Goi Market, Choi Market on Tet holiday...

It has become a tradition that every year on the 19th and 20th of December, people in Huong Son (Ha Tinh) eagerly go to Goi and Choi markets. At those traditional markets, people seem to find their childhood again and enjoy rustic gifts from the countryside.

How many generations of Huong Son people have been attached to the countryside markets during Tet?

For the Huong Son people, the Goi market (also known as the buffalo market, held on the 19th of December) in An Hoa Thinh commune and the Choi market (also known as the cow market, held on the 20th of December) in Tan My Ha commune have been part of the lives of generations for many generations. It can be said that these markets are the place to preserve traditional culture, where the children of the homeland can feel the atmosphere of a new spring coming.

My grandmother - a person who has been attached to the rural market for more than 3 decades, recounted that in the past, in addition to selling goods, food, and provisions, on the 19th and 20th of December, people in the area would bring out buffaloes and cows to exchange and trade. From here, the popular name of buffalo market, cow market appeared.

Over time, buffaloes and cows are no longer sold at these markets, but every year, on the 19th and 20th of December, local people gather to go to the market as if to reminisce about the past.

Many products of Huong Son land such as peanut candy, powder candy, orange, incense... are sold at Goi market, Choi market.

Today, Cho Goi and Cho Choi captivate people's hearts with their hometown products such as: oranges, powder candy, peanut candy, cu do, banh ap, banh nep... or bundles of dong leaves, incense buds, chickens, ducks...

And as a habit, from dawn, when the weather was still cold and the night dew was still covering the small paths, the people of my hometown called each other to go to Goi market, Choi market. Each road leading to the market gradually became bustling with the joyful laughter of the women and mothers. It was the lively sound of an early morning, the greetings, the lively conversations, from the stories of shopping for Tet, sowing rice, breaking corn, wrapping cakes, and slaughtering pigs... told to each other by the women and mothers. An exciting atmosphere with the sound of spring seemed to have spread throughout the peaceful countryside.

Half a century of trading at Goi market, Mrs. Lam has witnessed many changes in the traditional market.

Arriving at the market at dawn, everyone quickly walked to the stalls they wanted to buy. There, the vendors had finished arranging their goods, just waiting for customers to come and visit. Next to the pot of still warm banh ap, Ms. Le Thi Lam (An Hoa Thinh commune) shared: “I am 79 years old this year, selling banh ap at Goi market for nearly 50 years. Half a century has passed, I have witnessed many changes in this market. What warms my heart is that the people of my hometown still love this rustic cake and spend time returning to the countryside markets during Tet.”

Traditional markets today are colorful with a variety of goods.

Although there have been many changes in life, Goi market, Choi market and the traditional beauty of going to the buffalo and cow market are still imprinted in the minds of Huong Son people. From the time the market was just a hut, just enough for sellers to display small stalls until the new modern market was built, Huong Son people are still attached to this traditional market.

After many years returning to his hometown on the occasion of the Goi and Choi markets, for Mr. Ho Van Sy (60 years old, a son of Son Ninh commune, currently living and working in Binh Duong province), the atmosphere of the countryside market is still the same as when he was a child. Slowly walking around the market, choosing his favorite childhood gifts, he was moved when he met the cake and candy sellers from the past. Mr. Sy shared: “I am very happy and joyful. For many years, they - the cake and candy sellers - have been here. Even though everyone is in their late afternoon, they still go to the market and sell us our favorite snacks. For many years, the taste of peanut candy and powder candy (also known as scoops) has remained the same, still containing many of our childhood memories”.

For children, Goi and Choi markets are also a source of excitement and anticipation, because only once a year do they get to go to the market, see and buy their favorite snacks. Ms. Ho Phuong Thao (An Hoa Thinh commune) said: "My child is only 6 years old, but every time Tet approaches, he asks his mother when he will go to the Tet market."

Huong Son children eagerly follow their parents to Goi market on Tet holiday.

For Huong Son people, going to Goi and Choi markets is not just about going to the market but also about going out, feeling the bustling atmosphere of Tet or going to find old memories and remembering people from "thousands of years ago". Although society has changed a lot, it seems that at these traditional markets there is an invisible thread that connects village love, neighborhood love, and hometown affection. Going to Goi and Choi markets is also a way for the younger generation to return to their roots with beautiful traditional cultural features.

Mr. Thuy

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nui-hong-song-la/cho-goi-cho-choi-ngay-tet/261402.htm