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As is customary every year, on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, families in Ha Tinh showcase their skills in preparing elaborate offerings, including flying and kneeling chickens, with unique displays to present to their ancestors. Chickens offered during the 7th lunar month are an indispensable part of the family's ceremonial feast. Besides chickens decorated with flowers, many places in Ha Tinh create incredibly impressive "chicken feasts."
The offering tray for the ancestors on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is a very solemn ritual. Chicken is the main ingredient on the tray, requiring much effort and usually prepared by the descendants of the family. Along with chicken, sticky rice, rice cakes, glutinous rice dumplings, fruits, etc., are also arranged to create unique offerings.
Every year, on the full moon of the first and seventh lunar months, people in Ha Tinh create unique and eye-catching standing and kneeling chicken sculptures.
At the Tran Doan, Nguyen Trong, and Tran Van clans in Binh An commune, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province, many people were delighted by the eye-catching decorations on the offering trays, with the sacrificial chickens arranged in many unusual and elaborate poses.
To create chickens in various poses, such as flying or kneeling, the cook must be extremely careful and meticulous in selecting the chicken, butchering it, and shaping its posture so that it has a magnificent appearance when served at the feast.
Everyone was amazed by the unique appearance of the offerings, which were stacked high and the sacrificial chickens arranged in elaborate and unusual ways.
With 25 years of experience preparing ceremonial chickens for his family, Mr. Tran Quoc Dung (1972) from Binh An commune, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province, explains the different ways of posing the chickens: "Flying chickens (standing chickens) are more common during the full moon of the first lunar month than the full moon of the seventh lunar month, because standing chickens at the beginning of the year often fly away to seek good fortune. As for the full moon of the seventh lunar month in Central Vietnam, there are often storms and heavy rain, so kneeling chickens are preferred. In addition, the chicken's posture depends on individual preference; making a kneeling chicken is easier than making a standing chicken."
Mr. Tran Quoc Dung has over 25 years of experience in preparing standing and kneeling chicken dishes.
"The whole year is blessed with the full moon of the seventh month, but the whole year is blessed with the full moon of the first month," this proverb has been passed down from our ancestors to the present day.
Before being displayed on the feast table, chickens must be carefully selected, weighing a sufficient amount, possessing a beautiful appearance, and being meticulously and skillfully posed. Completing a single chicken in a standing or kneeling position takes about 3 or 4 hours, and not everyone can do it.
According to experienced chicken vendors in Binh An commune, the chickens chosen for offerings must be very carefully selected. They are sourced from all over the province, and sometimes even ordered from Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, and Hai Phong... months in advance. Only chickens weighing around 4-6 kg are considered ideal.
Chicken kneeling
To make the chicken stand upright on the feast table, people may use long nails to pierce through the chicken's legs so that it can stand firmly.
Choosing a chicken isn't easy; it requires expertise to be able to judge whether a live chicken will look good when posed. The slaughtering and plucking process must be done with extreme care to avoid damaging the chicken's skin. After cleaning, the chicken is posed in flying, kneeling, or standing positions with the help of wire and bamboo strips. The boiling of the chicken and the arrangement of the feast are also very elaborate.
While preparing and arranging the chicken requires meticulous skill and technique, decorating and arranging the feast table demands dexterity. Under the careful hands of the cook, the chicken is decorated in many different ways, such as a chicken standing on a turtle's back, a chicken perched on a banana tree trunk, a chicken holding a flower in its beak… Along with the chicken, sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh dày), fruits, betel nuts, etc., are also used to decorate the multi-tiered feast tables, creating a grand, rich, and highly artistic display.
With skillful hands, not only are sacrificial chickens shaped into novel poses, but descendants of the clan have also come up with unique ways of arranging them, such as chickens holding flowers in their beaks, chickens standing on turtles, chickens perched on peach or apricot branches… leaving many people in awe.
The Tran Doan, Nguyen Trong, and Tran Van families are among those in Binh An commune who have the custom of preparing "flying chicken" feasts on important occasions such as Tet (Lunar New Year), the full moon of the first and seventh lunar months, and the inauguration of the family ancestral temple. Besides demonstrating the dedication, skill, and reverence of their descendants towards their ancestors, the custom of arranging the offering trays and stacking the food is a distinctive cultural feature of the people of Ha Tinh, providing an opportunity for descendants to gather and reunite after a year of working far from home.
"Chickens used for banquets must be carefully selected. Choosing a chicken isn't easy; it requires expertise to be able to judge whether a live chicken will look good when posed. The process of slaughtering and plucking must be done with extreme care to avoid damaging the chicken's skin and color," said Mr. Tran Quoc Dung.
To create a standing chicken on a platter, in addition to common chicken-preparing tools like knives and razor blades, one must also equip themselves with long nails, bamboo splints, and string to secure the desired chicken position before boiling. Besides skill, the person preparing the chicken also needs experience to avoid tearing the chicken's skin, paying particular attention to the bloodletting process to prevent the boiled chicken from turning dark and unsightly.
Along with chicken, sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh dày), fruits, betel nuts, etc., are also used to decorate the multi-tiered, elaborate, rich, and highly artistic feast trays.
If preparing and arranging the chicken requires meticulous skill and technique, then decorating and setting up the offering tray is equally challenging. The most skillful and careful individuals are chosen to arrange the tray, layer the items, and decorate the ancestral hall.
Offering chicken to ancestors during the full moon of the seventh lunar month has long been a cultural tradition for many families and clans in Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province. Over the years, the practice of creating elaborate chicken displays such as flying, kneeling, or standing with flowers in their beaks has been a focus of the local people.
