests fromvisitors for words to write on red lucky money envelopes. The envelopes costfrom 30,000 VND (1.3 USD) for a set of five.

The lucky money envelopes and small calligraphyworks are hung on mai trees to wish forluck, happiness and prosperity.

The markets at the Youth Cultural House andLabour Cultural House will remain open until February 4 (Lunar New Year’s Eve).-VNA