Thai people feed their buffaloes during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

(Baonghean.vn) -After a year of hard work plowing, on the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the buffaloes are fairly rewarded by their owners with small slices of salted buffalo horn-shaped cakes. The Thai people call this feeding the buffaloes during the Lunar New Year.

The Thai people of southwestern Nghe An province mainly live in the districts of Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Anh Son, and Thanh Chuong. Since ancient times, the buffalo has been considered a close friend to them. During the New Year, over a cup of wine with family and friends, the Thai people of Nghe An still sing to wish each other: "Ngan cam lai, ngua quai ề," which means: "Lots of silver and gold, many buffaloes and cows."

At the end of the year, the buffaloes are also given a "Tet" celebration. Herds of buffalo are gathered in pens for a day or two, pampered with delicious grass, and then released back into the forest. Usually, all households in the village share a grazing area, but of course, there's never any chance of accidentally capturing the wrong buffalo. Because Tet is a joyful occasion where both people and animals live peacefully, and buffaloes and cows also enjoy the festivities, shortly before Tet, they go into the forest to remove all the traps they've set so that the wild animals can celebrate Tet without danger.

Buffalo horn-shaped cakes are a type of cake resembling a young buffalo horn, pointed at one end, wrapped in glutinous rice and cooked together with sticky rice cakes during Tet (Vietnamese New Year). These cakes are used as offerings to ancestors and are also a favorite gift among the Thai people of Nghe An. When preparing for their children to travel far, mothers often include these cakes in their luggage, both to provide food for the journey and as gifts for those living far away.

After a year of hard work plowing and hauling timber, the buffaloes are rewarded by their owners with a meal of buffalo horn-shaped cakes. Usually, on the afternoon of the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), farmers cut the buffalo horn-shaped cakes into small slices, season them with a little salt, and feed them to the buffaloes. They call this feeding the buffaloes for Tet.

Ha Phuong