Remembering the Giat market

According to the old people, Giat market used to have only one Cau market session. When Mr. Tran Mau Trinh was the District Chief, he moved the entire Beo market of Hoan Hau commune (Bau Hau - now Quynh Hau commune) to Cau Giat, so the market had two sessions, Cau market and Beo market from then on. According to the regulations, Cau market session is held on the 5th (5th, 15th, 25th) of the lunar calendar every month. Beo market session is held on the 10th (10th, 20th, 30th) of the lunar calendar every month. When I grew up, I still saw the market ticket issued by Mr. Khan Cho (like the head of the residential group now) clearly stating whether it was Cau market or Beo market for each market session, even though it was on the same land. In addition to the two main markets selling all kinds of products, Giat market also has secondary markets on the 7th and 3rd (3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 23rd, 27th) of the lunar calendar. This market is also open all day. The day market is open in the late afternoon of all days, mainly selling fresh food for the people in the district. These two side markets also sell many things, but there are no food stalls (noodles, dog meat...).

In Giat market, there are two distinct market areas: the goods market and the cow market (which mainly sells buffalo). The cow market is held on the fifth and tenth day, coinciding with the Cau and Beo markets. In the past, farmers went to the market mainly on foot. They walked seven kilometers of dirt roads every year. Giat market is both the district market of the whole region and clearly has the characteristics of a rural market. The culture of the rice countryside is very rich. In addition to vegetables and food, Giat markets also sell live animals such as chickens, ducks, and pigs; the cow market sells cows and buffaloes. In the past, pigs were often sold in baskets or on a shoulder pole; cows and buffaloes were walked. Women often went to the market to sell pigs and chickens. Men specialized in buying and selling cows and buffaloes. It took the villagers a whole day to go to the market. Sometimes they only carried a rooster to the market to sell, bought some dry cakes (rice paper), or boiled corn for the children; the rest was used to measure rice, buy sea fish, buy sandals, buy clothes for the husband and children. As a child, they just waited for their mother to come home from the market. The aroma of boiled sticky corn is always fragrant and lingers in life. Pigs for sale are washed clean, put in bamboo baskets, the bottom is lined with woven mats. The mats at the bottom of the basket are so hard that the belly and hips of the pig are pushed out of the woven mats, making the pig look big and fat. The old saying goes, “Pigs in a basket are like roasted dogs.” Pigs in a basket are so eye-catching, looking so big and plump.

The cow market is as joyful as a festival. The market is like a stage for folk and passionate performances. Writer Nguyen Minh Chau wrote "Giat market" to imply that he only talks about this cow market. When the market comes, cows and buffaloes from all over the district and neighboring districts are led back on foot. People who go to the cow market have to leave at four or five in the morning, when the sun has not yet risen; the dirt road is still cool, the buffaloes are not tired, and they still look graceful and agile. Men who go to the cow market always have a small child following them, leading the buffaloes like a page boy walking next to the owner. Farmers who go to sell cows and buffaloes therefore have the feeling that they are the real owners. When tired, the owner sits on the roadside, smoking a pipe of tobacco, happily blowing smoke into the sky, dreaming of a big amount of money, a chance to reward himself with a bowl of pho or a meal of dog meat. This is also the reason why Cau market and Beo market always have food stalls and drinking places. Whenever they sold their cattle, farmers would immediately go to the dog meat shop to sip a glass of wine. Children were rewarded with a bowl of pho or vermicelli. Over time, Cau market and Beo market became places for eating and drinking. Some people went to the market not to buy or sell anything, but just to eat and drink or entertain guests. In the past, people often told a funny story about a drunkard at the gate of Giat market. Whenever he drank alone, his wife would scold him. Therefore, he always found an excuse to have someone sitting there to sip a plate of dog meat. So it became a habit, whenever he craved wine and dog meat, he would go to the shop. When he saw someone buying and selling well, happily and leisurely, he would pull them in to clink glasses like old friends meeting after a long time. They also sipped and chatted.

The cow market has professional “cow tail strokers”. This is a folk saying for the class of people who specialize in selling saliva and selling cows and buffaloes. Selling cows and buffaloes sounds very interesting, both like a performance, flattery, and realistic description. The cow tail strokers are, in principle, very good at physiognomy of cows and buffaloes. They look at the physiognomy of each cow and then accept the contract price. If they make more profit, they get to enjoy it. In the past, for farmers, “the buffalo is the head of the business”. There is an old folk song that says: “Buying a buffalo, marrying a wife, building a house/ Of these three things, it is really difficult”; or: “One three six eight kim lau/ Building a house, marrying a wife, don’t buy a buffalo”. I don’t know why the villagers call it a cow market, but in fact, selling buffaloes is still more popular, better, and more interesting than selling cows. In terms of physiognomy and luck, the buffalo is still more attractive. The ancients said that the buffalo carries the fate of its owner. If the farmer raises a buffalo with a curly hair that betrays its owner, the farmer will easily go bankrupt, or even die. A male buffalo needs to be good at plowing. Must have horns/lime pot belly/snail eyes/jackfruit leaf ears/cage bottom. Round hooves, when walking, the hind foot must step right on the front foot print. Buffaloes have copper skin/hooked hair, grow quickly, and plow well. Sows must choose a good birthing appearance. The ancients said: Deep fields/sows/first-born girls are like that. Sows have stork necks/cows... People who stroke the cow's tail also know how to tease the hair, whether it's late or early, giving more or less manure; if it's down to earth, it causes stomachache and diarrhea; if it's the lightning strike, it causes lightning... That means this professional class has contributed to beautifying the image of the buffalo; making the buffalo sacred in every Vietnamese farmer's family. The way they sell, tease, and saw is very interesting. One hand holds the buffalo's cord (rope), the other hand holds it in the customer's palm, and slaps it: Here are two million! One million and nine! This appearance is good for eating and growing quickly!...

Giat Market used to be a place for people to sing; specializing in market Xam singing. It is said that later on, there were people who went from singing market Xam to becoming folk singers.

Now, returning to Giat market, it is bigger, has more goods, but is bland. It no longer has the poetic charm of the past. Especially the cow market only sells calves and tiny calves. All are transported here by car from faraway regions. The sale of buffaloes is very boring, there are no longer any performers like before. Perhaps now the buffalo is no longer the main asset of farmers. The buffalo is no longer used for plowing. Now, as long as it is healthy and not sick according to the veterinarian's view, it is enough. When buying a buffalo, the price is estimated based on the meat. Buyers and sellers are less bothered, but the soul of a traditional rural market is lost. The food in the market is therefore no longer the same as before. In general, the atmosphere of Giat market has changed a lot. Giat market now purely has the exchange of goods. Bigger and more bustling, but Giat market has lost the subtle sophistication of the once-memorable rural market of the glorious Northern Nghe An region in the past!