Chopsticks in Thai life

(Baonghean) - Since ancient times, the Thai people's farming method has alternated between wet rice farming and slash-and-burn farming. After harvesting the upland rice and pounding it into white rice, the Thai people use a steamer to make sticky rice, and store the sticky rice in "eep khau". The eep khau has a special structure consisting of two different compartments, of almost equal size, allowing the two compartments to fit tightly together like a lid when storing sticky rice at the right temperature. Each compartment is woven with two separate layers of rattan, creating an air space, preventing heat from escaping to the outside, keeping the sticky rice warm for a long time, and allowing steam to circulate through so that the sticky rice does not get steamed and become mushy quickly... When eating sticky rice, the sticky rice is squeezed into handfuls, dipped in "cheo" - a special type of sesame salt made by the Thai people, and there are also many different types of "cheo".

However, that has not made the use of chopsticks strange to the Thai people. In Vietnamese proverbs and folk songs, one can find proverbs about chopsticks: Collect chopsticks in a handful, Chopsticks on a red tray, Compare a bunch of chopsticks and choose a flagpole... For the Thai people, chopsticks are not simply utensils for eating and drinking, they also represent a spiritual aspect in daily life and in the cultural beliefs of the community.

Nowadays, Thai people have made many changes in house architecture, clothing and even in chopsticks on the dinner tray. The stilt house is still considered a traditional cultural feature by Thai people and they try to preserve it, but it is only suitable for some people with economic capabilities. Industrially woven clothes are more convenient and durable than dresses made from homegrown and home-woven cotton. As for chopsticks used on the dinner tray, most of them are made by machines, however, the chopsticks whittled by the elderly and sold at the market are still consumed regularly. Nowadays, Thai people also grow rice all year round and use rice like Kinh people; on the dinner tray there are always soups, stir-fried dishes... and using chopsticks has become a matter of course.

The proverb “Moist chopsticks on a red tray” shows the difference and awkwardness in the roles of marriage and male-female relationships - in which the image of a pair of (moldy) chopsticks is criticized as not being compatible with a beautiful tray. In the lyrics expressing the feelings of Thai men, chopsticks are used to compare and glorify the beauty of their lovers. Listen to their song on the night of courtship “Quam púc xoa” (waking up a lover): “Your skin is like a peeled egg/ Like a Muong Thanh grapefruit flower/ Your figure is like a pair of ivory chopsticks or jade chopsticks/ Inlaid with gold and silver, sparkling…”.

The shaman is "casting a spell",

In the ancestral altar during holidays, in the wrist-tying ceremony (hằng văn), or even in the “xăng khan” or “xên bản, xen muông” ceremonies, the shamans or sorcerers who perform the ceremony must not omit the following words of worship to honor the precious chopsticks chosen for use in the altar: “Mi tang thu may hia may hang pong bang/ Thù may hoc may xang pong nen pong xu”. Roughly translated: “These chopsticks are whittled from a beautiful bamboo tree,/ Wittled from a may hoc, may xang tree (of the bamboo family) with straight and slender tubes”.

In particular, with the offering tray tied with a wrist string for a specific person, the chopsticks placed on the offering tray are picked up by relatives such as father/mother or wife/husband, siblings, etc. randomly (only once). If the number of chopsticks is not an odd pair, then the offering can be carried out; otherwise, another relative must come and choose until the number is the same. Choosing the number of chopsticks that is not an odd pair is considered a manifestation of a "mysterious message" from the soul, that the soul of the person being offered is ready to participate in the offering ceremony.

In fairy tales, there are always stories about wizards with magic wands, magic wands... Thai shamans, when performing rituals, also have at least a dozen pairs of "magic wands". In fact, these are their "magic" chopsticks. These chopsticks are smaller and longer than normal chopsticks, made of ebony, horn or other important materials (these materials are sometimes also mysterious and can suppress evil spirits). Shamans use these chopsticks to "magically" perform their shamanic rituals, helping them "decode" information related to shamanic rituals, but they never use these chopsticks for eating and drinking... When performing shamanic rituals, when it comes to the stage where they need to grasp the wishes of the gods, the shaman shakes the tube of magic wands, randomly chooses a part of them, and then holds each pair between his fingers. After doing this a few times, according to their own calculation, the shaman will know the wishes of the gods or the results of the shamanic ritual. If it is not complete, the prayer must be re-read, the missing offerings added, or the number of existing offerings increased, etc., until the shamanic ritual is considered complete, then the shaman will give his or her verdict.

In funerals, the rice bowl for the deceased is placed right at the head of the coffin, with a single pair of chopsticks stuck vertically in the middle of the rice bowl. A separate offering tray for the deceased, but not yet in the procession to the ancestral altar, also uses only one pair of chopsticks. Therefore, in a Thai family, when serving rice to anyone, even if only one person is eating, two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks must be placed on the tray to avoid taboos...

Thinking about it, the way of using a simple pair of chopsticks in the family, along with the way of connecting their meanings in love songs, with the ceremonies and spiritual activities of the Thai people, has shown a view of life and the world of the community; it is a cultural feature that has always been passed down and continues to be present in the daily life of the Thai people. The unique features in the "knowledge base" of the customs of a community (including the Thai people) will help us find the best way to integrate with our compatriots, promote the positive aspects, eliminate the negative aspects, and contribute to making the lives of people in the villages always peaceful and prosperous!

Sam Van Binh

(Yen Luom, Chau Quang, Quy Hop)