In the early days of the year, amidst the stream of spring travelers, the image of calligraphers sitting next to ink and red paper still appears in many street corners and cultural spaces. Although society has changed, the custom of asking for calligraphy at the beginning of the year is still maintained as a way for Vietnamese people to seek peace and a good start to the new year.
No longer limited to Confucian students in ao dai and khăn xếp as before, today's Ong Do can be a researcher of Han Nom, a calligraphy teacher, or even a young person who understands traditional characters. But the common point is that giving letters is not simply writing beautiful characters, but sending a wish, a New Year's wish.
Words are not just for hanging, but to remind me to live slowly
People asking for calligraphy today are also different. Besides familiar characters such as "Phuc", "Loc", "An", "Tam", many young people choose characters associated with spiritual life: "Binh", "Nhan", "Tinh", "Thuan". Some people ask for calligraphy to hang in the house, some people ask to remind themselves about how to live their wishes in the new year.
A short exchange with the calligrapher before writing becomes an indispensable part. The calligrapher asks for calligraphy about work, family, wishes, and the calligrapher chooses the appropriate stroke and composition. That moment makes asking for calligraphy no longer formalistic, but becomes a short spiritual dialogue at the beginning of the year.
Old customs in new space
If in the past, asking for calligraphy was associated with village gates, communal houses, and pagodas, now this custom appears in pedestrian streets, cultural centers, spring festivals, and even in the space of cafes and libraries. That shift shows that asking for calligraphy is not disappearing, but is adapting to urban life.
Many families take their young children to ask for calligraphy as a traditional introduction. Children may not fully understand the meaning of writing, but witnessing the respect for calligraphy, the patience of the writer, that is already a lesson at the beginning of the year.
Asking for calligraphy at the beginning of the year and changes in how to preserve customs
A noteworthy point of today's calligraphy asking custom is the voluntariness. No longer the pressure of "asking for calligraphy at the beginning of the year for show", people who come to calligraphy masters often carry a very personal need: hoping for peace, reminding themselves of a lifestyle, or simply finding a meaningful beginning. Some people keep the custom, some do not, but it is this personal choice that makes calligraphy asking more persistent in modern life.
The pace of life is increasingly hurried, the moment of asking for calligraphy at the beginning of the year creates a rare moment of slowness. The calligrapher stands waiting in silence, watching each stroke of pen, listening to the faint smell of ink spreading in the air. Time seems to be stretched out, enough for people to temporarily leave their daily busyness and spend a few minutes for their own reflection.
Asking for calligraphy from Ong Do today is no longer closely associated with exams or social status as in the past. But the core value of this custom is still maintained: respect for calligraphy, knowledge and good deeds. When calligraphy is asked not to be displayed, but to be reflected and reminded, that custom naturally finds a place in new life.
In the bustling streets of Tet, a red piece of paper with a few lines of black ink is not just a symbolic New Year's gift. It is a gentle reminder that, before quickly entering the cycle of the new year, people still need a moment to stop to write a word for themselves, and start the new year with slowness and more sobriety.
In the bustling streets of Tet, a red piece of paper with a few black letters is not just a New Year's gift. It is a gentle reminder of the beginning that before quickly entering the new year, people still need a moment to stop, to write and live slower.
