Tet Nguyen Dan is a holiday with profound meaning, an occasion for people to reunite with their families, return to their hometowns and remember their ancestors. Through many historical changes and no matter how Tet today changes, this beautiful tradition will remain forever in the lives of Vietnamese people...
The atmosphere of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year usually begins on the 23rd of December (also known as the Kitchen Gods' Festival). From that time on, everyone tries to finish everything, return home to decorate, shop, and welcome their loved ones back to gather, reunite, and welcome the spring atmosphere after a year of hard work.
“Going home for Tet” is not a common concept of going or returning, but a journey back to the roots, the place where one was born and raised. Only those who have to go far away remember and appreciate every moment of returning to their loved ones during Tet - the moments when the whole family gathers to wrap banh chung, watch the pot of banh chung by the red fire and count down to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year.
By the red fire, family affection is lit up
The custom of wrapping Chung cake on Tet holiday has become a unique cultural feature, deeply imprinted in the minds of Vietnamese people. Through many generations, the green Chung cake is not only a dish but also a sacred symbol, closely associated with the good traditional values of the nation.
The Tet atmosphere is filling every street corner, village road, and alley as people light fires to boil banh chung to welcome the coming spring.
Tet begins a new year with the best things, wishing for a peaceful, lucky and successful year. For children, December is a long month, counting down the days until Tet. There are so many happy and exciting things waiting for them, the most anticipated thing is wrapping Chung cake and Tet cake with their family and staying up with the adults to watch over the pot of cakes.
The green banh chung symbolizes the earth, the sky, and people, representing the harmony between humans and nature. The square shape of the banh chung symbolizes the earth, the green color of the dong leaves symbolizes the sky, and the filling symbolizes people. Through this, Vietnamese people express their gratitude to the earth and sky, wishing for a peaceful and happy new year.
Amidst the modern pace of life, the custom of wrapping banh chung for Tet is still preserved and maintained. Many families, despite being busy, still wrap and boil banh chung themselves.
To make the cakes, everyone works together to cut leaves, place molds, and pour rice... The skillful hands of the elderly meticulously select the fresh dong leaves, while the children eagerly pick up the plump sticky rice grains. Everyone eagerly waits for the cakes to be cooked, exuding the fragrant aroma of Tet.
On the days before Tet, that common yard was noisy and bustling from early morning until late at night. Here people were washing rice, there they were sifting beans. In one corner they were scrubbing leaves, in another corner they were splitting bamboo strips. Then they were chatting, then arguing, then teasing, then shouting... it was truly as joyful as Tet.
Banh chung is a traditional cake for Lunar New Year. The main ingredients of banh chung are sticky rice, green beans, pork and are wrapped in dong leaves.
The aroma of dong leaves mixed with the sweetness of sticky rice and fatty meat spread throughout the space, bringing back many childhood memories. The cheerful laughter, the rustling of falling leaves, the sound of boiling water... all created a warm, family symphony. Every time the banh chung was taken out, everyone cheered with delight, enjoying the hot, delicious cakes together.
All ingredients for making banh chung are carefully selected. When wrapping, it must be wrapped tightly. When boiling, you also need to watch closely so that the cake is just cooked.
Spreading traditional Tet culture
In the spring weather, warmed by the smoky fire from the pot of banh chung boiling on the back porch, the whole family sat together for many hours waiting to enjoy the first hot banh chung when it was just cooked. The interesting thing was that the whole family gathered around the pot of banh chung with many stories of a year of hard work, along with many daily gossips. Grandparents and parents told their children and grandchildren about the meaning of banh chung, about the family's tradition of wrapping the cake. The children listened attentively, their eyes sparkling with delight.
Cooking banh chung is an occasion for many generations to gather together.
Banana leaves and dong leaves are green like the green of the fields, like the green of the mountains, forests, villages, and bamboo hedges. Pure white sticky rice is the essence of the fields, a pearl given by heaven. Pork pieces raised by mothers are a thousand-year-old tradition passed down from our ancestors. The flexible bamboo strings that tie the leaves with the rice and stuffing are also likened to the ropes that tighten the bonds of brotherhood, kinship, friendship, and close relationships.
Outside, spring rain was falling lightly, blue smoke from the kitchen lingered on the roof, the smoke also reluctant to leave the cozy house where cakes were being cooked to prepare for Tet.
By the red fire, feelings become warmer
Dating back to the Hung Kings' time, through many historical changes, the custom of wrapping Chung cakes on Tet holiday is still preserved to this day. In the minds of Vietnamese people, Chung cakes are not simply a traditional dish but have become an extremely unique cultural feature with many meanings about the universe and philosophy of life, expressing family reunion, gratitude to heaven, earth and ancestors. Therefore, in the ancestral worshiping tray on Tet holiday of any Vietnamese family, no matter where they are, there is always a pair of green Chung cakes.
Banh chung not only reminds everyone of a dish that carries the cultural identity of the nation, but also makes each of us appreciate more a sacred product of Tet. Whenever remembering banh chung, people often immediately think of Tet and vice versa. Although modern life today is busier and more prosperous, the cultural tradition hidden in the banh chung on Tet still needs to be passed on to future generations.
