THE LEGEND OF THE APRICOT TREE

The legend of the apricot tree is popular in Vietnam. It’s a favourite story of many young Vietnamese at leisure time. However, with the popularity of the Internet, this legend is mainly told in the countryside.

Apricot trees are very important at Tet also. Though the branches are now used mostly as an ornament, they were originally used to scare off evil spirits.

Once upon a time, there was a huge apricot tree, larger than all the others. The shade from its leaves covered a wide area of the ground below. Two genii, Tra and Uat Luy had chosen it as their home and mercilessly exterminated all the demons and phantoms in the entire area. Because of this, people living in this area were protected from demons.

When the end of the lunar year came, Tra and Uat Luy, like all other divinities, had to go and offer their respects and good wishes to the Emperor of Jade. They left their home for a few days to do this, leaving the people living nearby at the mercy of the evil spirits. The people knew that the spirits were deathly afraid of the big apricot tree where the genii lived, so they each went and picked a branch from the tree and placed it on their door to scare the bad spirits away.

More Popular Legends In Vietnam

– Spreading of Lime Powder Around the House of Tet
– The Legend of The Narcissus
– The Legend of Firecrackers
– The Betel And The Areca Tree
– The Compassionate Protectress of Children
– The Lady of Nam Xuong