Offering tray service for the 15th day of the 7th lunar month in Nghe An attracts customers

The Vietnamese custom is to start preparing offerings for the Full Moon Festival around the 10th day of the 7th lunar month, so these days, in the traditional markets, the atmosphere of buying and selling is very busy and bustling. Ms. Nguyen Huyen Trang in Hung Dung ward (Vinh city) said: "This year, the Full Moon Festival falls on Sunday, but my family will worship the Full Moon Festival on the afternoon of the 13th lunar day (Friday) so that we can return to our hometown to burn incense for our ancestors; so I went to the market in advance to buy offerings for the Full Moon Festival including fruits, sticky rice with chicken, sweet soup, and banh troi."

According to Ms. Trang, the price of fruits compared to normal days has increased by 5,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, specifically: Nghe An custard apple costs 45,000 - 50,000 VND/kg (increased by 10,000 VND/kg); yellow melon costs 45,000 VND/kg (increased by 5,000 VND/kg).

Bananas alone cost 50,000-70,000 VND/bunch, big, beautiful ones, odd number of fruits cost 100,000-150,000 VND/bunch (double the normal price). Betel and areca prices are stable, not increasing, ranging from 8,000-10,000 VND/plate; fresh flowers of all kinds have stable prices: white, yellow, colored chrysanthemums 8,000-10,000 VND/flower; lotus of all kinds 50,000 VND/dozen.

At traditional markets, food prices have not fluctuated much despite increased purchasing power. Ms. Le Thi Toan - a meat trader at Quan Lau market, Truong Thi ward (Vinh city), said: "In recent days, the demand for pork has increased because many people are preparing offerings. The price of this item, as well as chicken and beef, has not increased. Only the price of roosters used for offerings has increased slightly, by 5,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, ranging from 130,000 - 140,000 VND/kg."

Prices of seafood products have also “cooled down” compared to before. Accordingly, the price of whiteleg shrimp is from 250,000 VND/kg for 30 shrimp/kg, 280,000 VND/kg for 20 shrimp/kg; black tiger shrimp is 400,000-500,000 VND/kg depending on the type...

In contrast to the prices of meat, shrimp..., the prices of vegetables and tubers are increasing sharply. The reason is that the erratic weather makes it difficult for vegetables to grow, and the limited supply causes prices to increase. According to a survey, the price of lettuce is up to 40,000 VND/kg, squash is 25,000 VND/kg, green onions are 50,000 VND/kg...

In particular, on the occasion of the Full Moon this year, the service of preparing ready-made offerings is very popular. Ms. Tran Thi Kim Dung - owner of a kitchen on Nguyen Tuan Thien Street (Vinh City) said: "Starting from the beginning of the seventh lunar month, the kitchen has received orders to prepare offerings, including vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Accordingly, customers order trays and dishes for the Full Moon worship from the afternoon of the 10th to the afternoon of the 15th, an average of 30-40 dishes per day. As for the trays of offerings to the pagoda, the kitchen is overloaded, we have to mobilize more staff to deliver the orders to customers on time. Our kitchen has to close the order by the 11th of the lunar month and will not accept any more."

Chicken sticky rice tray ranges from 550,000 - 900,000 VND/set; 7-course savory tray costs 700,000 - 1 million VND/tray; vegetarian tray costs 800,000 - 1.2 million VND/tray.

“They prepare the trays beautifully, with enough dishes, and I don’t have time to cook. For many years now, except for Tet, on the full moon of January, Doan Ngo Festival or the full moon of July, I have prepared the trays of food, and the fruits are also arranged on trays, so I just have to offer them on the altar. This year, the price of the trays of food has increased by about 10-20% compared to previous years due to the increase in food prices,” said Ms. Thanh Mai, a resident of Vinh city.

Grasping the needs and tastes of customers, since the end of the sixth lunar month, clean food stores, kitchens, and restaurants have launched the service of offering trays for the Full Moon festival. Customers order trays in advance at a preferential price; if they order immediately, the price is 50,000-100,000 VND higher per tray.

According to establishments that prepare ready-made offerings, most of them stop accepting orders before the 12th day of the lunar calendar due to overload. “Offering trays must be prepared neatly and thoughtfully. Ready-made offerings attract customers thanks to their diverse menus and elaborate, beautiful presentation, so they take a lot of work. Therefore, only limit orders to within your capacity, do not take on too much, as it is easy to make mistakes and affect your reputation,” said Mr. Huu Thang, owner of a kitchen in Hung Loc commune (Vinh city).

On this occasion, on online markets, many people are launching very attractive flower trays, pineapples, and five-color sticky rice, sold at prices ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 VND/tray depending on the size and amount of fruit. The five-color sticky rice trays are meticulously dyed and steamed from sticky rice soaked in butterfly pea flowers, turmeric, gac fruit... and cost from 100,000 to 150,000 VND/tray.