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 hard 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 during the Tet holiday.

People with good economic conditions often hire cleaning services to clean their houses from the first days of the 12th lunar month. Officials and civil servants with lower salaries often clean their houses on weekends. Farmers have more time, usually waiting until the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, when Ong Cong and Ong Tao 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 clean. Everything seems to be dressed in 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 burner will be burned and released into the river to make way for new incense burners. After cleaning and washing, the altar will be rearranged and beautifully decorated with a fruit tray, a vase of fresh flowers and various scents. The more neatly and thoughtfully the altar is arranged, the more the homeowner will feel secure and confident in a peaceful new year with lots of luck because they believe that their ancestors will return and bless their descendants.

Tomb sweeping is a cultural practice maintained by people in all regions of Ha Tinh 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 of 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" in 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 the 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 New Year is a cultural feature that has been maintained and preserved for generations in Ha Tinh homeland. 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 the New Year 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 raw materials such as sticky rice, green beans, pork to prepare to wrap Chung cakes. The square Chung cake molds, stained with time every year, are taken out from the kitchen cupboard, still regularly producing neat Chung cakes under the skillful hands of family members. To save time and increase the spirit of solidarity and joy of the villagers, several houses next to each other will organize Chung cake wrapping together. The laughter of adults, the chirping of children around the pile of Chung cakes, getting louder and louder, seem to dispel the cold of the days before Tet. Pots of Chung cakes boiling over the red fire and 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 birth and upbringing of parents. Moreover, this is also an occasion for the whole family, young and old, 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 the 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 the hands and minds of people, many beautiful flowers for Tet have been grown right on Ha Tinh land, enough to supply all regions. In the harmonious atmosphere of spring, colorful flower vases, lush flower pots 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 subtlety of the soul and carrying the profound meaning that spring will bring fortune. The Tet flower market is colorful and varied, but families often choose from the following types: Nhat Tan peach blossoms, faded peach blossoms, kumquat blossoms, 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 enthusiastically carried out by people. Around the 20th of December, each house has completed erecting 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 the new year with peace and happiness.

Nguyen Hang

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