The tradition of pounding rice cakes in Truc Phe village.

Every year on the 7th day of the first lunar month, residents of Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district, organize the pounding of sticky rice cakes to offer to the Mother Goddess Temple in gratitude for the merits of the female general Ho Thien Huong. This is a beautiful tradition that has existed for hundreds of years in the locality.

Residents of Zone 1, Hung Hoa Town, gathered at the community center to prepare to make sticky rice cakes.

The tradition of pounding rice cakes in Truc Phe village (now Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district) has ancient origins, stemming from the legend of Saint Mother Ho Thien Huong - a female general during the Hung King era who made many contributions to protecting the country.

In 207 BC, Trieu Da attacked Au Lac. Duc Truy Ca Dinh Cong Tuan (guarding Ke Gio, now Kinh Ke, Lam Thao district) was besieged by enemy troops. Lady Thien Huong (guarding Truc Hoa cave, now Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district) rallied the people to pound cakes and rice to supply Dinh Cong Tuan's troops to break through the enemy's encirclement.

After her death, the people of Hung Hoa town erected a temple and continued the custom of pounding sticky rice cakes to offer to the Holy Mother on the 7th and 8th of January every year. (Scene of the ritual at the Mother Goddess Temple Festival in 2024).

The people pounding the rice cakes are usually young, strong men. While pounding, these men loudly chant the folk verse: “In Truc Phe, there’s a rice cake feast - On the Asian side, mouths open, on this side, pestles pound.”

The pounded rice, once finely ground, is cut into equal-sized blocks using string.

The cakes must be shaped while still hot; the artisans will brush them with chicken fat before beginning to shape them.

The cakes are usually shaped into round or pedestal forms, with a thickness of 5-7 cm.

The artisan must mold and shape the cake so that it is round and smooth, without any broken grains of rice on the surface.

Once the rice cakes are finished, women dressed in formal attire will carry them to the temple to offer to the Holy Mother.

The tradition of pounding rice cakes has become an indispensable spiritual practice, connecting the community's spirituality and preserving a beautiful cultural tradition that endures through time.

Thuy Trang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/tuc-gia-banh-giay-lang-truc-phe-227452.htm