'Meat-sharing' during Tet

(Baonghean.vn) - Every Lunar New Year, the villages of Nghe An province are filled with the lively scene of families sharing pork for the holiday. It's unknown when this custom of sharing pork originated, but it has now become a tradition.countryside'and it seems to be growing stronger and stronger.

Having prepared a month in advance by buying a pig to raise for Tet (Lunar New Year), on the morning of January 26th (the 29th day of the 12th lunar month), the family of Mr. Ta Quang Hoa in Hamlet 11, Khanh Son 1, Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan District), along with others in the group, gathered to butcher the pig. After a while of chatting and drinking, while waiting for Mr. Hoa's wife to boil water, everyone got down to the main task.

In just a short time, the 70 kg pig was prepared. The finished meat was divided into 8 portions, each containing 7 kg of meat and bone.

The joy of slaughtering animals for Tet (Lunar New Year) in Thanh Hung commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Huy Thu.

Mr. Nguyen Van Truc (31 years old), from Hamlet 4, Khanh Son 2, Khanh Son Commune, said: "Every Tet holiday, my family rarely buys pork at the market; instead, we usually share pork with people in the commune. Around October or November in the lunar calendar, if I see someone raising pigs for Tet or someone calling for a 'pork-sharing' event near Tet, I will 'register' with them to share the meat."

According to Mr. Truc, these pigs, intended for slaughter, are raised by families beforehand on a regular diet of vegetables and bran, not on artificial feed or other additives. Some families even raise the pigs from piglets until they are ready for slaughter. When Tet (Lunar New Year) arrives, everyone discusses and chooses a day to slaughter the pig and divide the meat.

The buffalo meat has been divided up at the home of Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong in Hoa Phu hamlet, Hien Son commune (Do Luong district). Photo: Huy Thu.

"Slaughtering the pig" like this, compared to slaughtering it in the market, means the meat will be tastier, cleaner, and cheaper, plus it's more fun. Friends and neighbors from the village and surrounding areas can meet, slaughter a pig together, eat together, and celebrate happily.

It's not just pork that people in my hometown are slaughtering; they're now slaughtering buffalo and beef too. Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (24 years old), Secretary of Hoa Phu hamlet, Hien Son commune (Do Luong district), said that her family just slaughtered a buffalo calf. The calf was bought by families in the hamlet from an acquaintance for 10 million VND about a month ago.

On the afternoon of the 29th of Tet (Lunar New Year), families gathered at her house to butcher a calf and divide the meat. After preparation, the calf meat was divided into 10 portions, each containing 6 kg of meat (excluding offal and bones) and priced at 1 million VND. Everyone could take whichever portion they liked.

This Tet holiday, Ms. Phuong's family had the opportunity to contribute, so they took three portions, including veal and an extra pig. According to Ms. Phuong, this year many people in Hoa Phu hamlet are buying meat for Tet, so few are going to the market.

Through research, we learned that in the past, rural people often slaughtered pigs for Tet (Lunar New Year). This was because pork was scarce back then, unlike today, and moreover, most families were poor; they didn't have enough rice to eat, so where would they get the money to buy meat?

People in Hamlet 6, Hanh Lam Commune, slaughter pigs for Tet (Lunar New Year), and after finishing their work, they carry the meat home. Photo: Huy Thu.

Therefore, every year, during Tet (Lunar New Year), people everywhere gather to share a pork share. They usually publicly set the price of the pig beforehand to estimate the number of people participating. After slaughtering and allocating portions, those receiving the meat do not have to pay immediately but can defer payment for a certain period, usually until harvest time, when they have to pay in rice.

Every year, around January and February, many families would go to the markets to select piglets to raise for Tet (Lunar New Year). Raising pigs back then was quite a long process; the whole family had to gather agricultural by-products, almost a whole year to raise a pig weighing 50-60 kg. Having a pig to slaughter for Tet was not only a long-awaited dream for pig farmers but also a source of excitement for the elderly and children.

Those difficult times are over, but now, every Tet holiday, people in the villages still gather together to share pork, buffalo, and beef. The methods of pricing, butchering, and dividing the meat remain the same as before, the only difference being that payment is made in cash. They pay with the meat, usually immediately, rather than having to wait a long time as in the past.

The reason for sharing meat today is different from the past. It's not because pork is scarce, nor because money is scarce, but because of the quality of food now. In today's market economy, driven by profit and disregarding human lives, pigs, buffaloes, and cows are raised on all kinds of feed, many of which contain harmful chemicals (even after slaughter), negatively impacting health. Therefore, during Tet (Lunar New Year), families who want clean, delicious meat have to share it.

Many people raise their own chickens and pigs for meat, or go to remote areas to hunt for wild boars and piglets... even though it's more work and more expensive, they feel more secure about the quality.

In recent years, from around the 27th day of the Lunar New Year onwards, villages throughout the countryside are abuzz with the tradition of sharing meat for Tet. Life has changed, but the custom of sharing meat for Tet in my hometown seems to remain the same – an old rural tradition that always comes alive every time Tet comes around.

Huy Thu