Posted by Bach Hung Nguyen on November 06, 19101 at 18:37:46:
Topic: Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice and using specific reasons and examples.
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In order to answer the question “Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt”, I would like to introduce myself. I am from Vietnam; I was born in Hanoi, the capital. The Vietnamese custom has always evolved on the basis of the Eastern philosophy. Thus, the lifestyle of the Vietnamese population is closely related to its family. In my opinion, the typical custom of my country is the custom of the ancestor cult.
In every Vietnamese home, an ancestor altar is found installed in the utmost solemn location. The Vietnamese believe that the soul of a dead person, even if generations ago, still rests along with his descendants on earth. A very popular belief among the Vietnamese people is that the dead and the living still have the spiritual communion.
On the last day of every lunar year, a cult is performed to invite the dead to return home to celebrate Tet holidays with their families. During the last days before Tet, all family members visit, clean, and decorate their ancestor graves, in the same manner that the living do with their houses to welcome a new year of happiness and prosperity.
On the anniversary of an ancestor’s death, his descendants and relatives reunite and prepare a feast to worship the dead for their health and blessing. From generation to generation, the ancestor worshiping custom has been religiously preserved. There are some little variations of the custom among the many Vietnamese Ethnic groups, but the common idea of idolization and gratitude towards the ancestors remains.
All in all, always remembering ancestor really makes us treasure the past and brings us a feeling of appreciation of the present. I am most convinced that the ancestor worshiping custom in its moral and social meaning is a remarkable feature of the Vietnamese culture. Probably, such cultural value should be a good adoption to other nations.
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Bach Hung Nguyen