Fragrant and chewy offerings presented to the Hung Kings.
On the anniversary of Hung Kings' death, one indispensable offering presented to the 18 generations of Hung Kings is the offering of cakes...
On Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, an indispensable offering to the 18 generations of Hung Kings is the sticky rice cake (bánh chưng) and the steamed rice cake (bánh giầy). The legend of the sticky rice cake originates from the ancestral land, and after thousands of years of history, this cake has become a symbol of Vietnamese national culture.
Rice cake wrapping competition at Hung Temple Festival
The Hung Kings Commemoration Day, celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, has now become a national holiday. On this day, descendants of the Lac Hong lineage, no matter where they are, turn their thoughts to the ancestral land of Phu Tho, deeply remembering the merits of nation-building, the Hung Kings era, and the first state on Vietnamese territory. From all corners of the world, descendants of Lac Hong return to the ancestral land, offering to the Hung Kings the products they have made themselves. Among the offerings presented to the Hung Kings, such as sticky rice, cakes, betel nuts, bananas, incense, flowers, and five kinds of fruit, the banh chung and banh giay (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) are indispensable. It can be affirmed that banh chung holds a special place in the consciousness of the Vietnamese community. That's why many Vietnamese expatriates abroad, every time Tet (Vietnamese New Year) comes around, try to have someone from their homeland send them one or two banh chung... to ease their longing for the traditional Tet flavor of their homeland.
Throughout thousands of years of history, the banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) has been intertwined with the nation's history and has become the soul of Tet (Lunar New Year) in the Northern Delta region. Today, one of the indispensable cultural activities during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day - Hung Temple Festival is the banh chung wrapping competition. The winning team will have the honor of being selected to wrap banh chung to offer to the Hung Kings the following year. This year, nine provinces were invited to participate in cooking banh chung and banh giay (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and performing folk cultural performances, including Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Hai Duong, Tuyen Quang, Lang Son, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, and Thai Nguyen. To be able to wrap a beautiful and quick banh chung, each participating team has its own secrets. Only by witnessing firsthand the perfectly square and sharp-edged banh chung created by skilled hands can visitors understand why banh chung is wrapped by hand without using a mold. Not only are the rice cakes beautifully and quickly wrapped (teams can wrap 10 cakes in just 3-5 minutes), but the quality of the cakes is also very strictly controlled. To make a delicious rice cake, the preparation of ingredients is crucial. According to Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hang (Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city), to make a delicious rice cake, the maker must choose high-quality Dien Bien sticky rice, good quality beans, good quality meat, and the banana leaves must be thoroughly washed and cooked for about 7 hours. Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hang's family, as well as Hung Lo village (Viet Tri city), are known for making 18,000 rice cakes for the Hung Temple National Commemoration Ceremony in 2010, which were arranged into a giant rice cake to offer to the Hung Kings on the main day of the ceremony. According to the experience of the people of Hung Lo commune, to have a fragrant rice cake that is green when unwrapped, evenly cooked, and delicious, the cooking process is also very important. The person tending the pot of sticky rice cakes must continuously burn charcoal, add water every 1-2 hours, and maintain a controlled heat.
On the National Day of the Ancestor Worship, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, Vietnamese people
According to DaHoanket