Why is there a boiled chicken on New Year's Day, a question that is easy to think but difficult to answer?

Boiled chicken is almost an indispensable thing on every tray, especially on Tet holiday. So why must it be a boiled chicken and not a substitute?

We are no stranger to the image of boiled chicken appearing on offerings. On New Year's day, chickens are also much more carefully prepared with the image of a broiled chicken in the mouth.

It is so familiar to you, will you ever wonder why such boiled chicken "appears on every front"? It turns out that people use this thing in a tray is meaningful.

The first is because chickens are quite easy to find and easy to process - a offering suitable for all families.

In addition, chickens also have many good meanings according to the old concept. Of the 12 armor, chickens are symbolic of aggression and strength. In literature, chickens are said to possess five great virtues: Van, Vo, Dung, Nhan, Tin.

Not only that, according to astrology books, every day for the first 8 days of the new year belongs to a breed. Chickens are on the 1st day of the New Year, so the offerings cannot be missed!

All of these things seem to be enough to make boiled chicken become an indispensable item on the tray. However, mentioning the meaning of chickens and ignoring the folk legends below is flawed.

The story tells that, since the new Jade Emperor created a life under the earth, he had sent 10 suns and nights to illuminate the ground. But the soil was dry and cracked, but the Jade Emperor forgot to collect the Sun, making people and plants miserable because of the drought.

At that time, a brave man who shot the name shot down 9 consecutive suns. The last sun was afraid of flying too high and escaping "especially good". The ground became dark and cold again. People and animals invite each other to call the Sun but no one succeeds.

In the end, only the healthy rooster kept the crowing of the crow, causing the Sun to look down curiously. So once again, the ground is illuminated by the sun again.

So what does it mean to have a tray on Tet? New Year's Eve is considered the most dark time because the Sun hides itself very deeply. Therefore, the house told each other to offer a rooster in the hope that the chicken would awaken the sun to be full of sunshine all year round.

That is the way to express the desire for "favorable wind and harmony" of agricultural residents. Just like that, the chicken became a cultural feature associated with the Sun worship belief of wet rice cultivation.

Today, many Vietnamese families are no longer farming, the story of chicken calling the Sun is not well known. However, the custom of using chickens on trays is still handed down until now.

Not only stopping at the limit of offerings, boiled chicken sprinkled with lemon leaves is also an indispensable item in Vietnamese traditional meals.