In Quimperlé, the Têt Festival takes ease at Espace Benoîte-Groult – Quimperlé

Quimperlé is home to about fifteen families of Vietnamese descent who visit each other regularly. “My dad works in Bigard and I’ve lived in France for fourteen years,” says T Hank Doan, who found his happiness living in the City of Three Rivers. “It’s a city where I feel good.”

Two days of entertainment

The Vietnam Brittany Sud Society, which is in charge and chaired by Thuy Chloé Kernen, has seen things on a grand scale. The proposed activities will not be carried out within one day but more than two days. January 7 and 8, 2023 coincide with the holiday of Tet, the day of the first full moon of the year. “It’s our new year for us.”

On this first day of the festivity, the organizers wanted to feature Dong Hô prints from the village of the same name. “In the past, Dong Ho painting was an essential part of the Tet holiday. This tradition has gradually diminished under the influence of modern painting and forgeries. However, Dong Ho painting is still considered a symbol of the traditional culture and aesthetic value of Vietnam,” explains Thi Hank Duan, gallery director. .

The meanings of Dong Ho’s popular prints fall into several groups. Some express residents’ wishes for a better life. Others evoke scenes from daily life, traditional festivals, or historical events in the country. The works are made on paper called “pectin” which gives off a white color that fluoresces under the light. The colors used are natural: black, green, yellow, red. “These are very simple colors.”

Thinking of future generations

This Sunday, January 8, 2023, from 12 noon to 4 pm, the festivities continue with a meal show program traveling from North to South Vietnam. Many activities: calligraphy, workshop for making Vietnamese things, traditional rhinoceros, fan and lotus dances, songs and processions of the Vietnamese community of Quimpeh and their children, in traditional costume.

These two days that bring together the Vietnamese community have a dual purpose: to introduce the traditional art of this country to the general public. “We also wish to introduce it to the third generation who were born in France and who do not know much about the country where their grandparents and parents were born,” confirms Thi Hank Doan. 300 guests are expected.