Chung cake wrapping festival on Truong Sa archipelago

Quang An - Tien Dong• January 21, 2023 09:44

(Baonghean.vn) - On a remote island, every year when Tet comes, soldiers and civilians on Truong Sa archipelago gather together to wrap Chung cakes to worship the altar of the Fatherland and ancestors. The warm and bustling atmosphere makes everyone feel like celebrating Tet at home.

Join the working group on ship 490 to deliver Tet gifts to the islands: Da Nam, Song Tu Tay, Sinh Ton Dong, Co Lin, Len Dao and Sinh Ton.Spratly Islands, the group of reporters felt the atmosphere of excitement, bustle, urgency and affection towards those who were carrying out their duties at the forefront.

Tet gifts from the mainland such as kumquat trees, sticky rice, green beans, dong leaves... are quickly transported to the island. Photo: Tien Dong

Dong leaves, kumquat trees, sticky rice, pigs... were loaded into the ship's hold and sent to Truong Sa, representing the sentiments of the whole country towards the beloved islands of the Fatherland, with the hope that the soldiers and people on the island can welcome a new year full of peace and prosperity, no longer hundreds of nautical miles away.

Some dong leaves have turned yellow after many days at sea, but are still very strong enough to wrap cakes. Photo: Quang An

Overcoming many storms, the ship took the delegation to visit and wish the New Year to the islands. Here, we experienced the warm and bustling banh chung wrapping festival, full of military-civilian affection on the remote islands.

At Sinh Ton Island, after the ingredients such as dong leaves, pork, sticky rice, green beans... made it to the island, the soldiers quickly transported them ashore. After hours of preparation, the soldiers and people on the island gathered at the communal hall to wrap banh chung. Each person had a job, some cut leaves, some washed sticky rice and beans, some wrapped the cakes rhythmically... the first banh chung of the new year gradually took shape.

Soldiers and residents on Sinh Ton Island wrap banh chung together to celebrate Tet. Photo: Tien Dong

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Danh Hoang, Commander of Sinh Ton Island, shared: More than ten years ago, there were not as many ships visiting the island as there are now, so there was a shortage of ingredients to wrap the cakes. To wrap the banh chung, the soldiers often "put out the fire" by adding square almond leaves because there were not enough dong leaves, the cakes at that time still had the characteristic flavor of almond leaves. In recent years, there have been more ships from the mainland to visit the island, and the ingredients to wrap the cakes are also more complete, making the soldiers and people feel very happy because they can celebrate Tet like at home..."

The warm atmosphere of making banh chung makes everyone feel like celebrating Tet at home. Photo: Quang An

The steps for wrapping the cake are the same as on land. Photo: Tien Dong

Celebrating Tet for the first time on the edge of the sea, Private Nguyen Xuan Hai, from Nghe An, could not help but feel nostalgic and filled with special emotions: During the traditional Tet holiday, everyone misses their hometown. However, on the remote island, we received meaningful Tet gifts from the mainland, with flowers, kumquat trees, peach branches, and especially Chung cakes, which helped us ease our homesickness, join in the Tet atmosphere on the island, and be more determined to carry out our duties.

At night, soldiers, people and working groups gathered to cook banh chung. Photo: Quang An

After wrapping the cakes, the banh chung were put into the pot and cooked on fire overnight. That night, the soldiers, the people and the working group gathered around the pot of banh chung, cooking the cakes and enjoying many performances. Everyone was moved with emotion when they felt the familiar taste of Tet like at home...