The Dong Xuan Trade Centre in Berlin is at its seasonally bustling best as the city’s Vietnamese community readies for Lunar New Year celebrations.
The centre’s kiosks offer traditional Tet delicacies such as Banh Chung (savoury cakes made from sticky rice, green beans, and pork), confectionary, charcuterie, and the raw ingredients used in homemade festive favourites.
Elderly couple Nguyen Ky Son and Pham Thanh Ha, who have lived in Germany for almost 30 years, were choosing their holiday foods.
Although the temptation to relax and enjoy the celebrations is often intense, the couple find the pre-Tet atmosphere enough to inspire continuing the laborious tradition of homemade Banh Chung.
“We also cook chicken, sticky rice, spring rolls, and bamboo shoot soup,” Son said.
He prepares the special New Year’s Eve meal for all of his children, nieces, and nephews in Germany.
“I want my younger relatives to remember their roots, to understand more about our ancestors’ traditions,” he stressed.
Nguyen Van Ngoc, born in Nghe An province, has lived in Germany for six years and currently works at the Dong Xuan Trade Centre as a stallholder.
“I could not have been able to return to Vietnam for the Tet holiday for the past six years,” he confided. “I phone my wife and children every day but my homesickness during Tet is unbearable.”
Many other Vietnamese working at the centre have endured years of Tet away from their loved ones.
Tran Anh Hung, also born in Nghe An, says, “When Tet arrives we surrender to nostalgia. We console each other by sharing our business ambitions and hopes of returning back home.”
The Dong Xuan Trade Centre and its surrounding Vietnamese community organise a grand Tet party for the wistful workers.
Tet is the time for remembering one’s ancestors and reuniting with one’s family. Distance has not weakened the Vietnamese community in Germany’s desire to celebrate the festival wholeheartedly and perpetuate its traditional cultural significance.
