TALKSHOW “REMEMBERING TET OF OLD, REFLECTING ON TET TODAY” – MOST VENERABLE THÍCH BẢO NGHIÊM AND MERITORIOUS ARTIST ĐỖ KỶ

Spring is knocking at the door, bringing with it the shape of Tet to every household. Hearts are filled with excitement, eagerly awaiting the joys of the New Year. Watching today’s bustling, festive Tet, one cannot help but recall the Tet of old — simple, yet always warm and joyful. What was Tet like 50 or 60 years ago? And what has changed about Tet today?

Join Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm and Meritorious Artist Đỗ Kỷ as they travel back in time, following a stream of memories to revisit the Tet of old and reflect on the flavor of Tet today, in the talkshow “Remembering Tet of Old, Reflecting on Tet Today”. Diệu Tướng Am is deeply honored to have supported the production and served as the filming location for the program.

Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm – Vice Chairman of the Executive Council, Head of the Central Dharma Propagation Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and Head of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Committee of Hanoi City.

Under the graceful guidance of Meritorious Artist Đỗ Kỷ, the talkshow “Remembering Tet of Old, Reflecting on Tet Today” unfolded as a gentle exchange about the beauty of Tet, shared by Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm. Coming to the talkshow, the Venerable brought along incense powder he had made with his own hands, as a way of introducing this indispensable traditional cultural beauty of the Vietnamese New Year. Tet culture is inseparable from the scent of incense — to smell it is to feel one’s heart warmed, to sense that Tet has truly drawn near.

Amid the cultural, artistic, and spiritual atmosphere of Diệu Tướng Am, the stories about Tet grew even more heartfelt, filling everyone present with the joyful feeling that Tet had already arrived.

Meritorious Artist Đỗ Kỷ

The folk tradition has always carried wishes for good fortune in the first days of the year. When Tet arrives, every household gathers to redecorate their homes and gardens and to carry out traditional rites. Touching on this theme, Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm shared about the preparations for Tet at temples in the past and today, along with the cultural customs of monastic life — from the betel-and-areca custom of “A piece of betel opens the conversation” to the ritual of inviting the ancestors as the old year draws to a close and the new year begins.

The Venerable shared stories about how decorating for Tet — whether at a temple or in a private home — is carried out with equal reverence, the only difference being that within the monastic gates, spring is the spring of Maitreya, always bearing a joyful smile and wishes of good health and peace of mind for one another. He also spoke about the practices that monks and nuns, in both the past and the present, customarily observe at the moment of transition into the New Year.

The choice of the first visitor to enter one’s home in the new year is also a long-standing folk custom. In the past, village temples in certain localities often followed this practice of selecting the first visitor as well. Discussing this custom, Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm offered meaningful answers for the Buddhist followers who were curious about it.

For the Vietnamese people, the saying “The first day of Tet is for the father, the second for the mother, the third for the teacher” marks three important observances during the three days of the Lunar New Year, reminding each person of the tradition of remembering one’s roots while drinking from the stream. Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm expounded on the spirit of “Filial piety comes first”, explaining that whether one is a monastic, a layperson, or someone without religious faith, the three days of Tet are always a time to honor one’s parents and one’s respected teachers.

The stories and memories of Tet from days past, shared by Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm on this first day of the New Year, helped to rekindle age-old values, awakening in each listener a deeper sense of gratitude and remembrance with every passing Tet and Spring. The Buddhist followers attending the talkshow expressed their joy at hearing such memorable reflections and teachings on the meaning of Tet within the monastic tradition.

At the close of the program, Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm praised Diệu Tướng Am for its meticulous preparation and thoughtful decoration of the altar space for Tet, which created a feeling that was both sacred and warmly welcoming.

The program will be broadcast at the earliest opportunity. We warmly invite everyone to follow the Diệu Tướng Am fanpage to watch together.