#club75// Contest: A New Year Tree // The New Year in Hot Summer

Greetings to all readers and authors of Steem Skillshare community.

Christmas trees are always very beautiful. Even if it is a modest Christmas tree standing in the apartment.But there are Christmas trees that are perceived in a very unusual way. These are Christmas trees in hot countries, standing somewhere on the beach or in hotels adjacent to the seashore.

Once we were traveling in Vietnam and dropped into one of the most unique hotels in Vietnam, Hang Nga Villi. This hotel is known all over the world for its strange architecture. I will not write here about the hotel itself because it certainly deserves a separate post, I will only say that in one of the halls of the hotel there was this magnificent Christmas tree. We were very surprised, because the New Year had already passed in Russia by that time, and it was strange to see a Christmas tree. It turned out that the Vietnamese New Year is celebrated at a different time. Its date depends on the lunar-solar calendar.And at that time it was the beginning of February.

According to the Vietnamese tradition, the Christmas tree looks quite different: it is a bamboo pole on which there is a bunch of dry leaves. A small lamp is installed on the top of the bamboo, which shines at night, and gifts are tied to the bamboo itself. It is believed that evil spirits are afraid of a bamboo pole and the ringing of bells that are on top.

In addition, according to the Vietnamese tradition, there should also be an altar with traditional New Year fruits, such as papaya, mango, coconut and festive colorful processions with dragons and lions. Noisy processions scare away evil spirits.

But let's return back to the Christmas tree at the hotel.

For me it was a miracle. After all, the temperature on the street at that time was + 35 degrees Celsius. It was summer with hot beaches, with the sea and lots of sun.

And then suddenly a Christmas tree in the middle of summer, and even in such an entourage atmosphere. Naturally, I immediately wanted to take a picture next to the New Year tree, comfortably sitting on a cozy sofa.

I invite to take part in the contest @greatketty @may2015 @bukvoed. They may also have photos of beautiful Christmas trees. The link to the contest is HERE