The fragrant aroma of Tet sticky rice cakes fills many alleyways.
(Baonghean.vn) - The traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere has arrived at many neighborhoods and homes in Vinh City.
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| The weather in the last days of the year has turned cold and rainy, but it hasn't dampened the atmosphere of the approaching Tet holiday. In many streets and alleys of Vinh City, one can still find steaming pots of banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), carrying with them the unique flavors of Tet. |
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| Many families are starting to prepare banana leaves, sticky rice, mung beans, meat, and onions to make banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) for the Lunar New Year celebration. |
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| Looking at each meticulously wrapped banh chung and banh tet (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), you can really feel that Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is just around the corner. |
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| Mr. Sam's family in Dong Vinh is making rice cakes to cook on the night of the 28th. For more than a decade, Mr. Sam and his family have been making banh chung and banh tet (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to celebrate the New Year. Making these cakes for Tet not only helps connect family members but also reminds the children of this national holiday, Mr. Sam said. |
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| These cakes symbolize the gratitude of descendants to their ancestors and to nature, while also emphasizing the importance of rice-based culture in the lives of the Vietnamese people. |
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| Mr. Luong's family in Lam Dong, who had been away from their hometown for many years, recently returned home for Tet (Lunar New Year) with their children. He shared that it had been a long time since he had felt the Tet atmosphere of his childhood. Sitting by the warm fire, Mr. Luong recounted his childhood memories to his 8-year-old son. |
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| Next to the pot of fragrant sticky rice cakes, the mothers and sisters place kettles of water nearby to quickly boil water to add to the cakes or to make drinking water. |
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| In a small alley off Tran Binh Trong Street, a resident is adding more water to completely submerge the cakes. |
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| After 10-12 hours of cooking, the banh chung and banh tet (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) are taken out, rinsed in cold water to remove the sap, drained, and then pressed. |
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| Amidst the crackling of the wood-burning stove, watching the children with rosy cheeks sitting around the fire cooking rice cakes, one feels that Tet is drawing near, very near. |
Chu Thanh
