Attending the kitchen god worshiping ceremony of the Thai people in Nghe An

Mr. Vi Van Canh, Nam Dinh village, Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong) has just completed a wooden stilt house. He received advice from the elders in the community on the importance of the kitchen, especially the choice of date and time. On the day of roofing, he assigned his wife to be the one to light the fire.

According to the concept of the Thai community here, lighting the stove is the responsibility of women in the house or on the maternal side. Before building the stove, people chose two large pieces of firewood to represent the paternal and maternal sides, and the smaller pieces placed on the two large pieces represent the family reunion of husband, wife, and children.

In the spiritual concept of Thai people, the kitchen is a place with many sacred things. Photo: Huu Vi

People also prepare a bowl of salt and a bowl of rice placed in two corners of the kitchen. According to the explanations of the elders in the community, the bowl of rice is to send prosperity and warmth, while the bowl of salt is the hope for a bright future for the homeowner as well as family members.

After lighting the stove, the fire will be kept burning all day until the next morning. This community believes that a fire that is always burning will be a good omen for the family. “The day the stove is set up is also considered the first day of a couple living in their new house.” – An elder in Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong) shared.

Salt and rice are placed in a bowl on the offering tray on the housewarming day in the kitchen of a Thai family. Photo: Huu Vi

Thai people in many communes in Quy Hop district also share the same concept. In addition, the fire in the kitchen is also maintained from December 30th to the second day of the Lunar New Year. During these days, if the fire goes out and you ask your neighbors for help, no one will give you any help. This concept exists in a time when keeping the fire going is very difficult.

Although it is more convenient nowadays, the practice of keeping the fire burning in the house for 3 days during Tet is still preserved by many Thai communities in Nghe An. Not only that, keeping the fire burning has been deeply ingrained in the subconscious as well as some spiritual concepts of the Thai community.

The Thai people of Nghe An do not believe in Ong Cong and Ong Tao like the Kinh people, but the “kitchen owner” is one of the gods worshiped. According to the Thai community in Con Cuong district, the kitchen god consists of a man and a woman. They are considered the “kitchen owner”. When building a house, people often have a ceremony to worship the “kitchen owner”. In addition, every year on the first day of Tet, this ceremony is repeated.

The fire burned all night on the first day of moving into the new house. Photo: Huu Vi

According to those who are knowledgeable about the customs of the Thai community, the offering ceremony is usually performed right next to the fire on the first day of Tet. In some places, it is on the evening of the 30th of Tet. The offering tray includes a chicken and some other offerings such as sticky rice, chicken, a handful of chopsticks, a plate of betel and areca nuts. In addition, there is 1 or 2 cups of wine and a cup of tea.

Mr. Le Quoc Hoang, a collector of Thai culture in Con Cuong district, said: For the Thai people in Yen Khe commune, people do not offer cold water or boiled water because they believe that filtered water is often used to put out fires, so they avoid using it. There is also no fruit on the offering tray. People also do not wrap betel leaves; instead, the shaman spreads a little lime on the betel leaves. Areca nuts are also left whole.

After the 3 days of Tet, stay and keep the family fire burning, avoiding fire and disaster.