Exhibition "Vietnamese Betel and Areca Culture"
A unique exhibition about the long-standing custom that has become a unique cultural feature of the Vietnamese people - the Betel and Areca Culture Exhibition, was jointly organized by the National Museum of History, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Vietnam Women's Museum and collector Thanh Hai Duong.
A unique exhibition about the long-standing custom that has become a unique cultural feature of the Vietnamese people - the Betel and Areca Culture Exhibition, was jointly organized by the National Museum of History, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Vietnam Women's Museum and collector Thanh Hai Duong.
Betel chewing is a long-standing traditional custom and is popular in many Asian and Oceanian countries, in a large geographical area from South Asia east to the Pacific, from Southeast Asia north to Taiwan and Southern China.
A set of golden betel chewing utensils from the Nguyen Dynasty. Photo: VGP/Mai Hong
In our country, the tradition of chewing betel dates back to the Hung Kings and is associated with the fairy tale “The Story of Betel and Areca Nuts”. For Vietnamese people, chewing betel and areca nut is not simply a habit, a custom, but also an element that forms traditional cultural values. Betel and areca nut are both a manifestation of Vietnamese style and a unique expression of national sentiment. A piece of betel and areca nut is the beginning of a conversation, an opening of feelings that makes people closer and more open to each other. Betel and areca nut are not only the initial offerings in traditional ceremonies such as: worshiping, funerals, weddings, but also a symbol of love between couples, husband and wife...
According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chien - Deputy Director of the National History Museum, more than 100 artifacts, documents, and typical images of the Vietnamese betel and areca culture have been selected for display this time, such as lime pots, lime tubes, spittoons, areca knives, betel leaves, betel boxes, betel mortars, relics... made of many materials according to the following topics: Betel chewing custom and the cultural value of betel and areca in Vietnam; betel chewing custom of some ethnic minorities in Vietnam; preserving the cultural value of betel and areca in Vietnam.
The special exhibition "Vietnamese Betel and Areca Culture" is open to visitors from now until January 2013 at the National Museum of History.
Some pictures at the exhibition:
Lime pot from Mac dynasty (16th century)
Medicine box (11th-13th century)
Betel chewing utensils of Nguyen Dynasty
According to (Chinhphu.vn) - HL
