The offerings for the opening ceremony are abundant, but prices have increased slightly.

People flocked to buy offerings for the spring festival ceremony. Photo: Thanh Phuc

On the afternoon of January 27th (the 6th day of the first lunar month) and the morning of January 28th (the 7th day of the first lunar month), many people crowded the local markets to buy offerings for the opening ceremony of the new year. Especially at shops and stalls selling votive paper, fresh flowers, fruits, betel nuts, etc., people jostled to make their purchases.

According to observations, at the markets, goods for people to buy for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations are abundant and diverse, with prices remaining relatively stable. Fruit is the most popular item. Vendors have imported a wide variety of fruits in large quantities. Compared to the period before and during Tet, fruit prices remain stable: longan, pomelo, and star apple at 70,000 VND/kg; oranges and red dragon fruit at 60,000 VND/kg; watermelon at 30,000 VND/kg; and custard apple at 110,000 VND/kg…

Abundant fruits and fresh flowers are available to meet the needs of the people. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Ms. Tran Thi Phuong, a fruit vendor at Vinh Market, said: “Starting from the third day of Tet, we imported various fruits to serve people offering them during the Tet holiday. As a result, demand has gradually increased from the third day until now, especially on the seventh day, when sales surged, 3-4 times higher than usual. Prices have generally not increased significantly.”

Green bananas are a best-selling fruit at this time of year. Many seasonal vendors are taking advantage of the opportunity to stock up on large quantities of big, beautiful bunches of bananas to serve their customers. Banana prices have also cooled down compared to the Lunar New Year period. Each bunch ranges from 50,000 VND to over 150,000 VND.

The stalls selling votive offerings were also very crowded with customers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Along with fruits, fresh flowers such as yellow and white chrysanthemums are in high demand during this period. The price of chrysanthemums ranges from 6,000 to 8,000 VND per stem, a decrease of 2,000-3,000 VND per stem compared to the Lunar New Year. The price of betel nuts and leaves has also cooled down somewhat compared to the Tet holiday, but remains high due to limited supply. Each plate of betel nuts and leaves (1 betel nut and 1 betel leaf) costs from 13,000 to 20,000 VND, depending on the quality of the betel nut.

Popular items during this time of year are glutinous rice balls (bánh trôi) and sweet soup with areca flower (chè hoa cau). At Hung Dung Market (Vinh City), a breakfast food vendor, Ms. Truong Thi Mai makes glutinous rice balls and sweet soup with areca flower to sell on the days of the Kitchen God's ceremony, the opening ceremony of the new year, or the full moon day. “From yesterday afternoon until this morning, I’ve sold over 200 cups of rice balls and sweet soup to people celebrating the opening ceremony. Each cup costs 10,000 VND (10 glutinous rice balls) and 12,000 VND (1 cup of sweet soup with areca flower and tapioca pearls).”

Areca flower tea and glutinous rice balls in sweet soup are selling well. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Besides that, items like pork sausage, sticky rice cakes, and roosters for offerings are also quite popular. Therefore, live chickens are more readily available in markets these days than usual, and services preparing chickens for offerings are busier than usual. The price of chicken ranges from 110,000 to 130,000 VND/kg, while older roosters with smooth feathers, long curved tails, and red combs are sold for 150,000 VND/kg.

The service of preparing and delivering offerings for religious ceremonies has also been bustling for several days now. Organic food stores and fruit shops are offering services to prepare and deliver offerings to customers' homes if needed.

Pork sausage is also a popular choice as a savory dish for the New Year's opening ceremony. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Accordingly, the price of each chicken and sticky rice offering ranges from 350,000 to 500,000 VND; each complete offering (including fruit, betel nuts, fresh flowers, tea, banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cake), pork sausage, and paper offerings) costs from 500,000 to 700,000 VND. This service is also quite popular due to its convenience.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, an employee of the company, said: "Due to the nature of my work being quite busy at the beginning of the year, I chose the service of buying and delivering offerings from an acquaintance. They will deliver the offerings to me according to my requirements. I specifically ordered a fruit offering and a chicken and sticky rice offering, totaling 800,000 VND."

The "Khai Ha" ceremony (also known as the "Cung Ha Neu" ceremony, New Year's Thanksgiving ceremony, or "Hoa Vang" ceremony) is held after the Lunar New Year holiday as a ritual to bid farewell to ancestors after celebrating the holiday with their descendants, so that everyone can return to their daily work.

The service of providing complete feast packages for the opening ceremony of the new year is quite busy. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Depending on the economic conditions and customs of each family, the offerings and the date of the New Year's opening ceremony will vary, but everyone tries to prepare meticulously to have a complete and elaborate offering, expressing the sincere respect and gratitude of descendants to their grandparents and ancestors, and praying for a peaceful and lucky year.