Colourful Lantern Market
There we went to the colourful lantern market in Saigon's Chinatown, District 5. The lantern festival is one of the most colourful festivals in East Asia.
Impressions of Saigon's Lantern Market in District 5
When you first come to Asia, all you see is flashy colours, especially since red is the colour of luck and therefore everywhere.
However, during holidays it gets even flashier. Lantern festival draws close at the end of Lunar September (the "Ghost Month"). A very special and interesting festival of light and colour.
Similar to our habit in Austria on 11th November (St. Martin), when especially the children carry colourful lanterns and sing songs, children in Asia do the same - for another reason though.
Another reason? Well, if you compare customs all around the world, they may seem very different. But if you dig deeper, you find stunning similarities.
Bright colours and light are destined to chase away the dark, the evil and similar unwanted aspects of life. Since lantern festival is the end of the ghost month in Vietnam, a time that can be compared to the original European meaning of Halloween (our world and the netherworld are coming closer and the separating veil gets thinner), it's pretty clear that people want to protect themselves with bright lights and flashy colours from evil spirits roaming the streets.
Even more so, families tend to set up tables in front of their house, displaying lights and a selection of (usually quite cheap) snacks for the haunting dead - if you give them some food, they leave you alone.
When I asked my guide if I could snatch and eat some of the stuff, she said "Sure, but people would assume you are a ghost."
There are other customs during this time, like throwing real money out of the window to make any malicious or just suffering ghost happy.
And since in Asia, any body can be possessed by a spirit, nobody minds if the money and food goes to the homeless - an interesting form of charity.
Red is the most powerful colour across Asia, so on the lantern markets it is dominant.
Turns out, apart from the roadside kitchens, the bright colours are among the things I really miss, being away from our second home for so long.
New Articles
![]() | Art crossover a la Fox Avanova Design - excellent horn jewellery, lovely hand made bags and other fashion accessories that suit our - and hopefully your - taste. |
![]() | The colour Brown Brown is down-home, persistent and solid, but also warm and cuddly. We often associate brown with tasty, aromatic coffee, freshly baked bread or sweet, sweet chocolate. |
![]() | Pictures in the forest I love a relaxing forest walk - and since we run our little jewellery business, I always bring a few pieces along and (at least) one camera. |
![]() | Horn rings for men and women Smooth, classy rings - natural horn in different ring sizes and various horn colours. |
![]() | 7 thin horn bangles in a set Here we have seven thin bangles, hand made from natural horn in a set. Available in light or dark colour. |
![]() | Teardrop shaped horn earrings Natural horn is strong, resilient and feather-light. With its interesting, naturally grown grain, horn is a great resource for creating lovely horn jewellery. |
![]() | Celtic knot style pendant on a sunflower Real horn is very tough and light as a feather. Considering the natural patterns, it is the perfect material for making excellent horn jewellery. |