Every Lunar New Year, ethnic groups in Cao Bang prepare offerings and worshiping objects for the New Year's feast with their own cultural identities.
As the two ethnic groups with the largest population in Cao Bang, accounting for about 70% of the total population, the Tet feasts of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups have many similarities. On the afternoon of the 30th of Lunar New Year, every family is busy preparing food for Tet. The most important thing is to have a castrated chicken to worship the ancestors. The Tay and Nung people in some localities may offer ducks instead of chickens.
In addition, the Tet tray cannot lack dishes such as: Lap xuong, khau nhuc, fried fish, boiled or fried pork belly, five-color sticky rice, vermicelli soup... Besides the dishes, cakes such as: Banh chung, banh khao, khau sli, che lam... are also indispensable on the altars of Tay and Nung families; in addition, they are also served to invite guests to celebrate Tet with the family.
Ms. Doan Thi Yen, Tay ethnic group, Nuoc Hai town, Hoa An district shared: On the 30th night of Tet, my family will worship duck, and from the 1st to the 3rd day, we will worship chicken, usually a castrated chicken. Currently, many customs and worship rituals of the people in the mountainous areas of Cao Bang have also learned from the advances of the people in the lowlands, so the arrangements and preparations are less complicated than in the past.
For the Mong people, they usually celebrate Tet for 3 days but some places celebrate for 6-7 days, so they prepare the Tet feast very thoughtfully and carefully. Near Tet, the women in the family gather around the fire, helping each other prepare sticky rice, pork, dong leaves and wrap banh chung. The boys are in charge of pounding banh day.
For the Mong people, Banh Day is a symbol of love, the steadfast loyalty of men and women, Banh Day also symbolizes the moon and the sun - the origin of humans and all species. The rhythm of pounding rice cakes in families, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, echoes throughout the mountains and forests, making the atmosphere of Tet more bustling and exciting. In addition, Men Men, a dish made from finely ground corn that has been steamed many times, is also an indispensable dish during Tet.
Mr. Hoang Van May, Mong ethnic group, Dai Tien commune, Hoa An district said: Mong people in Dai Tien in recent years have celebrated Lunar New Year on the right day. Well-off families may also slaughter pigs, cows... for Tet offerings. Although our family still has many difficulties and hardships, we always work hard, actively change the structure of crops and livestock, increase production to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. Therefore, this year's crop, my family has more corn and rice to celebrate a warmer and more prosperous Tet.
For the Dao people, a month before Tet, families prepare pigs, chickens, delicious sticky rice and dong leaves to wrap banh chung. The special feature of the banh chung of the Dao people is that it symbolizes the image of a woman who is hard-working and patient. When wrapping the cake, skillful hands will create a "hunchback" for the cake, so the banh chung of the Dao people is also called "humpback banh chung".
During the busy last days of December, each family will slaughter a pig to prepare food for Tet, the rest will be used as meat to hang in the kitchen to store for the New Year. As for the meat hung in the kitchen for a long time, the longer the meat is left, the fat will be released, the meat will become drier and clearer, then stir-fried with garlic leaves.
Stuffed tofu is also a typical dish of the Dao people. White tofu is stuffed with minced meat mixed with fish sauce, salt, and green onions and then cooked. In addition, the Dao people in Cao Bang often prepare the men men dish from Mong corn seeds.
In particular, the Dao people have a specialty, which is corn wine with leaf yeast. This type of wine is made from local corn kernels, aged for a long time with leaf yeast and distilled in a double boiler, producing a clear wine with an alcohol concentration of 30 - 35 degrees, both fragrant and thick, making the drinker drunk without realizing it.
For the Lo Lo people, on the last day of the old year, everyone will clean their houses to prepare for the new year's fortune and organize a family reunion meal. The men in the family are responsible for catching pigs and chickens to prepare dishes for the New Year's Eve meal. The Lo Lo people believe that when entering the new year, the house must not only have corn and rice but also have a lot of firewood and water - a symbol of a prosperous year of business.
On New Year’s Eve, the family sent someone to fetch water from the village’s spring to knead the dough and make sticky rice cakes. This type of cake is also wrapped in dong leaves, similar to banh chung. The color of the cake is very special because the rice is soaked in water from leaves taken from the forest, giving it a dark gray color.
According to the Lo Lo people's belief, the meal to worship ancestors and gods must be prepared from natural foods or foods made by hand, to show respect to ancestors and the land god to ward off evil spirits, risks, and bring good luck in the new year.
Cao Bang currently has 7 main ethnic groups living together. Each ethnic group has its own distinct cultural identity that is preserved to this day. In particular, the customs of celebrating Tet and the taste of Tet dishes of many ethnic groups are preserved intact to this day. On Tet, family members and relatives gather around the table, enjoying traditional dishes of their ethnic groups, contributing to increasing solidarity, contributing to creating a richer and warmer taste of Tet in the highlands.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/huong-vi-mam-co-ngay-tet-cua-cac-dan-toc-o-cao-bang-10299103.html
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