Cultural Diversity Day: First Culture Spotlight!

To celebrate World Cultural Diversity Day and Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we would like to spotlight Occupational Therapist Nancy Tran and learn more about the culture she identifies with.

“Hi! I’m Nancy and I am one of the Occupational Therapists at the Fran. May is a special month of the year for me and others who identify as Asian-American because it is Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM). It reminds me of the journey my parents had taken before I was born in order to find a better life for themselves and their future children. My parents emigrated from Vietnam and settled in Boston, MA in 1989. They had very little and spent many years rebuilding their lives here in America. Growing up, my parents had emphasized the importance of maintaining our culture and today I am very proud to identify as a Vietnamese-American.

Some of my favorite Vietnamese traditions occur during our New Year, or what we like to call Tết, which aligns with the Lunar Calendar. There’s always a ton of food and everyone participates in the giving or receiving of lucky money or “lì xì” from red envelopes. Lì xì is often given to children and adults who are not yet married by their parents, aunts, uncles, and elders as a way to wish them luck and good will in the New Year. In return the receivers of the lucky money will say a few words to wish the givers good health and good fortune. There are many different types of food that are traditionally eaten during the New Year, but my favorite is the bánh Tét. Bánh Tét is a cylindrical sticky rice cake filled with mung bean, pork belly and wrapped in banana leaves. For some extra crunch, my family likes to fry it and eat it with some pickled Chinese onion or củ kiệu.

During Tết and other special occasions, it is also traditional for people to wear the Vietnamese áo dài. Áo dài is a long, split tunic dress worn over trousers. Below is a picture of me and a couple of my friends wearing this type of dress.

Aside from the Tết traditions, my favorite meal is having beef spring rolls. We will either cook the beef in vinegar or fry it with butter. All the cooking happens at the dinner table and spring rolls are created as the beef is ready. Other things that go inside the spring include fresh herbs, lettuce, cucumbers, and vermicelli. It is really fun to cook and eat with my family in this way!

I am so proud of where I come from and I thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about my culture! I would love to hear more about your culture. Please feel free to share in the comments some of your favorite family traditions.”