Returning to earthenware jars at the beginning of the year...

RiddleFor people in rural areas, earthenware jars, pots, and containers are essential items that have been used for generations.

Earthenware jars were not only used to store rice, grains, and other foodstuffs, protecting them from rats, insects, and mold, but also to collect rainwater for brewing green tea, lotus tea, and making soy sauce. In the summer, village girls would often look in the mirror and use the water collected from the jars to wash their hair with soapberry for shiny, black hair. During the hot season, after working in the fields, villagers would often use a coconut shell ladle to scoop water from the jars to drink. Each sip was refreshing and sweet.

Nowadays, with the development of modern life, earthenware jars and pots are becoming increasingly rare and uncommon. However, in many places, people still preserve and use these jars as indispensable household items in their daily lives.

My husband's hometown is in a village in the flood-prone area of ​​Nam Dan district. In their house, they still keep a few earthenware jars that have taken on a glossy brown hue from time. His great-grandmother, now over 80 years old, often points to these jars proudly, saying they are heirlooms passed down from their ancestors, and that thanks to them, the whole family has been able to preserve their seeds through countless flood seasons.

People in Nam Dan still use earthenware jars to make soy sauce. For generations, after working in the fields, grandmothers and mothers have diligently tended to these fragrant jars of soy sauce to feed and educate their children. Soy sauce stored in earthenware jars maintains a balanced temperature, lasts longer, and has a unique, rich flavor. Therefore, many people today still use the traditional method of fermenting soy sauce in earthenware jars.

In Phu Loi fish sauce village, Quynh Di commune (Quynh Luu district), for generations, the people have consistently salted fish in earthenware jars using the traditional pressing method. Mr. Tran Van Dang, Vice Chairman of the Phu Loi Seafood Processing Village Association, stated: "That is one of the secrets that has made Quynh Di fish sauce famous far and wide."

I'm also fortunate to know someone who loves antique jars, Mr. Tran Thai Binh, from Tan Phuong Hamlet (Vinh Tan Ward - Vinh City). From his passion for preserving ancient heritage and the soul of his homeland, he has transformed it into a unique cultural hobby: collecting antiques, including jars that have weathered countless historical events. Currently, his collection includes more than 15 jars of various sizes and ages, mainly from the Mac and Nguyen dynasties, including a very unique and rare pair of male and female jars.

Every day, Mr. Binh still cleans and takes care of the earthenware jars placed in the shady corners of his house and garden, as if they were family heirlooms. He considers it a way to preserve the soul of his homeland and his people. The pleasure of drinking and bathing in water from earthenware jars, washing one's face in clay basins... perhaps many people have forgotten it now, but for people like Mr. Binh, it remains vividly etched in their memories!

Khanh Ly