'Deciphering' mysterious dishes of cavalry during Tet

Taboo food on Tet does not know ever since but still occupies an important position in the belief culture of the people. People follow customary rules from a very simple one: " There are worship and abstinence, good diet".

North - Central - South abstain

Poet, researcher of folk culture Duong Thuan with rich living capital, recognizes the taboo problem in a rather sharp look: Abstinence comes from many factors, maybe because of eating something happening. not happy many times, the old people experienced the abstinence.

Maybe it was just the taboo of a person, a group of people, but then it became the memory of a community, a people. Even most people do not understand anything about the origin, but then they just abstain from it.

All North - Central - South countries abstain from dog meat on the first days of the year.

All the North - Central - South abstain from eating dog meat, eating squid on the first days of the year because of fear of "black" all year, abstaining from duck meat for fear of spreading the whole year . Quitting the Central People fluffy duck eggs, bream , . for fear of black and brave. Southern people abstain from shrimp because they are afraid to go . backward like shrimps, their jobs will go back year after year, not come and not eat crabs because they are afraid of being like crabs. .

Abstinence dish sometimes comes simply from the deviation reading of each region, as the Southern people abstain from bananas because the sound is misleading (bow down but not up). So the altar of the New Year, the Southern people do not display bananas on five fruits tray. Central people do not choose papaya because the pronunciation of this area sounds like "enough enemies" . Southerners avoid orange because they think "tangerines are doomed" - wrongful all year; abstain from pears for fear of dragging .

Diet of highland people

According to the poet Duong Thuan - a person born and raised in the Northwest mountains, the abstinence of food with highland people is also rich, diverse and behind every diet, there are ancient relics and secrets. own lineage.

For humans, dogs are pets that are not only loyal but also very smart. Therefore, many upland people do not eat dog meat.

When he was alive, Venerable Thich Thanh Tu revealed about this concept that Buddhism does not kill and always cultivates compassion. It is possible that the butcher of meat committed a murder, so at the beginning of the month they went to the temple and asked the Buddha to forgive him.

Going to the temple, we had to take a break from the sale so they thought of it at the beginning of the year, at the beginning of the month, stopped eating dog meat. But taking the first few days of the year, the beginning of the month damages money. To compensate, they spread the news that eating dog meat would solve black at the end of the month.

The Vietnamese people are easy to believe, and the people convey the other's ears and eventually become a permanent concept. This is also an explanation, while there is no more convincing explanation , this reason makes many people believe, follow and dog meat into taboo in the early days and early months.

The Tay and Nung conceive that if they eat gio (ash), they don't know how to love the dead.

The Tay and Nung ethnic people in the family have lost less than 120 days before Tet, as well as the normal day of abstaining from eating cakes . Because when they put the dead into a coffin, they always burn rice, burn corn into a coffin, put it in a coffin about 20cm thick, then put it on it, close the coffin. The Tay and Nung conceive that, if eating gio (ash) is not known to love the lost and the eater is also judged not to be taught.

The Tay and Nung people from the 28th festival to the end of the 3 days of Tet have never spoken loudly to each other. Children who are spoiled also cannot scold, just gently remind. Buffaloes with a burial ground are not allowed to fight, but only to chase away because of the idea that if they beat people and fight things, they will pass on the vitality to that person, that animal. Eating anything is not eaten properly (moderate eating - small amount).

The Tay and Nung also abstain from the fact that guests who come to the house to invite them do not eat , even if they are full, they cannot refuse, do not eat much, eat less. If the guests do not eat, the landlord will think the guests do not value their hearts.

Mong people in Moc Chau, Son La - origin of vegetables in the Northwest - have a habit of abstaining from eating vegetables.

During the 3 days of Tet holiday of the Mong people, especially the Mong people in Moc Chau and Son La - vegetables in the Northwest region - there is a habit of abstaining from eating vegetables. According to the explanation, during the whole year, the Mong people were very hard, so no one had to do anything, just eat and play, enjoy the fruits of the whole year. In their trays, Mong people display only dishes made from pork, absolutely no green vegetables. In these 3 days, the Mong people do not buy and sell, do not spend money, with the belief of retaining wealth, money in the family, women are not allowed to hold needles to sew to have good, beautiful dresses to wear all year.

In Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen has a habit of abstaining from eating chicken heads, especially during Tet . Accordingly, those who have the most important position, the most important guests will be given homeowners to pick up the chicken head to show their love and respect. Many people who do not know the rules and receive this "favor" are frightened but do not eat, they must leave it in the bowl, not to let go.

Duong Thuan poet analyzed: "The Vietnamese people have the phrase" There is a sacred worship, there is a good abstinence "but whether or not the diet is good, there is no specific case to prove the right and wrong of the taboo dishes. However, it must be admitted that, due to early abstinence , the consciousness of every Vietnamese citizen should be abstain from being very good first for the psychology ".

"The new year is the most important moment of the year and often makes a big mark for the whole year, so many people think that the abstinence should not be left. Not eating this will have another alternative The new year kept eating good things with good spirits, good health, doing business accordingly, and the family was also more harmonious and happy, " Duong Thuan said.