tet

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Tết/Đã bắt đầu trông như Tết rồi

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , ,

Here's my latest song inspired by It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas. (I uploaded another version last year.) The Vietnamese version is below. Thanks to các cháu Thảo, Thanh và Duyên for their help! Reaching New Heights together!  😉 Enjoy! Peace, MAA It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Tet It's beginning to look a lot like TetEverywhere you … Continue reading It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Tết/Đã bắt đầu trông như Tết rồi

Season’s Greetings from Vietnam!

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , ,

For your reading pleasure, here's the English version of a December 2021 article I wrote about Christmas as the kickoff to a long holiday season that culminates in Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration: Christmas in Vietnam: bookending a long festival season. Even though most Vietnamese identify as Buddhists, Christmas has become a popular secular holiday in recent years, which is why … Continue reading Season’s Greetings from Vietnam!

Tết: Climax of a Long Holiday Season

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , ,

Happy Year of the Cat! Below is the English version of my latest essay for VNExpress Kỳ nghỉ siêu dài, published on 22.1.23, Lunar New Year's Day. It's a continuation and elaboration of this 12-21 article for VNExpress International about Christmas as the beginning of a long holiday season in Vietnam. Shalom (שלום), MAA One of … Continue reading Tết: Climax of a Long Holiday Season

Christmas in Vietnam: bookending a long festival season

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , , ,

Here's my latest essay for VNExpress International. Even though the percentage of Vietnamese who celebrate December 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ is in the single digits, Christmas has evolved into a full-fledged secular holiday in recent years. A sure sign Christmas is approaching is when elaborate and colorful holiday displays at banks and … Continue reading Christmas in Vietnam: bookending a long festival season

Chinese vs. Lunar New Year: A Mini-Lesson in Cultural Sensitivity

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , , ,

Image courtesy of Báo giao thông Since it's that time of year again and the Lunar Year of the Rat is right around the corner, I feel compelled to state the obvious. With all due respect to China, it does not have a monopoly on this or any other Lunar New Year. Tết Nguyên Đán … Continue reading Chinese vs. Lunar New Year: A Mini-Lesson in Cultural Sensitivity