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the 26th day of the last month of the lunar new year.

spring has finally arrived. in all of the coffee shops you can hear songs officially decreeing it’s coming and we are all appreciative. the songs are numerous and everyone is excited.

however, it doesn’t feel like spring has arrived. the weather used to be hot, but bearable. there were a few days in the ‘winter’ where i felt as if i could shiver if i was drenched in cold water and held naked in front of a breeze. since then, the sun has been shining brighter and we all wear hats and sweat whenever possible. the temperature has been consistently climbing.

it doesn’t feel like spring back home where we finally all awake from our deep, winter slumber and find ourselves in a new and beautiful season. the grass is green, the trees are in bloom and everything is wonderful. even the air smells fresher.

however, the importance of spring coming here is different from america. sure, when i ask people if they notice a change in the seasons they will throw back their heads, think for a while and mention something about a slight temperature change or humidity alteration, but spring is really a time to welcome the lunar new year.

this spring, as all springs before, there is a beautiful ‘spring flower market’ set up in the middle of town. the flower market stretches out along side a wide and lazily flowing branch of the mekong river. there are two giant signs that welcome you to the market. they stand like triumphal arches stretching across busy streets. they are sturdily constructed of wood and concrete and proclaim the arrival of spring in vibrant yellow letters on a red background. they are lit at night and look quite professional.

the market is cluttered with different vendors selling all sorts of flowers and small, banzi trees. i know names for a variety of flowers, but couldn’t match the name of the flower up with how the flower actually appeared. the flowers may be chrysanthemum, petunias and orchids, but i wouldn’t know (i do know what a rose is. that’s about it.) they are yellow, for the most part, and have thick heads that point squarely to the sky. some are red, pink and white, but they are few. the vendors have their flowers lined up neatly and organized into types. people mull through the market and look at the flowers. flowers bring peace.

there are also bonzi trees. some of the trees are gigantic and are taller than me. they are squat and well groomed into odd shapes. some of the bonzi trees are blooming small, yellow flowers. some of the bonzi trees are squat and have few leaves resembling a stump that somehow sprung back to life. some of the trees look like a nest of roots with an odd green leaf protruding. the bonzi trees are expensive.

i walk through the flower market slowly and try to ignore the stares. this time of the year brings everyone together and families come in droves to buy yellow and red flowers for their homes (the two luckiest colors for tet). seeing them all crowd around plants and decide which one would look best in what part of the house reminds me a lot of shopping for christmas trees with my family. i have wonderful memories of walking through fields and supermarket parking lots picking out the best evergreen for our living room. these families are partaking in a wonderfully similar experience choosing the best bunch of yellow flowers that all point their bushy heads straight towards the sky to place in the corner of their living room this holiday season.