Unique experience of making humpbacked banh chung at Tay Thien Festival

Tay Thien Festival, taking place at Tay Thien scenic relic site (Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc ), is one of the most important traditional festivals in the Northern midland region.

Not only does the festival have spiritual significance, commemorating the Mother Goddess of Tay Thien Lang Thi Tieu, it is also an opportunity for the community to review traditions through many unique cultural activities, including the humpback banh chung wrapping contest.

Humpback Chung cake is a characteristic of the people of the midlands, different from the traditional square Chung cake.

Instead of being square, the humpback banh chung has a slightly raised back, symbolizing the sturdy posture of the mountain people.

Not only does this cake symbolize abundance and prosperity, it also represents the spirit of solidarity and the ingenuity of those who wrap it.

Every year at the Tay Thien festival, there is a contest to wrap humpbacked Chung cake, Gio cake, and Giay cake to recreate the activity of making offerings to the Tay Thien Mother Goddess; at the same time, honoring the traditional cultural values of the nation; arousing pride in history and creativity in labor and production.

From there, contribute to preserving and promoting the unique values of the cultural heritage of the Hung Kings period and the Tay Thien Mother Worship belief.

Like every year, preparations for this year's banh chung, banh gio, and banh giay wrapping contest have received attention and preparation from local women's unions and authorities.

From selecting contestants, ingredients to make cakes as well as finding ways to present unique and impressive entries.

The contest usually gathers teams from many communes, wards and craft villages in the province. Each team has 3-5 members, including elderly people who are knowledgeable about the craft of wrapping cakes and young people who want to learn.

The ingredients for making the cakes include sticky rice, green beans, pork belly, dong leaves and giang strings. Teams have a certain amount of time to complete the required number of cakes.

The judges will evaluate based on the beauty of the cake, the firmness of the wrapping, the harmonious ratio of fillings and the evenness of cooking after boiling.

The atmosphere of the competition is always lively and bustling from early morning. The nimble hands of selecting leaves, washing rice, arranging stuffing and tying strings show dexterity and sophistication.

Not only the elderly, but also young people and teenagers are excited to participate, continuing the tradition.

Many tourists are also invited to experience wrapping the cakes themselves, contributing to creating a connection between the community and tourists from all over.

The humpback banh chung wrapping contest is not only a playground but also has profound cultural significance.

In the modern context, when many traditional customs are gradually fading away, the contest helps preserve precious values.

The elders have the opportunity to pass on the secret of making banh chung to the younger generation, ensuring that this cultural beauty is not forgotten.

Besides, the contest also plays an important role in promoting local specialties.

Vinh Phuc's humpbacked banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) with its delicious flavor and unique shape has become a meaningful gift that tourists often look to buy after attending the festival.

Thanks to that, not only preserving tradition, the contest also contributes to promoting the local economy through tourism and specialty production.

In addition to its cultural value, the humpbacked banh chung wrapping contest also helps increase the appeal of the Tay Thien Festival.

Tourists come here not only to burn incense and enjoy the scenery, but also to experience the vibrant festival atmosphere and learn about the traditional beauty of Vinh Phuc people. This creates a special highlight, contributing to the development of spiritual tourism combined with cultural tourism.