In the days before Tet, the atmosphere at Mr. Va Ba Dai's house is bustling. Following the custom of the Mong people, he and his wife also steam sticky rice to make sticky rice cakes to celebrate Tet. The sticky rice cakes are made from the main ingredient of upland sticky rice.
Clean the sticky rice and cook it on the stove for 2-3 hours until it is really sticky. Then take it out to a wooden trough and pound it with a pestle.
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Huoi Co village, Nhon Mai commune, Tuong Duong district has 44 households with more than 300 people, 100% of whom are Mong ethnic people. Everyone in the family gathers together to make sticky rice cakes. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| Hoi Co is located at an altitude of more than 1,300 meters above sea level, covered in clouds all year round. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| After being poured into the wooden trough, the sticky rice is spread out by the women to cool before pounding. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| Pounding rice cake is a hard job that requires a lot of strength and technique. Therefore, the people who pound the cake are usually strong men and young men. Each time, 2 people pound, when they get tired, they pass the work to 2 other people. The more carefully the pounding is done, the more flexible and delicious the cake will be and the longer it can be kept. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| The cakes are shaped like the moon and the sun, symbolizing the wishes for a prosperous and happy life of the Mong people. “On the ancestral altar on the 30th of Tet of the Mong people, we cannot miss the sticky rice cake. The first 6 pairs of cakes represent 12 months in a year, offered to heaven and earth and the god of harvest. The remaining cakes are placed in a wooden jar, sealed, to eat and treat distinguished guests.”-Mr. Va Ba Dai shared. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| In spring, collective recreational activities of Huoi Co people take place in the central yard of the village. Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| In Huoi Co this year, people also wrap banh chung like the people in the lowlands. This is considered an "important event" in this Tet in the village. Because this is the first time families on the top of Huoi Co practice wrapping banh chung. Major Hoang Xuan Thanh - Nhon Mai Border Guard Station (Nghe An Border Guard) said: With the desire for ethnic minorities to share the traditional Tet, soldiers came down to the village to instruct people on how to wrap banh chung, both to demonstrate cultural traditions and to enjoy Tet with the people. Photo: Hai Thuong |
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| Despite the difficulties and hardships, with the spirit of solidarity, overcoming difficulties, the attention and investment of the Party and the State, and the help of border guards, the life of the Hmong Huoi Co people in particular and Nhon Mai commune in general is getting better day by day. Photo: Hmong Huoi Co girls and boys going to the spring festival. (Hai Thuong) |
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| Traditional Tet is also a place to bond feelings and connect relationships for young men and women in the beautiful land of Huoi Co. When spring comes, the sound of the flute calling for friends fills the air all over Huoi Co. Young men and women flock to the spring festival... Photo: Hien Chuong |
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| Throwing con in spring. Huoi Co village has become a model village in economic development in the Nghe An border area. Thanks to the economic restructuring, dozens of families in Huoi Co in 2017 earned 40-50 million VND from developing the passion fruit model. Photo: Hai Thuong |
