Bustling market of offerings for the Khai Ha ceremony

Although the Khai Ha day took place in the middle of the work week, it was cold and rainy, but from early morning, the traditional markets were crowded and bustling with people shopping for offerings. Especially at the shops and stalls selling votive paper, fresh flowers, fruits, betel and areca nuts, people jostled to shop.

According to records, at the markets, the items for people to buy gifts for the holidays are rich and diverse, and the prices do not fluctuate much. Among them, fruits are the most popular item. The stalls are imported by traders with a variety of fruits in large quantities. Compared to the time before and during Tet, the prices of fruits have decreased slightly.

Accordingly, watermelon costs 30,000 VND/kg, lotus oranges 50,000 VND/kg, Vinh oranges 40,000 VND/kg, Cat Chu mangoes 60,000 VND/kg, custard apples 80,000 VND/kg, star apples 60,000 VND/kg, red dragon fruit 60,000 VND/kg... As for green bananas, the price has dropped sharply, only 50,000-70,000 VND/bunch; areca and betel nuts are only 15,000 VND/plate;...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong, a fruit trader at Quan Lau market (Truong Thi ward, Vinh city) said: “Since yesterday afternoon (January 6), people have started buying offerings for the Khai Ha ceremony. Because it is just after Tet, instead of offering savory dishes, people choose to offer more fruits, so the goods are selling well. Compared to just before Tet, the price of fruits has decreased sharply, they are more diverse, abundant and fresh.”

Along with fruits, fresh flowers such as yellow chrysanthemums, white chrysanthemums... have strong consumption during this time. The current price of chrysanthemums is 4,000 - 6,000 VND/branch, a decrease of 2,000 - 3,000 VND/branch compared to the Lunar New Year. In the markets, chrysanthemums are sold a lot, mainly by gardeners who "missed Tet" so now they cut and sell to serve people in the Khai Ha ceremony, going to the pagoda, so the price is much cheaper than chrysanthemums imported from other places.

“Each large chrysanthemum or diamond chrysanthemum with 5-7 flowers costs only 3,000 VND/branch. The flowers are freshly cut so they are very fresh. I choose to buy locally grown chrysanthemums instead of imported chrysanthemums from Da Lat because they are fresher, cheaper and I also want to support the growers,” said Ms. Thanh Thuy, a local.

The best-selling items on the opening day of the festival are sticky rice cakes, areca flower sweet soup, banh chung, ham, sausage, and ready-made chicken offerings. “Since Tet has just ended, the offerings for the opening day of the festival are simpler. People choose convenient sweet and salty dishes such as banh chung and ham. This morning alone (the 7th of January), I sold 30 banh chung and 10kg of ham,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, who sells ham and banh chung at Coi market (Vinh city).

In particular, the service of preparing and delivering offerings at home is also very popular. Clean food stores, fruit shops, and many restaurants provide the service of preparing and delivering offerings at home for customers in need. Accordingly, the price of each chicken sticky rice set ranges from 350,000 to 500,000 VND; each complete offering (including: fruit, betel, fresh flowers, sweet soup, banh chung, ham, votive offerings) costs from 500,000 to 700,000 VND. This service is also quite popular because of its convenience.

“It’s a working day so I don’t have time to go to the market or cook. Therefore, to complete the Khai Ha ceremony, I chose to order a tray of offerings from a clean food store including sticky rice cakes, areca flower sweet soup, chicken sticky rice, and a tray of five fruits with chrysanthemums for 700,000 VND,” said Ms. Pham An Nhien, a civil servant in Vinh city.

The Khai Ha ceremony (lowering the pole offering) is also known by other names such as the pole lowering ceremony, the New Year thanksgiving ceremony, and the votive paper burning ceremony. After the Lunar New Year holiday, the Khai Ha ceremony (usually held on the 7th of January) is a ritual to send ancestors to heaven, to say goodbye to the gods to the underworld, and at the same time to wish for gratitude, blessings, and protection for the living world to have good crops, favorable business, and prosperity in the new year. For business households, they pray for good sales.

Depending on the economic conditions as well as customs and practices of each family and each region, the offering tray will be different, but everyone tries to prepare carefully to have a complete and neat offering tray.