Growing up as a first-generation Vietnamese-Australian, there were practices that I rarely questioned about my Vietnamese culture, and more specifically, Lunar New Year (Tết) rituals.
With the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, according to the Lunar calendar, it's that time again when Vietnamese households offer fruit to their ancestors. When I questioned my mum on why people make fruit offerings during Tết, she explained that some families believe this will help bring them a good new year. People believe that fruits symbolise different things and offering them will bring you the things they symbolise. For example, offering apples is said to bring wealth and offering coconuts brings abundance. However, a pair of bright green watermelons adorned with scarlet-red stickers with Chinese characters is believed to bring some of the greatest fortunes.
Offering watermelon on the ancestral altar is a way to welcome the Vietnamese New Year. Source: Duncan Lu
On the altar, there's a carefully curated fruit platter and two green watermelons on their own plate to prevent them from rolling off the altar - a signifier of bad luck. The next day, once the incense has burnt out, we move the altar to our living room. In the ensuing week, the living room transforms into a colourful, blissful space – the meeting point where we exchange lucky red pockets (li xi) and other good-luck gifts. We typically don't eat the fruit platter throughout this period, except the watermelon. Eager family members cut watermelons with the belief that this will also bring luck for the year ahead. The brighter the red flesh, the luckier you're said to be. A fun fact: after we eat them, we dry or toast the seeds to make a Tết snack.
Eager family members cut watermelon with the belief that this will also bring luck for the year ahead. The brighter the red, the luckier you're said to be.
When we were growing up, mum was apprehensive about what shade of red the watermelons would be. So, my dad would reveal whether our family was in for a fruitful year; we could hear his sigh of relief or groan of disappointment from down the corridor.
Combining ice, sweetened condensed milk, yoghurt, watermelon flesh and a banana makes a refreshing smoothie. Source: Duncan Lu
By combining ice, sweetened condensed milk and yoghurt with ripe watermelon flesh and banana, you'll get a refreshing smoothie that's simultaneously rich in flavour, slightly tart and creamy. If you are 'lucky' enough to have ripe watermelons sitting at home or have purchased a ripe watermelon, do yourself a favour and give this recipe a whirl for the entire family to enjoy this Lunar New Year.
Chuc mung nam moi!
Photography, styling and food preparation by Duncan Lu.
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Watermelon smoothie (Sinh to dua hau)
A ripe watermelon makes for the sweetest and most refreshing drink when combined with condensed milk (stay with me!), yoghurt and ice. When you combine these four ingredients with a banana, the result is a refreshing smoothie that is rich in watermelon flavour, slightly tart and creamy all in one sip.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
- 300 g seedless watermelon chopped
- 1 ripe banana peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp unsweetened natural yoghurt
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup ice
Method
- Add all ingredients into a blender and pulse until lump-free and thick.
- Serve in glasses.
