Square Circle

When I was a kid, the only big song in Vietnamese I knew was "Xin Chúa í-a chúc lành..."
Then, I got to the "square circle" part...
"dưỡng nuôi con bao ngày vuông tròn..."
...nurturing me all these years to be square circle...

If you're Vietnamese, you know square circle "vuông tròn" means a healthy pregnancy.
If you're Vietnamese, you know it's Tết... Lunar New Year!
If you're Vietnamese, you know square circle is the best you can be in life.

That's because your parents want your sides to be straight and your corners to be exact.
That's because your parents taught you that everything in life comes full circle.
That's because your parents showed you that beauty has hidden repetition and all the shapes in the world are really squares and circles.

I was always embarrassed that we didn't exchange gifts for Christmas.
I was always worried that someone would find out that my siblings and I were faking it sick for Tết because it was three days long and my parents said in Vietnam they get to stay home for 2 weeks.

My parents still don't give gifts during Christmas.
Although most of us have kids now or pay our own bills, they still teach us to be square circle.

Happy Tết!
Photo credit: http://blog.yume.vn/xem-buzz/tet-nhat.daudendaduong.35A75046.html

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