Hanoi Flower Market

I read in the literature of the Tu Luc Van Doan group that they wrote that the hobby of playing with flowers and ornamental plants during Tet had been popular in Hanoi since the early years of the 20th century. The Tet flower market in Hanoi was first held at Cau Dong market, then moved to the area from the beginning of Hang Chao street to Hang Cot street, and later spread all the way to Hoan Kiem lake.

Hanoi flower market is held from the morning of December 23 to New Year's Eve. Flowers and ornamental plants are grown in villages along West Lake such as Ngoc Ha, Nghi Tam, Nhat Tan, Yen Phu, etc., and when Tet approaches, they compete to gather in the inner city.

Hanoi's Tet flowers are mainly peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, roses, peonies, azaleas, dahlias, and kumquats... However, the four most popular ornamental flowers for display during Tet are peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, narcissus, and kumquats.

Almost every house in Hanoi “buys” a peach blossom branch to display in the living room during Tet. There are bright peach blossoms and pale peach blossoms, but the important thing is to know how to choose a peach blossom branch with a beautiful shape, many buds, and to know how to “hold back” the flowers so they bloom on time for Tet and fully bloom throughout the spring days.

Some people also like to display chrysanthemums. These are flowers grown in pots, which can be displayed in front of the door or in the living room depending on the homeowner's preferences and aesthetics. According to Chinese beliefs, chrysanthemums are a symbol of autumn, so the ninth month of autumn, in ancient Chinese books, is called chrysanthemum month. But for Vietnamese people, chrysanthemums symbolize nobility and modesty, so Confucian scholars in the past often chose chrysanthemums to display in their study rooms. For many others, chrysanthemums have many layers and petals, symbolizing reunion, so they choose chrysanthemums to celebrate Tet with the wish for family reunion.

The Chinese have a custom of giving each other large tangerines during the Lunar New Year, because in Chinese characters, a large tangerine is written as 大橘 (big tangerine), pronounced as daju in Chinese, which is similar to 大吉 (great luck), or daji, which means “great luck”. Perhaps this has somewhat influenced the Vietnamese people’s hobby of playing with tangerines during the New Year. However, for the Vietnamese, a tangerine tree full of ripe yellow fruits displayed in the living room is a symbol of fortune. That is what they wish for in the new year.

However, narcissus is the most luxurious flower in the Tet flower hobby of Hanoians. From the beginning of December, narcissus connoisseurs have come to Hang Buom Street to buy narcissus bulbs, trim them, soak them in transparent crystal vases, and then wait anxiously until the morning of the first day of Tet to admire the pure white flower clusters, the gentle fragrance gently spreading in the cozy space of the old house in the old town. Playing with narcissus is an elegant hobby, a sophisticated art of flower appreciation, requiring the player to know the secret of soaking, pruning and trimming to have a satisfactory narcissus pot to welcome spring.

Heritage Magazine