Читать книгу Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories - Phuoc Thi Minh Tran - Страница 9

Introduction

In Vietnam no Lunar New Year celebration (or Tet Nguyen Dan) can begin without a yellow Mai flower tree in the garden, or full blossoming branches of bright yellow Mai flowers in the house. The Mai flower represents good luck, happiness, and prosperity, and wards off evil spirits for the whole year. During the last days of Tet, every house is given a thorough cleaning, but it is important not to sweep away trash and the remains of burned firecrackers on the three New Year days, because to do so would also be to sweep away good luck and the hope of financial prosperity in the coming year. The broom itself is treated as a member of the family—never tossed aside or placed on the ground.

Why are such traditions so strong and enduring? I believe it is because the stories that explain traditions and beliefs have tremendous power to stir the imagination and touch the heart in ways that last forever. Our stories about our gods, heroes (both the mighty and the simple) and practices are a deep-seated part of who and what we are.

As a librarian and storyteller, I have been privileged to bring to life, for listeners of all ages, fascinating tales and legends from around the world. The Vietnamese legends and folktales presented in this book are some that are most dear to my heart. Some reflect our humorous way of explaining the ways of nature while others extol the virtues of the heroes of our legends. All of them paint a picture of a world that values the five great virtues: Nhan (Compassion), Le (Rituals), Nghia (Righteousness), Tri (Wisdom), and Tin (Trust).

It was through oral stories that my parents taught my siblings and me how to value virtue and live honorable lives. It was through traditional folktales that our grandparents taught us the morals we strive to apply and pass down to the younger generation.

Today, with so many Vietnamese-born forced to live so far from their native home, I use Vietnamese legends and folktales to help Vietnamese children learn about the land of their ancestors, its people, culture, and values. These stories connect them to a part of themselves that is indelible regardless of where they were born and how many generations removed they are from the land of their forebears. The fact that children of many backgrounds listen to and love these stories says much about the basic kinship we all share.

America is a land made of many immigrant families. While the first generation has a strong connection to their heritage, the language and culture gap between generations can all too easily widen over time. It is my hope that these stories—and the stories of all peoples—will foster bonds between generations and become a vehicle for bridging gaps between cultures as well.

—Tran Thi Minh Phuoc