Preparing for Lunar New Year.
Traditionally, Vietnamese people visit their elders on the Lunar New Year to wish them well and receive blessings in return. Also, traditionally, Vietnamese families set out offerings to their ancestors in their homes to invite blessings for their families. These two obligations are all well and good, and doable, when everyone lives in the same small village, but that hasn't been the case in our family (in many families) in decades.
So this weekend we undertook the first of the multi-part modern approach our family has embraced: We went to visit my great-aunts and all of the cousins in Northern Virginia. So much catching up, so much good eating!
And some nice immersion into the festive Tết spirit with shopping for the Kitchen god's send-off coming up, ...
...and just regular advance meal prep for the near term.
There's just something comforting about being in a place where so many people share your cultural touch points. I wish for people all across the world at least one such safe space.
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