During the Lunar New Year, the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in Quang Tri still maintain the custom of wrapping Banh Beng. This is a custom that has been passed down from ancient times.
During the Lunar New Year, the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in Quang Tri still maintain the custom of wrapping Banh Beng. This is a custom that has been passed down from ancient times.
At the end of the year, when the rice from the fields has been brought back, the atmosphere in the village becomes bustling. That is also the time when the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in Huong Hoa and Dakrong districts (Quang Tri province) wrap Banh Beng to prepare for the Lunar New Year.
On the occasion of Lunar New Year, Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in Huong Hoa and Dakrong districts organize the making of Banh Beng. Photo: Vo Dung.
The main ingredient for making banh beng is sticky rice. The rice is put into a mortar and pounded by boys and girls. The task of making banh beng is usually assigned to mothers and sisters with skillful hands.
The Van Kieu people in Huong Hoa district believe that Banh Beng is a symbol of family affection, love, and the story of the rice god according to their beliefs. Banh Beng also symbolizes the purity of rice - the pearl of heaven; shows the respect and gratitude of the people to the land, to nature; is the love of fellow human beings in the mountains and forests.
Ms. Ho Thi Danh, 62 years old, Van Kieu ethnic group in Trang - Ta Puong village, Huong Viet commune (Huong Hoa district) said that if there is no Banh Beng in the offering tray of Van Kieu people, it is like Kinh people do not have Banh Chung and Banh Tet during the holiday season.
“Families and clans always educate their children to preserve their ethnic traditions. Preserving banh beng means preserving culture, and as long as there is Van Kieu culture, there will be Van Kieu people,” Ms. Danh shared.
Ms. Kan Nghe, a Pa Ko ethnic in Cu Tai village, A Bung commune (Dakrong district), believes that Banh Beng represents the love and respect of the people for the rice god. When harvesting rice from the fields, one must be grateful to the rice god, this has always been maintained by the Pa Ko people. The best rice grains are pounded into rice, wrapped into cakes to offer to the rice god, first to thank him, then to hope that the god will help the next season the trees have many fruits and the rice plants have many grains.
Banh beng is a typical symbol of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people. Photo: Vo Dung.
There are many legends about the origin of banh beng. Some people say that, long ago, in the middle of the Truong Son mountain forest, where trees were dark and there were many wild animals, there lived two orphaned sisters who loved each other very much. One day, the older sister went into the mountains and never returned. The younger sister missed her sister and cried until her eyes ran dry. From the rice plants the two sisters planted, the younger sister peeled the rice grains, used sticky rice to wrap the cake and waited for her sister to return. The green color of the banh beng symbolized the younger sister's hope, the white sticky rice grains symbolized the pure, innocent heart of a person. That is why, when wrapping banh beng, people do not use fillings or pistils, only large, round, white sticky rice grains.
Elder Gia Huong, 92 years old, Van Kieu ethnic group, in Ta Lao village, Ta Long commune, Dakrong district, said that long ago in the village there was a young couple who lived next to each other, they were close since childhood. The young man was tall with dark skin like ironwood, the young woman had long hair like a stream, skin as white as rice grains. The young man fell in love with the young woman but the young woman only saw him as her older brother. The young woman loved the young man from the neighboring village.
Banh beng is an indispensable specialty on the trays of offerings of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people. Photo: Vo Dung.
Before the wedding day, the young man expressed his sadness to his mother. Loving her son, the young man's mother used forest leaves to wrap sticky rice to cook cakes and then said to the young man: I know your heart, but the love of the girl you love is pure as a spring, fragrant as rice grains, she sees you as an older brother, so you should also see her as a younger sister. I wrapped these cakes to express that, bring them to your younger sister. On the night of the girl's wedding, the young man brought the cakes to her house as his mother told him to. Along the way, the young man absentmindedly looked at the steaming cakes, his eyes stinging, his mouth muttering, tomorrow she will be married...
Banh beng is a typical product and cuisine.
Banh beng is one of the typical products and cuisines in the life of Pa Ko and Van Kieu people in the mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and Dakrong. Banh beng creates a special flavor for life. It is a cultural tradition, a bridge between people, between people and nature, the earth and sky, especially during holidays.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/banh-beng-bieu-tuong-dac-trung-cua-dong-bao-pa-ko-van-kieu-d418944.html
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