The scent of Jasmine incense fills the room, your auntie you haven’t seen for 3 years has finally come back from traveling abroad, and your mother has been preparing this meal for the last six days. The room is alive with playful laughter, joyful banter, and grand spreads of food that the entire family will enjoy for the next two days. Oranges and kumquats spill off the table. Your pockets are stuffed with the red envelopes you graciously accepted from your elders. You are both grateful for the past year and hopeful for the new one.
January 22 brought 2023’s Lunar New Year, one of the most significant and celebratory times in many Asian countries and cultures. The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the full moon cycles for the upcoming year—it’s based on the Lunar calendar, a system different from the western Gregorian calendar, which has the new year starting on January 1.
Each Lunar New Year is represented by one of the 12 animal signs in the Asian Zodiac tradition—2023 is the year of the rabbit, which represents longevity, intellect, prosperity, and peace.
It’s a time for celebration, reflection, family, generosity, and gratitude. To celebrate, Milk Makeup staffer Iley Cao chatted with Milk Fam member and NYC-based Vietnamese-American makeup artist, Johnathan Nguyen, about how he celebrates Lunar New Year, known as Tét in Vietnamese.
Would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself and your passion for makeup?
My name is Jonathan Nguyen. I am a Vietnamese-American, currently living in New York. I am a full-time makeup artist and esthetician. I developed my passion for makeup—well, I wouldn’t say developed—I found my passion for makeup in 2020, but the interest was always inside of me as a kid.
It didn’t surface until a couple years ago, and since I decided to become a makeup artist, it’s changed my life in so many ways. It’s allowed me to stay true to who I am, explore myself, and reach the highest level of self-expression. That brings a lot of happiness and opens you up in another way.
I posted my first-ever makeup look on my own face in July of 2020, during the pandemic. It was kind of a “fuck you” to my internalized homophobia. Prior to that, I really thought doing makeup or being a makeup artist was “too gay” for me, which is bizarre because I was pretty gay already! It now feels so free and I love it so much.
Now you’re living your best life! Love it. Can you describe what Lunar New Year is in your own words and why it’s meaningful to you?
The Lunar Calendar was created to mark the beginning of the new full moon cycles and for most East and Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.
In Vietnam we call it Tét—I love Tét—it really is such a special time. We cook so much food, we get to see our relatives; everyone just gathers and it feels so joyful. We have people everywhere in the house, running around, cooking. We make a lot of food because besides feasting for ourselves, we also honor the heavenly deities, our ancestors, and even our households. We give thanks to the place that we live in for protecting us, for making sure we are safe.
The thing that really reminds me of Tét is incense. Jasmine incense—I grew up smelling it so much because my mom uses it. It has a special place in my heart. When I smell it, I think of Tét, I think of my mom, I think of family and all those things. It feels so nostalgic and special.
In Vietnam—well, at least in my case—most people have their own small businesses and they have to work constantly to make ends meet. Usually, people work seven days a week, and that was the case for my mom. Tét was the only time my parents had off. Mostly everybody would take the whole week off for Tét. We get to really be together; my parents are at home, my mom is cooking, we’re just running around—it was so fun. I would pay money to go back in time to experience this again.
I can see it in my head from the way you just described it. It sounds so wonderful, nostalgic, and close to home. My family also uses a lot of jasmine incense.
You know exactly what I’m talking about!
The second you get into the house, you smell that and you’re home.And boiled chicken! And bánh chưng! Bánh chưng, oh my god!Bánh chưng, for those who don’t know, is a Vietnamese sticky rice cake with beans, melon seeds, and pork inside. It’s so good. In New York, how do you typically celebrate LNY? Have you found yourself able to go to Vietnam?In Vietnam, people usually celebrate LNY by taking several days or the whole week off. When I was a kid, I got school off for a whole week, which I always looked forward to. It’s a big feast; so many tables and people. We traditionally play cards and board games, and we bet money on them, adults and children alike. Speaking of money, we also get red envelopes. We call it hóng bāo. That’s something I would always look forward to. My family and I would dress to the nines, go to the temples, and take pictures. Now that I live far away from my family, it’s a little bit difficult to celebrate LNY. When I do have time, I try to cook food for the offerings so I can be in the spirit and keep the tradition going. I do try to extend my culture to my friends. I teach them about LNY, let them experience what it feels like to celebrate, and understand why it’s also special for me; I love to share my culture in that way. |
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For those who are unfamiliar with hóng bāo, can you give a description?
