Student 50

An object that represents the influential relationship culture has on knowledge is a red envelope. The paper red envelope that contains money is given to me by my elders during the Lunar New Year which is a common tradition in Asian cultures.

The tradition my family participates in every New Year is the exchange of good fortunes and wisdom between children and elders. Sometime during the Lunar New Year season, my extended family would have a gathering where my cousins, brother, and I would tell our aunts, uncles, and grandparents our well wishes for their health in the upcoming year. They would then hand us an envelope of money and give us advice on life and their wishes for our future. This simple tradition between my family is important to me because not only does it strengthen my connections to them, it allows me to gain knowledge that is useful for the future. I have many memories of the tradition, therefore, I have learned many lessons from my elders over the years. In addition to life lessons, I learn about Vietnamese culture from the tradition. Participating in traditions commonly done by Vietnamese people is important for me to have knowledge of the reasoning behind certain actions. These actions include my personal upbringing by my parents and the different cultural perspectives that have been passed down. Knowledge and culture often go hand in hand as culture has a large influence on the knowledge of people. In my case, I learn the value of family through the representation of the red envelope from my culture. Not only is the cultural tradition of the red envelope representative of good luck, it is also integrated with valuable knowledge that is passed down.

The red envelope demonstrates that culture has an influential relationship on knowledge as wisdom is inherited through cultural practices. Through the traditions, I as a Vietnamese person have the opportunity to acquire knowledge that would benefit me in the future. This object supports the optional theme of religion as the traditions give me guidance on how to live my life.

The relationship between knowledge and culture is that culture is learned from traditional festive experiences and is demonstrated through the traditional Vietnamese dress called an áo dài. An áo dài comes in various patterns and colors as they are worn to celebrate different special occasions throughout the year, most commonly, the Lunar New Year.

The garment represents the relationship between knowledge and culture as the outfit is a symbol of the traditions I learn from the special occasions I celebrate with my family. At least once every year, my family will dress up in these traditional gowns to celebrate the New Year and connect with Vietnamese culture. By growing up and wearing the traditional áo dài yearly, I have learned the importance of keeping these traditions alive from my mother. As she emphasizes our need to participate by wearing an áo dài to attend my grandmother’s church, visit the cemetery, and celebrate the New Year at a festival I gain the knowledge of how traditions are formed. Not only do I learn the importance of traditions, my mom also teaches me important life skills such as sewing, by hemming the cultural dresses to fit. My mother, who comes from a large family, plays a vital role in special occasions because she holds the responsibility as the designated tailor in the family as her many sisters ask her to hem their dresses. Throughout the years, I too have helped in the sewing process and therefore I have gained the knowledge from my mom on basic life skills.

An áo dài relates to the optional theme of religion as it demonstrates how cultural connections are made through the traditional outfits during cultural occasions, proving to be vital in the development of knowledge in different cultures.

An object that represents learnt knowledge as a result of having a connection with culture is a Vietnamese vegetable called bí. Bí is a common ingredient used in various Vietnamese dishes as it is a versatile vegetable that can easily be grown.

I have gained knowledge from cultural practices such as cooking and growing traditional Vietnamese food from my grandmother who solely cooks Vietnamese dishes. Her main hobbies include gardening and cooking as she has many years of experience doing both to provide for her large family. As she continues to garden and cook despite the fact that her daughters have moved out, I observe her when I go to her house. I always find it interesting to see how well her squashes have grown as she has the ability to make them thrive in her backyard. Specifically, my grandmother, Ba Ngoai, is especially good at growing a squash called bi, then creating a simple soup out of the gourd. Over the years, I have learned many recipes from my grandmother, one of which being canh bi, or pumpkin soup. Knowledge on how the simple yet delicious soup is made comes from observing my grandmother make the cultural dish. Through observation, I have learned the steps to make comfort food and have therefore created a deeper connection to my Vietnamese heritage and identity as I produce and consume dishes my mother had as a child.

Having the experience of cooking with my grandma is important to me as the knowledge of how to cook traditional dishes is integrated in my mind while I connect deeply with my Vietnamese background. This instills the value of growing and cooking cultural food as my grandmother did to provide for her family of eight, therefore relating to the area of knowledge of Human science.