Play house

(Baonghean) - That is also a childhood game. A summer game, in the countryside. Calling it a hut is correct, because that "construction" is both a house and a hut. To put it more simply, it is essentially... a hut, but built according to the model of a house, made by children for play.

Building a hut is relatively simple; but still has to go through almost all the stages like building a real house. First, you have to cut down bamboo or trees (that is, trees with solid trunks - not hollow like bamboo) to build the ribs and roof columns. In the old countryside, trees and bamboo were not rare. The problem is knowing how to estimate and calculate to choose straight trees, of the right size, scale, and proportion so that the hut can be built beautifully and relatively durable (this step is usually for the "master craftsmen" (older) with a lot of experience, aesthetic sense and... strength. The small "assistant craftsmen" can only help with small tasks: gathering trees, sweeping, running to get tools...). To build a hut, you have to choose a flat, clean place (usually under the canopy of old trees). The house columns are dug and buried in the ground. Because the tools for building a house mainly depend on knives and machetes, the beams, rafters, levers, purlins... are all tied together with rattan and banana ropes. But in the end, it is finished, and quite sturdy! The most difficult and time-consuming part is probably the frame of the house. Once the frame is built, the foreman can rest. Now it is officially the job of the assistants. First, they call each other to cut handfuls of dang dinh leaves (a type of palm tree, the leaves can be used to tie brooms) to roof and build the walls. Next, they climb up and pick sầu đâu leaves (xoan leaves) to spread on the floor. Dung dinh leaves are a type of bone leaves, so when dry, they do not shrink much, making the roof and walls empty. sầu đâu leaves are soft, smooth, and do not cause itching or pain; spreading them as cushions on the floor is great for lying or sitting on! Although they are assigned to the "assistant workers", the "foreman" still has to keep an eye on them; Because the roofing and wall erection are not done properly, just a strong wind blowing through can leave only... bare ribs! The final step is decoration. Use a knife or machete to trim off excess leaves. Decorate the house with flowers, leaves and favorite objects (toys). Any decoration must be limited to the roof and walls, and must not take up too much floor space; because the floor of the house is a place for people to sit together in the cool, chat, lie down to read books or take a nap when the owner needs a separate, free "country" where no one can invade or disturb...

Illustration photo - Internet

In my childhood summer memories, finishing the hut meant completing... a big task! Once we were "settled" in the hut, we "assigned roles" to make the game more interesting. The older children played the role of parents, the younger children played the role of children and grandchildren, so that we could become a family. The most interesting thing was the "family meal" that we prepared, using only soil, sand, and leaves to pretend to be the food we used to eat every day, yet every child "pretended" to praise it as delicious and nodded their heads in approval. In the following days, except for the nights when our mother forced us to go inside to sleep, during the day, we children spent most of our time in the hut! That childhood paradise hidden in that cool corner of the countryside garden was truly captivating. Then when we grow up and begin our journey of "building a family and a career", the first time we step through the threshold of the house we built and own, we suddenly realize: that feeling is exactly like the feeling of stepping through the threshold of our stilt house as a child...

Y Nguyen