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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Sep 22, 2023
By Ms. Anh Thu
Overview
Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet is a beautiful and long-standing cultural feature of the Vietnamese people. Vietnamese people have a long tradition of studiousness, and calligraphy comes from the studious tradition of the Vietnamese people. For all Vietnamese people, calligraphy is a beauty and an indispensable custom to bring luck, health, and peace to the family. If you want to know more about Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy, this post will yield a giant insight into this one-of-a-kind traditional work, read on!
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, also known as Tet Nguyen Dan, is a significant festival in Vietnamese culture, marking the beginning of the lunar calendar. It symbolizes love, hope, family, and friend kinship, and promises a better year ahead. The festival usually arrives around late January or early February and is the time for Vietnamese family reunions. Traditional customs include honoring ancestors' spirits, visiting relatives and friends, and giving lucky money, or "Li Xi," to children and elders. Understanding these customs is crucial for visitors to fully appreciate the significance of the Vietnamese New Year. In addition to giving Li Xi, the tradition of giving Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet is also popular among Vietnamese people. These are considered to be priceless gifts for a new happy year.
In Vietnamese calligraphy, Thu means script, while Phap has a meaning as rule, so basically, Thu Phap is translated into "the rule of writing." Over time, it has evolved from a rule to an art, focusing on enhancing the beauty of every character in writing. Vietnamese traditional calligraphy involves the artist incorporating their soul and feelings into the piece, ensuring each character looks beautiful, rather than simply jotting down words. Traditionally, Vietnamese calligraphy is versatile and can be utilized for various purposes such as writing poems, creating festive banners, and creating signage.
Vietnamese calligraphers use brushes and black ink, unlike the Western calligraphy style that employs various tools for accurate letter proportions, to capture the hidden beauty of philosophy. Vietnamese calligraphy is divided into three categories: a popular street-based form, a professional form with horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences at religious, historical, and cultural sites, and a new form for exhibition as Vietnam integrates into the world. Calligraphy is written in Chinese characters and the Vietnamese logographic system, Nom, and showcases the creativity of the people, featuring folk verses, proverbs, and poems.
Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet, a significant part of Vietnamese culture, originated from writing and has a significant impact on the country's socio-economic landscape. It was introduced alongside the introduction of Chinese characters, and Vietnamese people have developed unique styles. During the feudal system in Vietnam, literature and scholars were highly respected, and receiving a sample of their handwriting was an honor. It was also considered an object of luck at the start of a new year, making scholars' calligraphy highly appreciated. Calligraphy is passed down through generations, reflecting the writer's style, education, personality, and ideology. It can be written on various materials and is a combination of handwriting and painting, creating unique artwork.
Vietnam's ancestors used Han and Nom characters as official writing scripts, valuing studiousness and knowledge. Mastering beautiful handwriting was an essential criterion for academic success, and scholars who mastered this ability were famous throughout the country. Tet is a golden opportunity for people to visit scholars and ask for parallel sentences, believed to bring their erudition and luck to their homes and children. People may want specific characters to lay their wishes and dreams for the new year, such as Phuc (Happiness), Loc (Wealth), Tho (to be long-lived), Duc (Virtue), Tri (Knowledge), or Tai (Talent). These characters are hung on walls as reminders for people to strive in that year. Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet is even more profound and subtle when connotative characters are combined to form different meanings. For example, "Phuc" often goes with "Duc" to form the term "Phuc Duc," as in Vietnamese, Phuc is happiness derived from generous or charity actions.
Calligraphy has gained popularity in recent years, appearing on greeting cards, calendars, and decorations during the Lunar New Year Festival. Calligraphy clubs have attracted young people, as it can be understood as reading old administrative documents. It has been a Vietnamese tradition to have calligraphers write special Chinese characters for the Lunar New Year. Calligraphers like Nguyen Thanh Tung argue that calligraphy is like an artwork, reflecting the writer's soul and their knowledge of literature, language, and architecture. During Tet, in addition to giving Li Xi, the tradition of giving Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet is also popular among Vietnamese people. These are considered to be priceless gifts for a new happy year.
Vietnamese calligraphy has been forgotten due to the collapse of the feudal system and two wars against French and American invaders. The modern Vietnamese script, rooted in Latin characters, replaced Han and Nom scripts, leading to the disregard of old writing styles and calligraphy hanging. However, Vietnamese Traditional Calligraphy During Tet has remained and flourished until the modernized era. This demonstrates that Vietnamese traditional calligraphy has played an integral part in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. Traditional houses in Vietnam feature parallel sentences, laudatory writings, and horizontal lacquered boards, reflecting the country's traditions. Poet Phan Ngoc believes that the script is a symbol of Vietnamese culture, as it has been engraved into people's hearts and is a part of Vietnam's soul. For the Lunar New Year, visitors can visit calligraphers in Hanoi and choose their preferred script.
With its unique beauty, long-standing traditional value, and portable shape, Vietnamese calligraphy tends to be a suitable and priceless souvenir for your trip to Vietnam. A calligraphy work with a frame is a great gift though it is hard to bring along, so consider when you buy this.
Gallery Thư Pháp Chữ Việt
Address: 68/13 Ut Tich, Ward 4, Tan Binh, City. HCM
Phone: 0909 766 525
Opening hours: 9:00 - 17:00
Reference price: 200,000 - 7,000,000 VND
Thư pháp Gia Nguyễn
Address: 98 Tran Ke Xuong, Ward 7, Phu Nhuan, City. HCM
Phone: 0903 383 017
Opening hours: 9:00 - 19:00
Reference price: 200,000 - 10,000,000 VND
Showroom Mỹ Nghệ Việt
Address: 212 Bui Ta Han, An Phu, Thu Duc, City. HCM
Phone: 0903 309 989 & 0903 754 715 & 0902 409 089
Opening hours: 8:00 - 19:00
Reference price: 200,000 - 7,000,000
Viet.Art
Address: N4D Trung Hoa Building, Nhan Chinh, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi
Phone number: 0977 773822
Thư Pháp Ngọc Đình
Address: No. 5 Alley 97/31 Hoa Tham Street, Doc Lap - La Phu - Hoai Duc, Hanoi
Phone number: 0915 86 99 66 – 0972 472 186
Does Vietnam use calligraphy?
Yes, it does. Calligraphy has become a significant aspect of Vietnamese culture and a way of life for many.
What is Vietnamese calligraphy called?
Vietnamese calligraphy, known as "Thu Phap," is a form of writing that involves the artist incorporating their soul and feelings into the piece, ensuring that each character looks beautiful, rather than simply jotting down words.
Is Vietnamese writing the same as Chinese?
No. It is not. Traditional calligraphy uses chữ Nôm, not Chinese words. Chữ Nôm is the Vietnamese language's logographic writing system, based on the Chinese writing system but adding numerous new characters.
What is Vietnamese calligraphy used for?
Vietnamese calligraphy is a versatile art form that can be utilized for various purposes such as writing poems, creating festive banners, and creating signage.
