HOLIDAYS GOOD OR BAD ?

Nowadays, the living standard of vietnamese people have been improving sufficiently , so that they care for special days in a year much more than since 15 years ago. Some industrial sectors have also applied consumer's demand. So many kind of entertainments service and souvenir shops appear everywhere. Especially, most of them are displayed on festival days , highlight spots where visitors gather a lot. In addition, Traditional holidays are special occasions that we maintain our religious, historical and cultural significance . Moreover, it brings life more meaningful , cheerful to enrich our spirit. However, it also brings a little on commercialized in these days.

Holiday is a good chance to introduce cultural value , history to visitors and oversea friends that this shows folk music. It is also an occassion to exchange folk custom , culture ,religious activities in different areas. Forexample, many performances of folk music show in public to celebrate on these days. All singers are native local people who wear traditional clothes, Ao Dai , Ao Tu Than, Non ... They can sing and dance folk songs. It is extremely excited visitors .

It also brings more benefit to families, sectors of the economy and government. Most people feel very cheerful , happy time on this days. They like walking on the streets with colourful bands to live in atmosphere of festivity across the nation. Some of them take their families to famous restaurants to have a warm delicious meal. Of cousre, it is a good time for members in family to give and receive gifts and express feeling.
Children look forward to wearing new shirts and reveiving lucky money from parents or relatives on New Year Day. Some friends who live far from home can keep in touch each other by sending postcards, presents , messages mails....

On the other hand, People spend money on gifts, holiday products, ... jobs are created. Sectors of economy have been developing , more and more toy factories and art handicrafts import-export companies in Vietnam are opened. Advertisement services on television are very popular on festival days. These works support our lives better and further profits to make business increasingly. Higher income profits pay more tax revenues that support medicine , education , security and other government services.

However, It makes the rich and the poor are more and more different. It is also a distant space of them. On these days , some rich people usually take part in a big party with friends or go to the theatre , cinema to enjoy attractive shows. Some other ones go shopping , they want to have deluxe gifts, dresses, jewelry,... It is a good occassion for them to enjoy and perform their powerful finance. In contrast, The poor don't have enough effort to buy good clothes and nice gifts on these days. Children , who come from poor families , have never been received any presents from parents. They even haven't enough food to support lives. The words like " theatre", " cinema", " party ", or " picnic" are completely far from them, that's so luxury for them.

In fact, the spirit of the holidays in modern vietnamese people lives are reduced. When I was a school girl , my closed friend gave me a handkerchief with embroidery patterns which she made by herself. I was very delighted and so much thankful for her gift. I 've kept it for many years now. But today, our society has been developing and people don't have much time to make gifts by hands to beloved people. They usually get it at souvenir shops . It seems to be normal to do so. Producers often change new designs , styles to catch up with consumer's demand.

In conclusion , in spite of a little negative on commercialized holidays , not all people are troubled by the spirit of commercialism on these days. Many people enjoy the festivity of exchanging cards, gifts so that festival activities need to be preserved and developed in our lives. It should be more presentative opening to invite oversea friends come to Vietnam now. It is also a good chance to express feeling , and make our relationships closer and closer.

Written by Kim