My great-grandfather, according to the stories I was told by my great-aunt, grandfather,
and father, was rather a minimalist. He didn’t find the necessity in luxuries and grandiosity. These inspire the simplistic and minimalistic look for the altar.
The blanket I used as the base of the altar is one my parents packed for me when I moved to the U.S. Imbued into it are strong traditional familial values, and it is also my favorite.
I placed my protection charms closest to his photo. Ever since my grandmother procured them from a pagoda in Vietnam four years ago, these charms have been aiding me everyday.
There is a strong theme of number ‘3’ in the altar. Number ‘3’ is a symbol of stability and balance--the qualities my great-grandfather upheld and taught to my great-aunt.
Mandarin oranges are native to Vietnam. They have similar shapes and color to kumquats, the trees of which, in Vietnam, are often displayed in households during Tet as a symbol of abundance. Since I couldn’t find kumquats, I use mandarin oranges here instead.
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