Holidays+&+Festivals

 ** HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS ** Have you heard of the Vietnamese legend of Chu Cuoi? Well, it’s quite a special, original story. Let me tell you - Long ago, there lived a poor man named Chu Cuoi, which in Vietnamese means Uncle Cuoi. So, one day, he was chopping wood in the forest when he saw some tiger cubs around something. Not wanting to be seen, he hid in the bushes and watched curiously. Then, the mother tigress came, and all the cubs sat down and watched their mother look at the injured baby cub. She came to special tree, plucked a leaf, and chewed it, before putting it on the wound. Astounded, Chu Cuoi watched as the cub healed, and rose from the dead, standing again, and joined the mother and brothers, wandering back into the forest. Immediately, Chu Cuoi rushed out, and carried the tree - with it’s roots out - back to his home. On his journey, he saw a dying old man. He plucked a leaf from the tree and put it in the old man’s mouth. he chewed it, and after a small time he rose up, as healthy as a 50 year old man. One day, the emperor's daughter had been poisoned, and the emperor offered a reward to the person who could cure her. Chu Cuoi was invited to the palace, and placed a leaf in her mouth. She rose up, and looked healthy. The emperor was delighted, and told Chu Cuoi that his reward was to marry his daughter. They married.

Soon after, the princess was washing clothes, and was about to water the tree. Chu Cuoi was setting out, and told the princess. “Don’t water the tree with dirty water okay?” She nodded, and Chu Cuoi left. After some time, she forgot what her husband said, and looked at the dirty water pitifully. I should water the tree with this! Not to waste water! she thought, and she tossed the water into the tree’s roots. Instantly, the tree shivered, and just then as Chu Cuoi was coming back from the forest, he saw the tree flying, so he clutched on to the roots. The tree flew to the moon and landed there, and Cuoi had no way back, so he sits under the tree to this day. And that’s the legend of Chu Cuoi. Tet is the new year. It’s like the much celebrated Chinese New Year, and is usually celebrated with fireworks. It is celebrated in the 15th of August. it relates to the legend of Chu Cuoi as told before. We raise our lanterns to Chu Cuoi and celebrate it with him. People in Vietnam also like to eat moon-cake. People in Vietnam decorate Christmas trees before Christmas. In the streets they hang stars and lights, and people like to give each other presents.
 * What are the main festivals? **
 * Tet: **
 * Moon Festival: **
 * Christmas **

Written by: Jacqueline