GĐXH - Although everyone is busy with many tasks at the end of the year, women still do not forget to put their heart and soul into the offerings to the Kitchen Gods to preserve cultural beauty and connect generations through each dish and custom.
Should the offering tray for the Kitchen Gods be salty or vegetarian?
Every year on the 23rd of December, the Tet atmosphere fills every Vietnamese family with the ritual of worshiping the Kitchen Gods - a traditional custom associated with folk beliefs. On this occasion, good mothers go into the kitchen to show off their skills, making full and meticulous trays of offerings to the Kitchen Gods with sincerity, wishing for a peaceful and prosperous new year.
Whether to make vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings depends on the beliefs of the person performing the ceremony, choosing the ritual that suits their beliefs. The most important thing is that whether offering vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings, the most important thing is still the sincere heart towards grandparents and ancestors. In addition, when praying, you should only pray for "people's peace and prosperity", family peace, warmth and happiness, and not emphasize the issue of wealth.
Although it is not yet December 23, the good mothers have taken turns to "show off" the beautiful offering trays for the Kitchen Gods with many colors and full of dishes to offer incense. Through these offerings, the sisters all want to express their sincerity, thoughtfulness, and meticulousness in worshiping as well as respect for traditions and folk beliefs.
The offering tray for the Kitchen Gods usually includes offerings such as a set of hats and clothes, carp... and vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes. (Photo: Thu Huong Vu)
The beautiful offerings to the Kitchen Gods make everyone admire.
First is the offering tray for the Kitchen Gods of the good mother Dang To Uyen with a full range of savory and sweet dishes. Traditional dishes often seen during Tet such as banh chung, fried pork rolls, boiled chicken, steamed shrimp, fried spring rolls,... are all beautifully prepared and decorated.
Not only stopping at cooking, Ms. Uyen also spent time preparing offerings such as: votive paper, incense, goldfish - the means for the Kitchen Gods to return to heaven. In addition, Ms. Uyen also prepared a vase of fresh flowers with wine red color symbolizing luck and prosperity. Through each small step, Ms. Uyen wants to send prayers for the family to always be peaceful and favorable.
The tray of offerings with a light pink tone brings the freshness and sophistication of the good mother Huyen Thu. Like every year, Thu's family will prepare the offering tray for the Kitchen Gods one to two days in advance so that the Kitchen Gods can go to heaven earlier.
The pink-toned tray of offerings includes: a tray of five fruits, boiled chicken, pink xuxe cake, pink coconut sticky rice, fried pork rolls, rose-shaped pork roll, fried shrimp, mixed vegetable and pork roll salad, and kohlrabi and rib soup. In addition, Ms. Thu also prepared carp as a means to send the Kitchen Gods to heaven. The offering tray of offerings to the Kitchen Gods not only shows respect but also has the meaning of wishing the family peace and prosperity.
The tray of food with a gentle pink tone brings the freshness and sophistication of the good mother Huyen Thu. (Photo: NVCC)
Each family can prepare a suitable offering to the Kitchen Gods. When making the offering, many families are elaborate, even turning on the stove to make it burn brightly, and preparing a full tray of food so that the whole family can be well-fed all year round. Some places keep the custom of placing one offering tray in the kitchen and another offering tray on the altar.
With Ly's meticulousness and ingenuity, the offering tray for the Kitchen Gods did not need to be heated but still 'burned brightly' on the altar. The offerings prepared included traditional Vietnamese dishes: banh chung, sticky rice, chicken, sausage, braised pork, bamboo shoot and vermicelli soup, white wine, cakes and soft drinks.
In addition, indispensable offerings include: Tao Quan's costume, a set of three carps, incense, flowers, five fruits, and betel and areca nuts.
Offering tray for the Kitchen Gods with the main tone being red. (Photo: Chery Ly)
Another beautiful offering tray for the Kitchen Gods with the main yellow tone combined with many interwoven colors. Ms. Linh cleverly brought the idea of squid stuffed with pineapple combined with the red color of cherry tomatoes to highlight the dish. In addition, the tray has stir-fried meat with bell peppers and vegetables, making the tray more attractive.
The creativity in this offering tray is to have nutritious seafood dishes but also not to forget the familiar dishes of Vietnamese Tet such as boiled chicken and fried spring rolls. This shows the beauty of tradition mixed with modernity that always exists in the minds of Vietnamese women.
The offering tray for the Kitchen Gods is both traditional and modern. (Photo: Linh Galen)
To express her respect to the gods and pray for a peaceful, prosperous and happy new year, Ms. Minh Thu prepared a neat and solemn offering tray with delicious dishes: boiled chicken with angel wings, sticky rice with gac fruit, steamed shrimp with coconut, fried squid balls, stir-fried vermicelli with seafood, stir-fried earthworms with kohlrabi, and nutritious mushroom and rib soup.
Colorful offerings to the Kitchen Gods by good mother Minh Thu. (Photo: NVCC)
The highlight of Ms. Tong Hang Nga's offering tray to the Kitchen Gods is the colorful orange carp dumplings. The uniqueness of this type of dumpling attracts a lot of attention from everyone as the Kitchen Gods' offering day (December 23) is approaching.
Offering tray for the Kitchen Gods with delicious dishes and carp dumplings by the good mother Tong Hang Nga. (Photo: NVCC)
One of the most familiar images of the Kitchen Gods’ Tet holiday is the carp. According to legend, the carp is the vehicle that carries the Kitchen Gods to heaven. After completing the rituals, people will release the carp into rivers and ponds; implying that “the fish will turn into a dragon”, the fish will turn into a dragon, the vehicle that carries the Kitchen Gods to heaven.
Besides, according to Vietnamese customs, the image of “carp transforming into dragon” is also a symbol of sublimation, perseverance, overcoming difficulties, endurance… towards success, achieving good things in life.
Netizens are excitedly competing to show off their 'virtual living' corners to celebrate Tet at school.Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/chua-den-ngay-23-chi-em-da-len-hinh-mam-cung-ong-cong-ong-tao-dep-nhu-tranh-khien-ai-cung-tram-tro-172250121114731638.htm
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