In Vietnamese tradition, when Tet comes and spring arrives, families buy peach, apricot, and kumquat trees to decorate their homes. Just seeing one of these three types of trees is enough to create a Tet atmosphere. So why do Vietnamese people often display peach, apricot, and kumquat trees during Tet?
Peach tree symbolizes prosperity and growth
Peach blossoms have long been a traditional flower that cannot be missed during the traditional Tet holiday of the Vietnamese people, especially for people in the northern region. Peach blossoms possess a vibrant beauty and carry many meanings of the Lunar New Year. Peach blossoms are considered a sacred symbol representing innovation and strong growth.
– Peach blossoms represent the five elements
The fresh and colorful beauty of peach blossoms has been regarded as the essence of the five elements of heaven and earth. The meaning of peach in feng shui is that it can help ward off evil spirits and misfortunes, thereby bringing peace and happiness to people in the new year.
– Symbol of growth and blossoming
Peach blossoms often bloom at the beginning of the spring season, the season of blooming life. The blooming peach blossoms bring hope for a better and luckier life, opening up a path to a future full of advantages.
– Symbol of harmony and unity
Peach blossoms are also a symbol of unity and loyalty. Peach blossoms carry human values that convey desires for a new year full of unity and harmony among people.
– Symbol of prosperity and well-being
The pink color of peach blossoms is seen as a color that brings luck, warmth, joy, faith, love, and hopes for a happy and peaceful new year.
When choosing a peach branch, the first thing to pay attention to is a round canopy, evenly distributed flowers (buds) all over the branch, small branches evenly spaced, not staggered or randomly distributed, and not in a straight line. The branch should be freshly cut from the tree, and it should still be fresh for strong growth. After selecting a beautiful peach branch, you should also pay attention to the feng shui placement of the peach according to the direction of the flowers and the selection of a vase. If it’s the Year of the Rat, Tiger, or Monkey, the peach vase should be placed in the West direction. If it’s the Year of the Snake, Dog, or Rabbit, the peach vase should be placed in the East direction. If it’s the Year of the Rooster, Ox, or Pig, the peach vase should be placed in the South direction. As for the Year of the Horse, Goat, or Dragon, the peach vase should be placed in the North direction.
If placing the vase in the North direction, you should choose a vase of sky blue or black color. If placing the vase in the Southeast or East direction, you should choose a vase of emerald green or green color. If placing the vase in the Southern direction, you should choose a vase of red or purple color. If placing the vase in the West or Northwest direction, you should choose a vase of yellow or white color. For the Southwest and Northeast directions, you should use a brownish-yellow vase.
Apricot tree symbolizes wealth and nobility
If peach blossoms are the symbol of Tet in the North, then apricot trees are the symbol that people in the South choose. The color of apricot represents nobility, wealth, and hope. With that meaning, every family tries to decorate their homes with blooming apricot trees, hoping to start the new year with joy, happiness, wealth, and success. There is an ancient belief that if a house has apricot trees with only seven-petal flowers, the house will be “extremely prosperous” in that year.
When choosing apricot trees for Tet decoration, apart from the appearance factors (strong roots, balanced flower buds, young or reddish leaves, moderate density, etc.), you also need to consider the space in the living room before deciding on the size of the apricot pot. Tet apricot pots should not be too big or too small to create a harmonious, balanced, and cozy atmosphere suitable for the early days of the new year.
Beautiful apricot trees often have shapes such as kneeling pose, flying crane, phoenix… with well-proportioned branches and reasonable division of branches on the tree trunk. The apricot tree should have natural black bark, no fungus spots, evenly spread flowers, strong large branches, flexible small branches, plump buds, and young leaves.
For people with the Fire element, you should place the Tet apricot pot in the South, Southeast, East, and North directions. People with the Water element should decorate their homes with apricot trees in the North, East, and Southeast directions. For those with the Wood element, the feng shui directions that bring fortune and luck are East, South, and Southeast. People with the Metal element match well with the West and Northwest directions. For those with the Earth element, the lucky directions are South, Southwest, and Northeast…
Kumquat tree symbolizes abundance and happiness
Kumquat trees during Tet are the most popular choice for their green leaves and ripe fruits. The yellow fruits of the tree represent abundance, promising a fruitful year with prosperity and vitality.
Few people know that the kumquat tree also has a significant feng shui meaning. Tet kumquat trees are among the very few types of plants that meet all five elements on Tet. Accordingly, many feng shui experts have pointed out the five-element factors present in Tet kumquat trees. In the kumquat tree, there is metal (white flowers above the green leaves), water generates wood (green leaves), wood generates fire (ripe orange fruits), and fire generates earth (soil in the pot); earth generates metal. This perspective has made people believe that by displaying kumquat trees during Tet, all good things will come to the homeowners throughout the year.
In addition, kumquat branches laden with fruits are a symbol of health, peace, longevity, and good luck in love, reflecting the unity of multiple generations in a family.
Therefore, Tet kumquat trees have become part of the common plants and flowers that every family prefers to decorate their homes every spring.