Absolutely. Hóng bāo is the Chinese word for it, but in Vietnamese we call it the bao lì xì. It’s basically a red envelope. Exchanging bao lì xì is a tradition where adults give children or younger adults a red envelope with money inside of it. They both exchange wishes for good health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity in the new year.
As a kid, that was the best part of LNY because I would receive so much money—I would use it to gamble and play blackjack. That’s why I always wanted to have a lot of relatives over so I could wish them good health and good wealth, but I would secretly try to hurry it up and make it quick so I could get the money.
I get that. It’s the uncle you haven’t seen all year, and now he has a wife, so you get double hóng bāo.
Yes! Absolutely. You best believe I would wish my uncle and his wife good health separately.
In different rooms.
Emphasis on separation.
Would you ever keep the envelopes in your pillow? [ed note: There is a superstition that if you keep them in your pillow, you get good luck.]
Yes, I was going to mention that! The past couple years my parents have given me a couple red envelopes, and I have them as keepsakes. I don’t keep it in my pillows, I have it in my memory folder. It’s so important to me to be able to look back and appreciate it.
How are you celebrating Tét or LNY this year?
Sad, sad, sad, part: I won’t be home, and I will have to return to New York for it. I won’t have my family around.
I introduced my friend, who is white, to Tét and to Vietnamese culture. He loves exploring different cultures, and this year he is throwing a LNY party. He invited me! He’s my chosen family, and so it feels really special, and I know a part of him wanting to celebrate LNY is for me to feel special. He does this because he wants to celebrate me. So there you go! There’s that little special nugget of sharing your culture to the people you love and they’ll share it back with you, no matter what their ethnicity is. I think we are all one.
Let’s get into your fabulous makeup look: How did you come up with it? Can you share a few tips, tricks, and facts about what you created?
The makeup is inspired by bao lì xì. When I was searching for inspo online, what really stood out to me were envelopes with fish on them—I remember getting so many of them as a kid.
What I’m basically doing is drawing a big ol’ goldfish on my face. In Asian culture, a goldfish stands for peace and serenity. Part of the reason why I chose this look is because peace and serenity is what I want to manifest in the Year of the Rabbit. (If you’re Vietnamese, it’s the Year of the Mouse.)
If you ever feel like you want to draw—like literally draw something like this on your face—map it out with a nude pencil. A lip liner is a really good product to do that with. That way, you get an idea of what the finished product will look like. Then, you can go over with any colors you choose. You’re not just winging it, and it’s easy to clean up if you make a mistake.
When you’re working with cream or liquid products, refrain from using powder products until you’re completely finished. Otherwise, if you do a layer of cream and then go on top of powder then another layer of cream, you will be making dough on your face. We don’t want cake for our faces. When you’re done, set with a really good setting spray to melt all that powder into your face and lock everything in place.
Do you want to talk more about being Vietnamese-American and what that means to you?Within Asian culture, we’re really big on the fantasy of things, anything to communicate a story. Everything has to have a purpose, as far as the visuals go. That’s really big for me. It doesn’t matter if I’m doing a soft makeup, a bridal, or a really crazy editorial look, I always want to communicate a feeling. I call it “the fantasy." When you put on makeup, what is your fantasy? Let’s say today I feel like I want to do a soft, dewy, and glittery look. The fantasy is the ethereal feelings. I see it in my head and I want to communicate that with the way I do makeup. I definitely identify as Vietnamese-American. I am first and foremost Vietnamese, but thank you to America for nurturing me and giving me opportunities and the freedom of expression. I am pretty much Americanized, but it’s really important for me to highlight my heritage and culture. It’s really important to really educate people about different cultures because it opens up your horizons. You see things from a different perspective. Even within Vietnamese vs. Chinese culture, there are a lot of differences. |
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Is there anything you’d like to add or anything you’d like people to know about Tét/LNY?
For my fellow Asians who celebrate LNY, you know exactly what to do. Go eat, go celebrate your friends, exchange those red envelopes, and lean on your chosen family if you’re not around your family. Use this time to manifest good things for this year and the coming years. Spend time with your loved ones.
For the folks who don’t know about LNY or don’t celebrate it, use this time to give good wishes to each other. Lift one another up. Share gratitude and love for one another, and use this time to uplift your Asian friends.
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