Comments | heliopausa: Lễ but no hội

heliopausa

Lễ but no hội

Feb 09, 2020 16:02

Another New Year - the months rocket by. In fact, it's already past the first full moon of the year, which as you all know is Year of the Metal/GoldRat. Here in Hanoi things have not yet got back into full swing after the Tết break - it officially ended last Monday, but concerns about the coronavirus have kept things quiet. All government ( Read more... )

times and seasons

Comments 6

puddleshark February 9 2020, 10:18:29 UTC

This is a beautiful snapshot of time and place - thank you.

It's a shame that the traditional communal events couldn't take place, but I hope the measures the authorities have taken prove effective.

heliopausa February 10 2020, 07:51:57 UTC

Thank you. :)
Me too, about hoping they prove effective. You must know the story of the plague village in the sixteenth century, which self-isolated to ensure the plague didn't spread further? A story I find really moving. (I think it was barbarously mistreated in a novel a few years back?) Anyway - it's that sort of heroism that's needed now - and giving up local festivals is the same thing, in a very minor way.

asakiyume February 9 2020, 11:51:18 UTC

I like your joke ^_^ Humor soothes the soul when people are worried. [ETA: I got it backward--it was the joke of the man you were talking to. Still! It was good ( ... )

heliopausa February 10 2020, 08:03:37 UTC

Certainly not an evil spirit! :) It'll ebb, and I hope has already passed peak in terms on new cases. With the decline of antibiotics (not useful for a virus anyway, of course) we all need to return to more scrupulous hand-washing and so on, just for "ordinary" colds and flu.

That's interesting, about Singapore university moving to e-classrooms - some schools here are doing the same:
https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/591980/millions-of-kids-find-creative-ways-to-keep-busy-during-coronavirus-break.html

I think I liked the temple-man's joke because I understood it! :D My language skills are still very poor - only just up to mild conversational level - so a joke is a tiny step up!
Thanks for your good wishes.

autumnia February 10 2020, 14:32:38 UTC

Happy New Year to you too ( ... )

heliopausa February 11 2020, 03:26:06 UTC

We had rain at our community temple at New Year's too - rain earlier in the night, but not actually raining at midnight, which is the moment that counts. :) (People keep coming for all the days following, of course ( ... )