Every year, when December comes with its invitations to family reunions, I think of my grandfather and how he instilled the traditional Tet holiday in the hearts of his children and grandchildren, spreading the spirit of welcoming spring to the villagers. The extended family still gathers together, a wonderful model of four generations living together.
Every time I come home, I often look at the family kitchen, as if it were a fairyland, where each member can become the family’s culinary artist. Whenever I see him preparing, washing the cake frames, splitting bamboo strips… I feel the kindness that comes from that. The warmth of Tet also spreads from there.
Over the years, following the river back to the village, I suddenly felt sad thinking about the fading atmosphere of Tet, although the fields, rivers, and sky still welcome spring in the way of generous nature.
Not only in my hometown, but in many places, for many years, people have been rushing to find food and travel everywhere. But when Tet comes, they rush to shop online and book a table. Banh chung is made into a pair to burn incense at the market... and then it becomes Tet. Tet is rare to see the bustling scene of making appointments to help the family wash dong leaves, wrap the cakes, pile up firewood to boil the cakes and wait anxiously for them to be cooked.
The paleness of Tet has happened for more than ten years. Grandma is sad. For more than half a century, he still keeps his love for Tet, wrapping the cakes himself. He said: “Banh chung is not just a dish, but also the soul of Tet. No matter how convenient technology is, it cannot bring joy to Tet. How can technology bring the real taste to New Year's Eve, to the cultural, humane and emotional way of behaving?”. He told his children, in-laws, that he had to do it first, take Tet slowly, and keep the tradition of making banh chung. Then he told his parents and siblings to come back to his side. His extended family kept it first, the village looked at it, and people would surely follow suit.
Talking with the village elders under the old banyan tree, he also cleverly interspersed the story of preserving memories. The elders thought right. The village was prosperous and rich, there was no shortage of food and clothing. Perhaps there was a lack of spirit to welcome spring, a lack of excitement about the days of reunion. The elders also returned to work as their grandfather had done. What was also fun was that many people came to my house to “consult”, to see the wonderful scene of how to prepare for Tet.
My grandfather assigned each person a task, because to make a pot of banh chung, there were many steps. Before that, my mother was in charge of measuring rice, buying meat, my grandmother was meticulous in choosing leaves, finding bamboo strips, my father was in charge of firewood and preparing the pot. Banh chung is made from ingredients familiar to farmers such as sticky rice, pork, green beans, onions, pepper, dong leaves, and bamboo strips. The family would arrange a session to prepare rice, green beans, wash leaves, and slice meat. When gathering to wrap the banh chung, some people would fold the leaves, some would sit and cut the leaves to fit the mold, and my grandfather would be in charge of wrapping the banh chung. The fun part of wrapping the banh chung yourself is that you can make many types of fillings according to each person's taste. So there will be salty banh chung, banh chung with mung bean and meat filling. Then there will be banh chung with sweetened bean filling, banh chay, and tiny banh chung just for children.
Gathering around the pot of banh chung is the most exciting, bonding and enjoyable feeling. Firewood must be added continuously, water must be added continuously. The smell of burning firewood is a bit strong, the smoke is spicy, the crackling sound makes the spring atmosphere even warmer. In the garden, the plum and apricot trees that nature "assigned" the task of beautifying are also exhausted with their bright colors. They look at the homeowner, look at the pot of banh chung, anxiously waiting for spring. That is the way to welcome Tet that the village has, but in a period of fading, thanks to his enthusiasm in evoking memories, the beauty has been preserved. He has kept the fairy tale, the memory not only for us but also for many generations of young people and children in the village. The connection of hands to hands, creating meaningful cakes. That crystallization is not just a meal, but the cake carries the warmth and family affection, wrapping up the bustling laughter of children and adults.
In the past, in my hometown, there was no refrigerator, families often considered the well as a big cupboard. After boiling the cake, they took it out, washed it, and then put it in the well to soak for a few hours. The low temperature in the well helped the cake to "self-preserve", even in humid weather, it would not spoil.
Industrial life passes too quickly. When I return to my home, to the garden with the chirping of birds, life slows down, becomes cozy and peaceful. The things that I cannot find in the noisy world can be found in the kitchen, in the garden, in the hands of my grandfather who has tried to cherish and preserve a "ritual" for everyone to gather and share. After all, the most important thing during Tet is the bustling atmosphere, the jubilant joy!
DIEN KHANH
Hang Trong – Hoan Kiem
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