Vietnamese New Year

"Chúc mừng năm mới" - Happy New Year!

I went to the Vietnamese New Year Celebration today at the International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org) with my good friend and visited with fellow teachers, community leaders and students. We ate yummy Vietnamese food and learned that many members of the Vietnamese Community became citizens of the United States last year. This is such great news. Now they can vote, hold a U.S. passport and apply for government jobs.

I brought red envelopes with money inside for the children, some who were dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing. (You can find these at House of Rice Store in Scottsdale - www.houserice.com or they also sell them all over Chinatown if you are in San Francisco.) It is traditional, according to wikipedia, "Children receive a red envelope containing money from their elders. This tradition is called mừng tuổi (happy new age) in the north and lì xì in the south."

There was music, singing, speeches, a raffle and the instructors were given a poster with Vietnamese artwork in commemoration of the Vietnamese New Year.

I'm so happy to be an honorary member of the Vietnamese community in Phoenix.

"Chúc mừng năm mới" or, as we know it - Happy New Year!