December of Ha Tinh people

In the days before Tet, the bustling atmosphere spreads throughout the streets of Ha Tinh. People are busy completing the work of the old year but do not forget to prepare for a full Tet with traditional beauty.

Sacred origin

Every year, when December comes - the last month of the year, Ha Tinh people are busy cleaning their houses to prepare for Tet. After a year of busy work with many worries, everyone wants their house to be swept and cleaned to welcome the new year with luck and peace.

House cleaning services are in high demand every Tet holiday.

People with good economic conditions often hire cleaning services to clean their houses from the beginning of the 12th lunar month. Officials and civil servants with lower salaries often clean their houses on weekends. Farmers have more time, often waiting until the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, when the Kitchen Gods have returned to heaven, to start cleaning. Every corner of the house is cleaned, furniture is taken out to be washed and arranged neatly. Tables and chairs are polished and cleaned. Everything seems to be wearing a new, clean coat, waiting for Tet.

In addition to cleaning the house, cleaning the altar is very important to people because it is the place to worship and remember ancestors, and is also the most sacred place in the Vietnamese home. Therefore, despite being busy with a thousand things, when Tet comes, Ha Tinh people always arrange to spend time to clean the altar so that it is really clean.

The old incense bowl will be burned and set adrift on the river to make way for the new incense. After cleaning and washing, the altar will be rearranged and beautifully decorated with a fruit tray, a vase of fresh flowers and various types of incense. The more neatly and thoughtfully the altar is arranged, the more secure and confident the homeowner will be in a peaceful and lucky new year because they believe that their ancestors will return and bless their descendants.

Tomb-sweeping is a cultural feature that people in all rural areas of Ha Tinh have maintained from generation to generation during the Lunar New Year. Photo: Dan Tri Newspaper.

After finishing cleaning and decorating the house, people will go to clean and visit the graves of their grandparents and ancestors to show their respect and remembrance for the deceased. This is a cultural feature that people in all regions of Ha Tinh have maintained from generation to generation during the Lunar New Year, called "tomb sweeping" for short.

The essence of tomb sweeping is to clean the graves or "houses" of the deceased to make them clean and tidy and invite them to celebrate Tet with their descendants. On Tet, descendants, even if they work far away, will try to visit the graves every Tet holiday. The custom of tomb sweeping usually takes place from the 10th to the 25th of the 12th lunar month, but in my hometown Thach Dai commune, it is often bustling from the 18th to the 25th of the 12th lunar month. On this occasion, the cemetery is often bustling with people coming to weed and repaint the ancestors' graves as well as the surrounding walls.

My husband's Nguyen Van clan is a large clan in Ha Tinh city. Every year, my husband joins his uncles and aunts in the clan to visit the graves. Near Tet, the patriarch will set a date for the grave-sweeping ceremony. On the right day, family members will send representatives to gather at the ancestral graves to visit the graves together with utmost respect. After a hard day's work, everyone will gather at the patriarch's house to summarize the family's work in the old year and discuss and assign tasks for the clan before, during and after the Lunar New Year.

Green sticky rice cake, fatty meat, pickled onions...

Wrapping green Chung cake on the occasion of the traditional Tet holiday is a cultural feature that has been maintained and preserved for generations in Ha Tinh. Because it not only shows the sincerity when offering the Chung cake to ancestors symbolizing gratitude after a year of favorable weather, but also prays for a lucky new year, all things go smoothly. Every time Tet comes, everyone gathers together on a mat spread in the middle of the yard to wrap Chung cake and then huddles around the red fire next to the pot of steaming Chung cake, a very familiar, warm and beautiful image.

Pots of banh chung boiling over a red fire and red cheeks have become a dear memory for many generations...

Around the 26th of Tet, Ha Tinh market is bustling, crowded with people shopping for Tet. Mothers and grandmothers invite each other to buy dong leaves, giang tubes and other ingredients such as sticky rice, green beans, and pork to prepare to wrap banh chung. The square banh chung molds, stained with time, are taken out of the kitchen cupboard every year, still regularly producing even banh chung under the skillful hands of family members. To save time and increase the spirit of solidarity and joy of the villagers, a few houses next to each other will organize to wrap banh chung together. The laughter of adults and the chirping of children around the stacks of banh chung get louder and louder, as if to dispel the cold of the days before Tet. The pots of banh chung boiling on the red fire and the red cheeks have become a dear memory of many generations.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luc - Head of Linh Tan residential group, Thach Linh ward (Ha Tinh city) shared: “Every year on Tet, my family organizes Chung cake wrapping on the 27th day of Tet to worship our ancestors, showing the heart of “drinking water, remembering the source”, remembering the great and immense gratitude of our parents for giving birth and raising us. Moreover, this is also an opportunity for the whole family, young and old, big and small, to gather together, work and chat after a busy year. This year we plan to wrap more cakes than last year, both to burn incense on the altar and for the children to take with them after Tet holiday. My youngest child is currently studying at university far from home, holding a Chung cake prepared by their parents, their hearts will feel warmer”.

More brilliant spring days

Although it is a land of sun and wind with harsh climate, thanks to human hands and minds, many beautiful flowers for Tet have been grown right on Ha Tinh land, enough to supply all regions. In the harmonious atmosphere, the land and sky come to spring, colorful vases of flowers, pots of flowers and fruits from gardens and other places are displayed and sold on major roads to bring spring colors to every home...

The hobby of playing with flowers and ornamental plants during Tet has become an art, expressing the sophistication of the soul and carrying the profound meaning that spring will bring fortune. The Tet flower market is colorful but families often choose from the following types: Nhat Tan peach blossoms, faded peach blossoms, kumquats, apricot blossoms, ornamental grapefruit, lilies, orchids...

The poles not only make the streets bright and magical at night but also contribute to preserving the traditional beauty of the nation...

In addition to displaying flowers, the custom of erecting a pole on Tet holiday is also actively carried out by people. Around December 20, each house has completed the erection of a pole about 5m high with the pole top decorated with flashing lights in the shape of a five-pointed yellow star or a flag; the body is wrapped with flashing lights in various colors, looking extremely beautiful. When night falls, passersby will be able to admire the sparkling, brilliant poles reaching high into the deep sky, illuminating the whole area. The custom of erecting a pole in front of the house on Tet holiday aims to eliminate bad things of the old year, protect people's peaceful life and welcome a new year of peace and happiness.

Nguyen Hang

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nui-hong-song-la/thang-chap-cua-nguoi-ha-tinh/260170.htm