As a custom, after the 25th day of Tet, when the ancestors' offerings are finished, people in the West gather to clean the bronze incense burner, tidy up the altar, and decorate their houses.
Cleaning the bronze incense burner for Tet not only makes the items on the altar beautiful and clean, but is also an opportunity to educate children and grandchildren about their roots and ancestors - Photo: THANH HUYEN
In the Southern countryside, we can easily see the image of incense burners and candlesticks placed in the most solemn place on the family altar. Depending on the economic situation of each family, the size and material of the incense burners are different. However, the common point is that they all show the respect of descendants to the deceased.
The bronze incense burner set is exquisitely crafted. The motifs vary from place to place, but the lid usually has a unicorn. The bronze incense burner set usually comes with a pair of candlesticks or a small incense burner.
No matter how busy people are during Tet, cleaning and polishing bronze incense burners is always a top priority. Around the 25th of Tet, families start cleaning their incense burners. To keep the bronze incense burners as bright and beautiful as new, each era has its own secret.
There are bronze incense burners that have been passed down for many generations and are considered "treasures" by the homeowner.
Mr. Do Van Nghiep, Ly Van Lam commune, Ca Mau city, said that at the end of the year, children in the family often take the incense burners down to clean, usually with rice husks and soap, some people soak the incense burners in alcohol to make them shiny.
According to folk beliefs, the shine of the bronze incense burner not only shows the filial piety of descendants to their ancestors, but also has a very important meaning in the first days of the year.
Mr. Nguyen Thai Thuan, Ly Van Lam commune, said that cleaning bronze incense burners looks simple but is no less important, it cannot be done carelessly but must be done with respect and dignity.
Because he did not want the incense burner to corrode, Mr. Nguyen Thai Thuan chose to clean it at home.
No matter how, cleaning the incense burner for Tet always has a sacred meaning every spring. It not only helps to make the house more tidy, but also preserves a long-standing tradition in the Southern land.
According to Mr. Ta Hoang Nguyen - Ca Mau City, cleaning the bronze incense burner for Tet is an indispensable task in the last days of the year. Mr. Nguyen said that he can only clean the bronze incense burner once a year because he has sent his grandparents away on the 25th, at this time the altar will no longer have the souls of his grandparents, so he can clean it freely.
Cleaning the incense burner cannot be rushed, but must be done slowly and carefully to recall memories with grandparents and also an opportunity to guide children in the family to live with respect for their roots and filial piety.
Although many places now have incense burner cleaning machines, many people still prefer to clean their incense burners at home. Not necessarily to save money, but cleaning it yourself will help the incense burner wear less, stay shiny longer, and also show your gratitude to your ancestors.
Before "inviting" the bronze incense burner to be cleaned, it is necessary to offer food to the ancestors.
For those who are busy or inexperienced, they can take the bronze incense burner to the market and hire a worker to clean and polish it. Each bronze incense burner and lamp stand, depending on the size and complexity of the details, takes one to two hours to polish, and the price ranges from a few tens to hundreds of thousands of dong.
According to the incense burner cleaners, polishing a set of bronze incense burners requires many steps, of which polishing is the most difficult, because just a little carelessness can ruin the whole set. With large, intricately carved incense burners, which the homeowner considers a family heirloom, the craftsman must be even more careful, because if an accident occurs, even if there is money, it will not be enough to compensate.
Mr. Ngo Chi Tam, Ward 2, Ca Mau City, said that cleaning the incense burner with a machine is much less labor-intensive than doing it manually. However, cleaning with a machine requires care because a small mistake can scratch the incense burner.
Cleaning incense burners is hard work and requires concentration and care. Every day, Mr. Chi Tam earns about 2 million VND.
Whether hired or done yourself, cleaning incense burners for Tet is still a beautiful traditional custom that shows filial piety towards deceased grandparents.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tet-ve-danh-bong-lu-dong-nho-thuong-nguon-coi-20250125095631199.htm
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