Ấn Hoa • Legacy of Craft by Hity • A journey to recreate the heritage of traditional crafts
Cultural identity. The connection between Geography, History, and People.
The yellow apricot blossom is not exclusive to Vietnam; it grows throughout Southeast Asia. But transforming a wild plant into a cherished companion, a symbol of the passage of time, and imbuing it with New Year's wishes—that is the unique cultural talent of the Vietnamese people in this new land.
" Why is the flower associated with Tet in Central and Southern Vietnam the apricot blossom, and not the peach blossom?" - It's not just a matter of preference. It's a choice made by migration history, the climate, and by people who learned to adapt and survive in a land with more sunshine than cold, and more rain than snow."
Southern sunshine and wind
I grew up in a sunny land. The sun here isn't harsh like in the desert, nor gentle like in temperate climates, but a warm, tropical sun, with seasons, winds, and late-year rains. It is this harsh yet forgiving nature that has shaped the apricot blossom tree. Apricot blossoms dislike biting cold, their roots fear waterlogging, and their trunks need abundant sunshine to develop buds. Therefore, as a matter of course, apricot blossoms have chosen Central and Southern Vietnam as their home.
The yellow of the apricot blossoms isn't a blazing, dazzling yellow. Its hue is the yellow of early morning sunlight, the yellow of dry straw, the yellow of old silk. It's a "well-behaved" color, not confrontational, but imbued with the warmth of the tropics. Under tropical light, this color isn't blinding but rather blends in, becoming warmer the longer you look at it. The strong diffused light and high humidity of this region give the flower's color a unique "softness." The apricot blossom has become a visual symbol of this land – not sharp, not confrontational. Looking at the apricot blossoms, you see beauty in its enduring, unpretentious nature.
Yellow apricot blossoms – a flower that blooms from the essence of the land, from the journey of those who pioneered the land.
Yellow apricot blossoms don't just bloom for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). When our ancestors migrated south to expand the territory from the 17th century, yellow apricot blossoms gradually replaced pink peach blossoms in the Tet spirit. In the past, people cultivated apricot blossoms by appreciating the weather. They would strip the leaves early or late, observe the evening clouds at the end of the year, predict the wind, and recall past seasons. Caring for an apricot tree was a lesson in living slowly in harmony with nature. They didn't force the flowers to bloom, but followed the natural rhythm, allowing the blossoms to open at the right time. It's a very Southern philosophy of life: following nature brings peace, going against nature brings consequences.
Therefore, when we display a branch of apricot blossoms during Tet, it's not just a habit or a display of beauty. It's a memory of a land with more sunshine than cold, more rain than snow, where people learned to be gentle in order to survive.
Climate dictated aesthetics even before consciousness.
Hoang Mai • Geography • History • People
The yellow apricot blossom (Ochna integerrima) began to enter history and culture most clearly in connection with the southward expansion and the Nguyen dynasty.
The book "Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi" (by Trinh Hoai Duc - Nguyen Dynasty) is the most important document affirming the status of the yellow apricot blossom. Trinh Hoai Duc describes that under the shade of the imperial citadel or in the countryside of old Gia Dinh, there were many yellow apricot blossoms growing wild in the forests. He recorded people cutting down apricot trees for firewood or for Tet (Lunar New Year) decorations. This proves that the yellow apricot blossom was a native species, closely associated with the simple life of migrants before being elevated to the status of a symbol.
From the ancient pages of the Nguyen Dynasty, the apricot blossom has been present as an old friend in Hue and Gia Dinh. Unlike the proud and elegant peony of the North, the apricot blossom is more approachable and resilient. It blooms after a long rainy season, when the soil has just dried and the northeast monsoon winds begin to stir. A very Southern Vietnamese cycle: enduring, quietly waiting, then bursting into brilliance at the right time. Looking at the apricot blossom, one understands why people in this sunny land value simplicity more than ostentatious display.
From sparse forest to cultural icon
Biologically, the yellow jasmine tree (scientific name: Ochna integerrima) is a tropical tree species native to Southeast Asia, with a natural distribution in:
- Vietnam: from Quang Binh southward.
- Thailand: known as Mickey Mouse (because the calyx, when the petals fall off and the seeds ripen, resemble Mickey Mouse) or Kamlang Chang San, it is the symbolic flower of Mukdahan province.
- Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar: grows wild in deciduous forests (khop forests).
- Southern China: some areas bordering Vietnam.
The Vietnamese have a unique innovation for the apricot blossom: the "leaf-stripping" technique. Only the Vietnamese have studied the apricot tree's biological rhythms so deeply that they know how to intervene (remove leaves) to force it to bloom precisely on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year). Other countries usually let it bloom naturally according to the season. In Thailand or Laos, they consider it a beautiful flower, which can be used for medicine or as an ornamental plant in gardens, but it is not associated with New Year's rituals or life philosophies (such as patience, luck, and family reunion) as the Vietnamese do.
Ultimately, the apricot blossom is history written in the climate. And we, the children of this land, continue to read it every spring.
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