Tea Time Lunar New Year Styled Shoot | Atlanta Event Photographer

This post is jammed pack with cuteness overload. I highly suggest grabbing a cup of coffee cause you’re not going to want to zip through this. So take your time.

Although I’ve been married to Vu for thirteen years, I’ve never really questioned a lot of the Vietnamese tradition. I only started a few years ago. It wasn’t that I had no interest in learning about it and how to celebrate properly, it was mainly cause we didn’t have time. Some of you might remember that one of the biggest reasons I stepped away from full time wedding photography was because I could no longer give up my entire weekend. That meant missing out on celebrations. After having Brayden I realized I ought to learn more about Vietnamese culture, especially about Tết and actually be familiar in celebrating it.

Tết is the short form of ‘Tet Nguyen Dan’, which means ‘Festival of the First Morning of the First Day’ in Vietnamese culture. According to Vietnamese culture, it is one of the most important celebrations as it marks the beginning of the new year on the Lunar calendar. The celebration also means a time of gratitude and showing it. During Tết eating traditional foods and gathering with family is customary and significant. The custom pays tribute to ancestors. There’s an entire ritual that goes along with how people gather and eat and you can read all about it on Vietnamese Is Awesome.

Just like I did last year, I put together a styled shoot for my darling babies. Last year it was just Brayden so having Nova celebrate her first was so exciting as I thought of how the theme will turn out.

I bought this cute book that tells the story of Tết and loved watching Brayden narrate (in baby talk) to his sister. Sometimes being the one to photograph your own babies takes away some of that joy cause you’re behind the camera and not able to see the final results until post-processing. So I made sure to pause here and there to take in their sweet interaction and oh my mama heart sure was glad…

One of the most important traditional foods you’ll find on any table during Tết celebration is Bánh tét and Bánh chưng. This is a glutinous rice that’s savory and packed with flavor. Up until yesterday I actually had no idea why the rice dish came in two shapes, both cylinder and square. Thanks to social media I had a reader share a link on the meaning behind it. According to Vietnam.com, the two different shapes represented the sky and the Earth.

A lot of preparation goes into the celebration. It starts days, possibly a week or two before Lunar New Year. Some of those preparations include a deep clean of the entire house, especially the kitchen. Shopping at the local market and decorating the home is also one of the main to do’s.

Serving tea is a significant gesture not only because it shows respect to the ancestors and the elders, but it’s also wishing the elders longevity and prosperity. That’s the whole point in doing the tea time theme. The little ones need to know how to properly serve tea!!!

Everything used in setting up was pretty much DIY and borrowed. I originally ordered a yellow Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress/gown) for Nova and planned on doing a color palette with soft pinks and pale yellows. I knew ordering from overseas was risky so I went to the local shop and bought her a back up outfit. The local shop usually has only bright colors and I wanted to stay away from neons that give off unflattering reflections. Turns out I had to use Nova’s back up dress as her main. So the theme was pink! I added blue hues to help tone down the pink. Bright colors are usually customary but I didn’t want to go all red even if the color does represent luck. Red envelops are passed out to little children on the first day of the Lunar calendar. This represents lucky money and it also means welcoming the new age. During this celebration family and friends play games, there’s a parade, a display of fireworks and lots of eating and drinking! You’ll find that everyone is in good spirits!

After photographing Brayden and Nova in the morning, they had a small break before their little friends joined in. We did the same last year I enjoyed it so much, and of course, Brayden did too, so I wanted to host again. Yes yes I love putting together themed photoshoots but I love seeing all the little kids being cute too. It was way too adorable seeing Brayden pretend to pour tea for his friends and the look of confusion when they realized there wasn’t really any liquid ha ha. But as soon as they understood it was all pretend, the tea party took off, with the help of the mamas saying “một hai ba, dô!”

Believe it or not but every decoration has a symbolic meaning. Flowers used in decoration during Lunar New Year are orchids (representing happiness, vitality and longevity), peach and plum blossoms, and Narcissus. Flowers and plants are also gifted as it gestures good luck and positivity.

I made origami flowers to decorate the wooden arched boards and even made a few lotus flowers to decorate the lucky money envelops.

It’s proper to say “Chúc mừng Năm Mới!” (Happy New Year!) and “Cung hỉ phát tài!” (Congratulations and prosper!) when greeting family and friends. We’re teaching Brayden that right now and it just melts Grandma’s heart.

I had a blast putting this together for my babies and having their friends join in on all the fun and pretty decor. I’m planning to use the same set up for our Lunar New Year celebration this weekend. I’m a little behind on preparations, like cleaning the kitchen (to get rid of any bad luck and to welcome new luck) but that’s okay. We always visit the in-laws and dine with them and then pass out the lucky red envelops so besides that I just plan to do some activities with my babies. Every now and then we use to go see the dragon parade but I wouldn’t know where to find one now. Maybe next year I’ll feel more comfortable taking the babies out to such a large gathering. You don’t have to be Vietnamese or Chinese to celebrate Lunar New Year. It’s all about giving thanks, being grateful and showing that appreciation. A google search will pull up all kinds of festivities you can partake in so go and join in on the fun. Just be sure you know some of the customary so you can take in on the blessings and also wish blessings to others.

Happy Lunar New Year! Chúc mừng Năm Mới! Blessings to you and your family. May good health, good fortune, and happiness be with you.

Custom sugar cookies \ \ by @stellasweets126 (find her on Instagram)

Lucky Chinese Lantern Ornament \ \ Etsy shop LucidRealm

Lucky Red Envelopes \ \ Etsy shop 0000Studios