Haircuts
From: David Marr
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 5:52 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Perhaps to lighten the VSG atmosphere as Tet approaches, can anyone tell me if men in Vietnam should not have their hair cut during the first month after Tet? If the do, their mother's brothers will suffer. Yesterday there was a story from China showing men rushing to the barber shop to be clipped/shaved in time. I've never heard this for VN, but yesterday had my wife cut my hair as precaution.
Happy Year of Tan Mao!
David Marr
----------
From: Anh-Minh Do
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 6:14 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Hi David,
I have heard of such a belief, which seems to be in tandem with buying new clothes, having a person with the right birthday and name walking onto your porch, and not sweeping dirt out of the house for fear of losing the good luck.
Happy Lunar New Year from Vietnam! :-)
- Minh
--
Minh Do
----------
From: Nicholas Booth
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 6:36 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
My unscientific straw poll (among the few staff still in the office 2 days before Tet) was unable to find anyone who had heard of such a rule in VN.
But I was told that, in general, you should avoid having your hair cut in the first three days of each lunar month (for reasons which remain obscure to all of us). So David, probably still good that you had your locks shorn before the month ran out.
Also I learn that it is inadvisable to cut hair or nails immediately before a big day such as an exam....
Nicholas Booth
Policy Advisor for Rule of Law and Access to Justice
UNDP - Viet Nam
25-29 Phan B?i Châu
Hà N?i
Vi?t Nam
----------
From: Tai, Hue-Tam Ho
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 6:37 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
I don't remember the no-haircut belief. In my grandfather's day, men did not cut their hair and wore theirs in a topknot. I wonder when the avoidance of hair-cutting began.
Hue-Tam Ho Tai
Kenneth T. Young Professor
of Sino-Vietnamese History
----------
From: Thaveeporn Vasavakul
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 7:29 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Does it only apply to men whose mother is still alive and who has brothers? What about women?
I have never heard anything like that so far although as we all know, there are so many rules on "dos" and donts" both before Tet and from the 1st to the fifth lunar day of the first month ( i am not sure China or VN comes first, but from a comparative perspective, there are more dos and donts in VN than those adopted by the Chinese community in BKK with which I am more of less familiar.)
I will check with my hairdresser in Hanoi (Singaporean working in Hanoi) when I see him next time whether the Singaporeans have dos and donts and whether there are days in Hanoiwhen he can't do business with men.
Thaveeporn Vasavakul
----------
From: Mac McIntosh
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 7:52 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
David , I would hazard to guess that the issue has far more to do with the custom of paying double for your last haircut of the year to ensure that your barber had sufficient funds for his Tet celebration . Much like the custom of making sure that any debts are paid before Tet.
Mac McIntosh
The Lighthouse, Bluff, NZ.
----------
From: Dr Alexander D Soucy
Date: Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 12:26 AM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
I have been told many times by people in and around Hanoi that you should get your hair cut before Tet, but I never heard anyone talk about repercussions of doing it after.
Chuc Mung Nam Moi!
Alec Soucy
----------
From: Tai, Hue-Tam Ho
Date: Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 4:59 AM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
This may have to do with the general sprucing up of appearances, such as buying new clothes, rather than fear that relatives will suffer.
Though I think I will use it on my son and argue that looking at his long hair makes me (and perhaps his brother, too) suffer. :-)
----------
From: Ngô Thanh Nhàn
Date: 2011/2/1
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Dear David,
When I grew up, there was a belief of elders around me saying that hair
is a natural endowment of heaven to you. You don't lose any part of
your body at all--unless it's a good cause. This was
good for old Vietnamese who wanted to have their hair rolled up
and tied behind búi tó c? hành là anh thiên h?. Until the young
progressive movement in the early 1900's who cut young people's
hair on the streets...
If you want to be sure not to offend the spirits, then cut your hair before
T?t (ông táo is an ancient guy), and leave it a month after... This belief
works.
And there is another belief: when my father died, I left my hair and beard
grow for 49 days. It's like putting a black rectangular piece of cloth on your
shirt. People, esp. my friends from Hanoi, just frowned... but I did not care.
Nowadays, you'd rather look good.
Cheers,
Nhan
----------
From: Tai, Hue-Tam Ho
Date: Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 9:02 AM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
My maternal grandparents married in 1908. According to my aunt's memoir, my grandmother said to my grandfather (they had not met before the wedding despite the fact that she was the daughter of his teacher): "When I saw you on our wedding-day wearing your hair in a topknot, I knew that my father had chosen a patriotic husband for me."
In the South, many men wore their hair long not just out of filial piety but of patriotism. My grandfather wore his hair long until his death in 1942.